Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is celebrated some time between January 17 and February 19, at the time of the new moon, and it is called Yuan Tan. It is celebrated by Chinese people all over the world, and street processions are an exciting part of their New Year.

The Festival of Lanterns is the street processions, and thousands of lanterns are used to light the way for the New Year.

The Chinese people believe that there are evil spirits around at New Year, so they let off firecrackers to frighten the spirits away. Sometimes they seal their windows and doors with paper to keep the evil spirits out.

Even though the climax of the Chinese New Year, Nian, lasts only two or three days including the New Year's Eve, the New Year season extends from the mid-twelfth month of the previous year to the middle of the first month of the new year. A month from the New Year, it is a good time for business. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration material, food and clothing.

Days before the New Year, every family is busy giving its house a thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming good luck. People also give their doors and window-panes a new paint, usually in red color. They decorate the doors and windows with paper-cuts and couplets with the very popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "longevity" and "satisfactory marriage with more children". Paintings of the same theme are put up in the house on top of the newly mounted wall paper. In the old days, various kinds of food are contributed at the altar of ancestors.

The Eve of the New Year is very carefully observed. Supper is a feast, with all members coming together. One of the most popular course is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. After dinner, it is time for the whole family to sit up for the night while having fun playing cards or board games or watching TV programs dedicated to the occasion. Every light is supposed to be kept on the entire night. At midnight, the whole sky will be lit up by fireworks and firecrackers.

Very early the next morning, children greet their parents and receive their presents/cash wrapped up in red paper packages. Then, the family start out to say greetings from door to door, first their relatives and then their neighbors. It is a great time for reconciliation. Old grudges are very easily cast away during the greetings. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness. The New Year atmosphere is brought to an end fifteen days later when the Festival of Lanterns begins. It is celebrated with lantern shows and folk dances everywhere. One typical food is the Tang Yuan, another kind of dumpling made of sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings.

There are twelve animals in the Chinese cycle of years. Legend has it that people acquire the traits of the animal of their birth year. For example, starting in 1984 with the Year of the Rat, the progression runs: 1985-ox; 1986-tiger; 1987-rabbit; 1988-dragon; 1989-snake; 1990-horse; 1991-sheep; 1992-monkey; 1993-rooster; 1994-dog; and 1995-pig. Just add or subtract a multiple of twelve to match other years with specific animals.

Fortune Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:
1 unbeaten egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup butter

Directions: