龔喜發財!
There's a lot of traditions whenever it's Chinese New Year or not. As I follow my Angkong's (Grandfather) rituals every year, I even became more Chinese every time I explore new things about Feng Shui and other traditional Chinese rituals.
Here are the list that you must do welcoming the Year of the Dragon.
RED ENVELOPES. Red is considered the luckiest color and everyone tries to dress in it and have red things all around. Children expect to receive fresh peso bills inside bright red envelopes on which are written Chinese characters. They are called hong bao in Mandarin or ang pao in Hokkien, the language used by Chinese Filipinos.
DRAGON AND LION DANCE. When I was in grade school, I always visit Binondo, and watched the Lion Dance. It's a tradition that welcoming the Chinese New Year with dancing dragon or lion infront of your house or establishment.
The lion's head is large and has a body of long, colorful fabric. Dancers must be strong in holding it up and skillful in manipulating it in an animated way. Homeowners leaveang pao on top of their entrance gates or hang it by their door for the lion dancers to pick up while dancing in costume.
How can you tell if it's a dragon or a lion that's dancing? The dragon has a longer body and is controlled by eight or more people. Its body is propped up with poles. The lion has four legs (two dancers — one in charge of the head and the other of the tail end). The dancer in front who holds the lion's head can make its ear wiggle and blink its eyes. He's the one in charge of picking up the ang pao.
CHINESE GREETING. In the Hokkien language that most Chinese Filipinos speak, the Chinese New Year greeting is Kiong Hee Huat Tsai. To compare, the Cantonese version dominant in Hong Kong is Kung Hei Fat Choi and the Mandarin is Gong Xi Fa Cai. It means "Congratulations and Be Prosperous."
PREPPIN FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR:
1. Decorate house doors with red scrolls on which Chinese characters are written and hang up red paper lanterns.
2. Make sure there are healthy, preferably blooming, plants around the house. They symbolize life and renewal.
3. Settle all debts. You must not owe anyone money.
4. Thoroughly clean the house before the first day of the year.
5. Get a haircut and wear new clothes.
2. Make sure there are healthy, preferably blooming, plants around the house. They symbolize life and renewal.
3. Settle all debts. You must not owe anyone money.
4. Thoroughly clean the house before the first day of the year.
5. Get a haircut and wear new clothes.
6. Light up the whole house during the celebration. It's means a lighter year ahead of you.
