It’s one month to Chinese New Year and time to prepare yourself, your home, and family for the most important Chinese celebration of the year.  The preparation takes effort and time but remember, the goal is to bring as much good luck as possible into the coming year.

4 Weeks Before Chinese New Year

Order red envelopes.  Giving and receiving red envelopes is one of the most fun things to do during Chinese New Year.  Married couples give money in red envelopes to unwed family and close friends as a way to share their good fortune in the new year.  Envelopes are red because the color symbolizes prosperity, good luck, and thought to keep away evil spirits.

Plan Reunion Dinner.  The most important meal of the year is Reunion Dinner because it closes out the year and celebrates all of your good fortune and accomplishments.  Generations within a family get together for this celebration.  Traditionally, this dinner is celebrated on Chinese New Year’s eve but since it is such an important celebration, choose a date that works for everyone.  Try to get together before Chinese New Year Day but don’t fret if the dinner happens afterwards, the important part is the family coming together.  Doesn’t matter if you go to a restaurant or cook dinner at home, the food should be abundant with leftovers to eat on Chinese New Year’s day.  This represents the excess of good fortune in the current year overflowing into the coming year.   Dinner should include food to symbolize fortune, happiness, longevity such as a whole chicken and fish, long life noodles, long leafy green vegetables, sweets for a sweeter life.  Red envelopes are given after dinner.

3 Weeks Before Chinese New Year

Decorate your home to bring good luck, health, and money in the new year.  Decorations should be red, gold, and bright colors.  Put up signs like door couplets on the front door and decorations in the entryway so everyone coming in will be in a festive mood, and showered with prosperity for the new year.  Put up garland and lanterns especially around the dining room table because this will be the place for many happy celebrations.  If you are crafty or have children, try making some of your own decorations.  I love these glass lanterns my daughters made.

Get Chinese New Year books for children.  The biggest learning from my mom blogger friend, PragmaticMom, is to teach children through books.  I read books about Chinese New Year to my children (4 and 7 years old), they ask questions, and we have really good talks about all the different things that go into this big celebration.  Reading books has explained Chinese New Year to my children better then I could ever have.  One of our favorites is Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin.

2 Weeks Before Chinese New Year

Clean your home for new beginnings.  This is a thorough cleaning of your home so it’s best to start as soon as possible.  You do this because you want to “sweep out” any lingering misfortune from the current year.   The cleaning should include sweeping corners, cleaning out the food pantry and refrigerator, washing sheets and towels.  Do a little each day so that your home is most clean on New Year’s eve, sweeping the first few days of the new year could sweep away good luck.

Setup a centerpiece of oranges and buy more for gifting.  Oranges, tangerines, and pomelos represent luck, wealth, and abundance.  Create a centerpiece of these fruits and display it prominently in your home or on the dinner table.  Buy 2 tangerines with stems and leaves to represent longevity and display them on top of your stove or television.  Have a stock of oranges and tangerines at home to give to friends when visiting.  Do not give 4 fruits because the number sounds like the word for death in Chinese.  Give fruits in a red bag for extra luck.

Pick out your celebration outfits.  To bring luck for the new year, wear red to every Chinese New Year celebration, Chinese New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year’s Day.  Head-to-toe in red is not necessary, well put together outfits with red tops, bottoms, accessories, or shoes is the look you are going for.  Red is preferred, but pink is also ok.  I wear a lot of black and neutral colors so I have red and pink scarves to get me celebration ready.

Week of Chinese New Year

Be in good spirits.  This is one of the happiest times of year celebrating all of your accomplishments from the current year and anticipating good fortune for the coming year.  Of course we all have things that bother us, but for these couple of weeks, celebrate in the moment and enjoy the time with family and friends.  We don’t want bad feelings to be carried into the new year.  Party like a rock star!

Did I miss anything?

Busy getting ready for Chinese New Year,
The Dumping Mama xo

Chinese people love the color red.  The color symbolizes happiness and good fortune and surrounds all special occasions and holidays.  Fire is one of the Five Elements, represented with the color red and is thought to ward off evil.

How to have your celebrations surrounded in the color RED:
The more red, the more happiness and good fortune.  There can never be enough red.  Happy occasions like a baby’s Red Egg and Ginger Party, or holidays like Chinese New Year, are especially surrounded in red.

1. Decorate rooms with red decorations.  Doors, walls, tables, ceiling.  Of course, more is better, but make sure it’s tasteful.
2. Eat red food.  Lobster, peking pork chop, red bean soup just to name a few.
3. Wear red clothes.  I have a red scarf I bought specifically to wear to Chinese New Year every year.

How to fill your life with the color RED:.

1. Red hair clips or bright colored clothing especially on children.  If my daughters aren’t wearing some shade of red or bright color when we visit my grandmother, I will be sure to hear her remind me.
2. Red front door on a home.  Wishes of happiness and good fortune to anyone who enters and leaves the home.
3. Choose a red shirt, car, linens, fruit, etc, to add a little more happiness and luck to your life.

Cheers,
The Dumpling Mama xo

My husband and I aren’t perfect.  In our marriage I am in constant battle between my conservative Chinese culture and free spirited American upbringing.  So how can I write this guide?  It’s because I know the best qualities in Chinese and American cultures, and even though my marriage is very far from perfect, I work hard to get it a little closer everyday.  This is not only a guide to find a good husband or spouse but also the guide to the wife I want to be.

Honor.  Definition: regard with great respect.  The biggest challenge I have with my husband is how very, very, very deep I have to honor him.  It must be the foundation of the relationship and cracks can destroy it.  When I was young, I thought I would have a husband just like Prince Charming.  He would slay dragons to save me, build a castle for us to live in, and we would host lavish balls that all our friends would come to.  My experience having a husband has not been anything like what I thought when I was young.  I never thought I would have to honor Prince Charming when he decided to be a police officer and I was always against having guns in the house, or when he got back on his motorcycle after his good friend passed away in a motorcycle accident, or when the tests for down syndrome of our unborn child came back high risk.  Honor is open communication but not necessarily agreeing.  He must honor everything that is important to you, family, friends, religion, health, career, aspirations, hobbies, culture…everything.

Provide.  Definition: to supply means of support.  This one is simple.  When you marry your husband you are both now the co-owners of a business called your life.  You both must work together and use your strengths and talents to have a successful life.  You want your husband to have the motivation and intelligence to do whatever is necessary to accomplish this.  The range of tasks is massive and spans from earning more money by taking a second job, to taking out the garbage, to making dumpling stickers for a Chinese lucky envelope business.

Romance. Definition: a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.  You must be attracted to his mind, body, and personality.  It doesn’t have to be in equal parts but some mix.  He must be thoughtful. You should be able to laugh together.  Romance is the internal smile when you see his number on your caller ID, the warm feeling when he does something for you unexpectedly, the tingly feeling when you think about sex with him.  This is the part of love that is crazy, fun, and doesn’t always make sense.

Did I miss anything?

My parents would have liked me to marry a doctor or lawyer because these careers are regarded in the Chinese culture as stable and successful.  I married a police officer who owns a hot dog shop.  He likes anything that drives fast, junk food, and Nike sneakers.  He probably wasn’t the person my parents (or I) thought I would marry.  Through all our differences and imperfections, he is always up for date night, eats my gluten and dairy-free cooking, helped take care of my grandparents, supports the vision for my blog, etc, etc.

It doesn’t matter their career, where they are from, or how they got here, just as long as they honor, provide, and romance you.

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day,
Chrissy xo

Good luck is at the center of Chinese New Year.  The focus of every celebration attended, tradition followed, food eaten, is to bring as much luck as possible into the coming year. One way to wish others good luck is to give money in lucky envelopes.

Giving Guidelines:

• Envelopes are in colors and designs that are thought to be lucky in Chinese culture.  The most popular color envelope is red because it symbolizes prosperity and good luck, and the color of fire which is suppose to ward off evil spirits.
• Married adults give red envelopes to children and unmarried adults.  If you are married with children also give to married adults without children as a token of good luck for children-to-come.
• Two envelopes are given to each person.  One from the wife, one from the husband.  Each envelope should have the same amount of money.
• The amount in each envelope and sum of envelopes should not contain the number four, such as 4, 40, 400.  The pronunciation of the word “four” (四) is similar to the word “death” (死), signifying bad luck.
• Money should be new and crisp.  Giving folded, wrinkled money is in bad taste and you would lose face.
• Give cash, no checks, and definitely no coins.
• Don’t sign the back of the red envelope.

Gift Amount Guidelines (as of 2015, inflation could effect amounts for later years)

• Family members should not receive less then $10 (two 5’s).  The amount depends on how close you are to the relative (niece you see at holidays and family gatherings vs. cousin’s daughter you met for the first time).  It is also ok for newly married couples to give a smaller amount their first couple years until they build more financial wealth.
• Give to children of your good friends.  Follow the same guidelines as described for family members.  There will be many family gatherings during Chinese New Year.  Try to also get together with friends to celebrate the New Year.
• Doormen, hair dressers, other personal service professionals should not receive less then $6 (three 1’s in each envelope).   The amount depends on how long you have been using their services, how often you see them in a year, how many people provide you the service (ex. doormen).  Only give them red envelopes if you see them around the time of the holiday.

Happy Giving,
The Dumpling Mama xo

Noodles have a big part in Chinese culture and history because they symbolize long life.  They are always part of birthday or Chinese New Year meals because eating them is thought to promote longevity.  The longness of the noodle represents the longness of life so the longer the better, especially for those occasions (what a tongue twister!).  Never cut them because that would be cutting your long life short and very unlucky.

The Dumpling Mama xo

Giving and eating sweets and desserts are a big part of Chinese culture because they symbolize a sweeter life.  It is common to end an every day meal with fruit.  Candies, cakes and oranges are common gifts to give a family who has invited you over for a  meal.   Sweets are everywhere during big celebrations like Chinese New Year, because they symbolize a sweeter life in the new year.

Since “gaining face” is important in Chinese culture, always serve or give others sweets that are highly regarded.  You want the person to be impressed with your sweet.  If you are making a sweet, make your best tasting and use the best ingredients.  My mom does not like to bake but people always ask for her mini pecan tarts.  Everything from the crust to the filling is made from scratch, name brand ingredients are always used, and she hand-crushes the pecans.  If you buy a sweet, the criteria to follow is name brand, high value, and delicious taste.  Whether you make or buy the sweet, try to always choose something the person will enjoy.  My father-in-law loves desserts with fruit.  When I am in NYC and he is babysitting the girls, I always try to pick up a piece of Junior’s cheesecake with strawberries on top in Grand Central because he really likes it.

Examples of good sweets to give are a large box of Godiva chocolates, a signature pie, cake, pastry from a well regarded bakery, or if you were my mom, homemade mini pecan tarts.  The packaging of the sweet is just as important as the actual sweet.  You want the first impression of the gift to be a preview of what is inside.  The first impression of a broken box inside of a ripped bag is not one you want to have for your award winning chocolate cake.

Cheers to a Sweeter Life,
The Dumpling Mama xo

Longevity (寿, shou), or long life, is an important goal in Chinese culture and considered good luck.  The symbolism of longevity can be seen in Chinese art, decorations, and even tattoos.  My Grouchy Husband has the character for longevity on his ankle.  He got this tattoo in college and luckily it IS the correct character for longevity because he doesn’t know how to read Chinese!

Because good health promotes a long life, natural remedies, internal exercise, and stress management are a big part of Chinese culture.  The foundation of a Chinese diet are foods with high health benefits such as fresh vegetables and fruit, bone broth and rice.  My Grandmother is the most health conscious person I know.  For genetic reasons, she has always been on the boarder of having high blood pressure and blood sugar so she skims every visible piece of fat from her broths, adds only trace amounts of salt to her food, hardly ever eats food made with sugar, and does a morning exercise routine with her friends in the courtyard of her apartment building.   She is over 80 years old and has been able to avoid medications because of her healthy choices.

The long length of noodles (also known as “long life” noodles) and long leaves on leafy greens are eaten to symbolize long life.  They are always eaten during holidays and celebrations, and almost everyday in my house.

Bamboo is a symbol of longevity because it can survive the harshest natural conditions and still stay green all year round.

In Chinese culture a long life is highly regarded.  There is a great effort to eat well and take care of your body to promote a long life.   Symbols of long life can be seen throughout homes and during celebrations.  My favorite regard for long life is the prominent respect for elders.  My parents and grandparents are amazing people and I have the deepest level of respect for who they are and how they have influenced me.  It’s the type of respect where whenever they ask, I will always listen, come, and do.

How have you seen the symbolism for longevity in your life?

Cheers to long life, good health, and respecting our elders,
Chrissy xo

Wholeness (全, quan) is an important concept in Chinese culture.  The symbolism can be seen in holidays, celebrations, food, family, and every day life.  When something is whole, it is complete and seen as in harmony and balanced.  If something is not whole, it is broken and can be seen as unfinished and undesirable.  Think of a chain with a broken link.  You most likely wouldn’t use that chain to keep your bike safe from being stolen.

Wholeness can be seen during Chinese New Year.  The year is started in good spirits at the “New Year Day” celebration and the “Closing Out the Year or Reunion Dinner” celebration always happens to complete the year with good spirits.

The symbolism of wholeness is seen in many Chinese foods.  Have you ever been to a Chinatown and seen meat hanging in the window with its head, feet, and tail still attached?

Or have you ever wondered why the Lobster Cantonese dish comes to your table with the head?  Even though there is little to no meat in the head, feet, and tail, they must be included so it is whole and complete.

During family gatherings there is an importance for everyone to come together.  Growing up, my family always tried to eat dinner together.  We would even try to wait for everyone to be home at the same time before we ate.  At large celebrations like Chinese New Year, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, my grandparents expected all of their children and grandchildren to gather together.  When there is a gathering and someone is missing, there is a feeling that the family is not complete.  Recently, my small family (Grouchy Husband + two little girls) had plans to go to the Arthur Ashe Kids Day and my younger daughter caught the Coxsackievirus and could not go.  Even though we were looking forward to going to this fun event, it didn’t feel right to go without her, so we decided to all stay home together.

As I learn more about Chinese symbolism, I have come to admire how integrated it is into celebrations, food, and life.  When my extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) come together to celebrate holidays, everyone is there unless there is a special circumstance (like they live in a different country and just came to Thanksgiving the month before), and we eat whole chicken with head and feet, whole fish with head and tail, lobster with the head on the platter, and tangerines with stems and leaves.  The whole family being together is important we don’t always get together on the holiday day.  One year we celebrated Christmas with my in-laws in the middle of January.

Do you eat whole foods at your celebrations also?  Would love to hear about it.

The Dumpling Mama xo