Happy Chinese New Year 2021!

Happy Chinese New Year 2021!

Happy Lunar New Year and Spring Festival!

NOTE: We post a “Happy Chinese New Year!” Blog Post every year!
Every year our Blog Post gets better…. this one is the best.
Check out the links to our previous Blog Posts at the bottom of the page.

February 12, 2021 – Happy Chinese New Year 2021!
HAPPY YEAR OF THE YIN SILVER METAL OX!

The first day is for welcoming the deities of the heavens and earth.
It is tradition to light fireworks and firecrackers, burn bamboo sticks
and make as much noise as possible to chase off evil spirits.

The first day is also a time to honor family elders and visit the oldest and most senior members of the extended families (parents, grandparents and great-grandparents).

The Chinese (LUNAR) New Year Festival runs for 15 days,
The New Year Lantern Festival on February 26th is the final day of the festival.

The 12 Animals of the Chinese Lunar Calendar (repeats every 12 years):

And the Yin/Yang Five Elements:
Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth
The five elements are connected to five colors:
White, Black, Green, Red, and Brown.

The Ox is the second sign in the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac.
The recent zodiac Years of the Ox sign: 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, and 2009

The Year of the Metal Ox hasn’t happened for 60 years! (not since 1961)
aka The Year of the Silver Buffalo, it is associated with hard work and serenity.

The Lunar New Year falls on the day of the second New Moon after Winter Solstice.

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Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

“Worldwide peace” (天下太平—tiān xià tài píng)
“Longevity and fortune” (千秋万岁—qiān qiū wàn suì)

祝贺大家新年好! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! 恭喜發財!

For Buddhists the first day is also the birthday of Maitreya Bodhisattva, the Buddha-to-be.
They also abstain from killing animals and meat consumption on the first day.

People born in the Year of the Ox are faithful and trustworthy.
They have leadership qualities and a tendency to be stubborn and judgmental.
They also stick to their routines and they are good workers.
They are cautious, and that helps them to avoid misfortune.

“May you realize all your ambitions”

Please check out our Asian recipes and our previous Blog Post about The House of Chan Cookbook and Chinese Restaurant in New York City! (use the search box at top of page)

Asian American Art Museum in San Francisco

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The San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade is the oldest and largest celebration outside of Asia, and the largest Asian cultural event in North America. Over 100 groups participate in the annual Chinese New Year Parade held since 1958. It is attended by ~500,000 people and watched by another 3 million television viewers.

“For over 5,000 years the Chinese have celebrated the awakening of spring with Lunar New Year festivities. In the 1860’s the Chinese in San Francisco started the Chinese New Year Parade as a way to educate their community about Chinese cultural customs. Today, San Francisco’s Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Festival and Parade – a two week celebration including a Flower Fair, Community Fair, Jamboree, Run, and the Miss Chinatown USA Pageant and Ball – is the largest Lunar New Year celebration outside of Asia.

A San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush, the Parade continues to delight and entertain the over one million people that come to watch it on the street and hundreds of thousands more who watch the live broadcast…

Nowhere in the world will you see a lunar new year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers , and of course, the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court. A crowd favorite is the spectacular 268′ Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”). It takes a team of over 100 men and women from the martial arts group, White Crane to carry this dragon throughout the streets of San Francisco.”

UPDATE: The San Francisco 2021 Chinese New Year Parade has been CANCELLED due to COVID-19 and concerns over large public gatherings. Instead a Parade Broadcast Special will air on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at 6 pm PST on KTVU. and a there will only be a few small live public events. Info: @ChineseParade

Prepping, inspecting, and wiring the lights in the new Golden Dragon for 2018

“The Dragon can ride mist and float on clouds in the sky, chase the storm and churn the waves in the sea, and summon wind and call for rain on the earth. More importantly, the Dragon symbolized the imperial power in the slave and feudal societies of China, and its image was exclusively used by the emperor.”

Over 2000 years old, the Lantern Festival is a time for Moon watching, Lion dances,
lantern lighting, social interaction and a celebration of freedom.

“May your happiness be without limit”

The Year of the Metal Ox is going to be lucky!
Focus on your relationships (friendship or love) this year!

Scare the Demons away! Are you wearing your red underwear today?
The best way to avoid bad luck is to wear red.
Lucky Colors for 2021:
white/silver/gray and aqua blue attract luck, prosperity, and health

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Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

“Fai chun are traditional decorations that are frequently used during Lunar New Year.
People hang fai chun (red and gold paper signs with significant Chinese characters) on their doors to create a festive atmosphere. The phrases generally signify good luck and prosperity. Customarily, fai chun are written by hand, but for convenience, printed versions are mass-produced nowadays. The decorations are either square or rectangular in shape and can be displayed vertically or horizontally.”

The Chinese character for Fu (for luck, happiness and prosperity)
features prominently in fai chun and are usually displayed upside down.
The inverted character fu is a sign of coming blessings

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Every year we build a “Happy Chinese New Year!” Blog Post.
Please check out our past Blog Posts:

2020 – Year of the Yang Male White Metal Rat (and f*ck that guy)
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2020/01/14/happy-chinese-new-year-2020/
2019 – Year of the Yin Brown Female Earth Pig
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2019/01/29/happy-chinese-new-year-95000-hits/
2018 – Year of the Yang Brown Earth Dog
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/happy-chinese-new-year-2018/
2017 – Year of the Red Fire Rooster
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2017/01/21/happy-chinese-new-year-2017/
2016 – Year of the Yang Red Fire Monkey
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2016/02/06/happy-chinese-new-year-2016/
2015 – Year of the Green Wood Goat/Ram/Sheep
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/happy-chinese-new-year/
2014 – Year of the Green Wood Horse
https://joshwilltravel.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/gung-hay-fat-choy-happy-chinese-new-year/

Tiananmen Square

According to ancient Chinese superstition, lighting fires and using knives is considered bad luck on New Year’s Day, so all food is usually cooked beforehand. It is also considered bad luck to use a broom during the New Year’s celebration.

Life is just a bowl of kumquats… Kumquats for GOOD LUCK!
The name of the kumquat fruit comes from its Cantonese pronunciation gam kwat,
which translates literally to “golden tangerine.”
The sweet fruit represents wealth and good fortune.