Kung Hey Fat Choy

On February 7, 2008 (measured by the Gregorian calendar which we here in the west have come to know and love so dearly), celebrations began to mark the Chinese New Year. Traditionally, the Chinese do not celebrate any other major feasts, but the New Year is a time for family and friends to gather, share good food, usher out the old and greet the new.

The most significant day for this celebration is the eve of the lunar New Year, but the celebrations go on for the better part of two weeks. This year, the Chinese are particularly joyous since we are marking the beginning of the Year of the Rat, the first of the animals in the zodiac.

The greeting kung hey fat choy (Happy New Year) is only the beginning of the festivities. The colour red symbolizes good luck and prosperity. It is the Chinese colour of celebration which marks this and other celebratory times. Food plays a central role in the celebration of the New Year. Even the simplest of Chinese households will offer guests rice cakes and tea as signs of hospitality and wishes for good fortune abound. New Year is also the time for giving gifts. Children will often receive money from relatives, and adults will exchange sweets as well as other foods.

New Year is a time for parades, colourful costumes, traditional dress, dancing, for festivals, for celebrations of all sorts. Mythical characters such as the dragon figure prominently in celebratory festivities during the Spring Festival as the Chinese New Year is known.

A few years ago, I began hosting Chinese New Year dinners. Although it has not been a steady custom, I do try to invite some friends to share a meal and enjoy one another's company. The people at the table often change from one occasion to the next, but the variety of dishes and the friendship that is shared is always constant. After all, isn't this the greatest of blessings - to share good fortune with others, to thank them for their friendship and to wish them well in the coming year?

Kung Hey Fat Choy !