LaoJian Posted January 20, 2012 at 05:50 AM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 05:50 AM There are 2 days leave from Lunar New Year's Eve, first of all, I would like 拜年(Pay a New Year Call) to all friends in Chinese-forums. English Version: Happy Chinese New Year, LaoJian wish you all best through the coming year, and gain a great progress in your Chinese Study in Year of the dragon~! Chinese Version: LaoJian 祝愿 朋友们 龙年 一年好运相伴， 汉语学习 可以取得 巨大进步~！ 2012 is the year of the Dragon, if you are interested in Chinese Culture, you could continue reading my following randomly knowledge share for year of Dragon : Part 1 - What we do in Chinese New Year? Actually, as the most important festival, Chinese New Year will begin one month before New Year's Eve, in other word, it will start at the beginning of December in lunar calendar. Now let me guide you pass through the major process with a traditional old Beijing kid's rhyme(you know, I'm a Beijinger), I hope you can get feel of Bejing's 年味 and traditional Chinese food culture. Ready? Let's Go: 小孩(xiao3hai2)小孩你(ni3)别(bie2)馋(chan2)，过了(guo4le)腊八(la4ba1)就是(jiu4shi4)年(nian2) Kids,kids, don't be such greedy, New Year is coming soon once 8th,Dec. passed - 腊八：腊月（month of December in lunar calendar） 初八 (date of 8th) 腊八粥(zhou1)过几天，漓漓拉拉(li2li2la1la1)二十三，二十三，糖瓜粘(tang2gua1 zhan1) after several days waiting from 8th,Dec., 23th of Dec is coming right now. When it comes 23th of Dec., 糖瓜 need to be prepared 1. 腊八粥 - Make Laba porridge Old times, people have a good custom, before buying food materials for new year festival, people firstly eat out all rest of grains and cereals in last year, so they mix all kind of beans, grains, nuts together to make porridge to eat, very delicious, I like it very much! So we called it Laba, because it usually is made at 8th of Dec(8 pronounced 'ba' ), and also because there are required at least 8 type of materials to make Laba porridge normally. 2. 买糖瓜儿，祭灶(ji4zao1) - Buy tang2gua1er， sacrifice for Kitchen God About legend of 'Kitchen God'：In ancient time, the old couple because of poor so go home son of mine coal mines. Son, so long to don't think to look old son. In the way of man met a barefoot, they get along very well. That old man is the kid, yan to receive 100 lives. Mines For the son of man left his life. Hobberdy agreed, but he must be kept secret. So his son's life saved. Three years later, it is the man of the evening, 22, and this matter in the chat wife. By day, so the kitchen to hear the kitchen god said to the jade emperor was punished. Then after that people in 23, please include this calendar, a cake of sugar is hoping he more than 9 say something nice, but hope stuck his mouth, don't gossip (quot from http://zhidao.baidu....n/81575775.html） But Nowadays, people living in cities are seldom do sacrifice '灶王' at home, this ritual has been changed to 2 main kind of things family often do annual year - buy tanggua as new year candy(I think it is just like 'ginger bread'?), or/and post picture of couple of '灶王' as decoration~ what does 灶王 looks like? or What is 糖瓜儿？ http://t3.gstatic.co...Ds0lhA8VGqVhBRT How to make 糖瓜儿？ 4 Quote
LaoJian Posted January 20, 2012 at 05:58 AM Author Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 05:58 AM 二十四，扫房子，二十五，做豆腐(dou4fu)，二十六，去割肉(ge1rou4)，二十七，宰年鸡(zai3gong1ji1)，二十八，贴窗花(tie1chuang1hua1)，二十九，蒸馒头(zheng1man2tou) 24th of Dec., Clean the house. 25th of Dec., make Tofu; 26th of Dec, Go to prepare for Pork food; 27th of Dec., Go to prepare for Chicken food; 29th of Dec., Steam and baking steamed bread(mantou) 1. Clean and decorate home(扫房子，贴春联，贴窗花) Every body like to welcome new year with a clean and beautiful environment, so house cleaning and decoration have becoming a rule and custom since hundreds years ago in China(these works are often proceed weeks ago from NewYear's Eve, and must to be done by New Year's Eve). I just help my Mom complete house cleaning for washroom and Kitchen - HARD work... Besides house cleaning, as part of house decoration, people usually do '贴春联' and ‘贴窗花’， what are they like? see pictures 贴春联 贴窗花 窗花and 春联are all belongs to artwork in my understanding, family are do it together and enjoy the working process~~~ I'll buy some for my house decoration tonight. Here is a question for you, do you know why some people mean to paste paper-cut of '福' with a 90° rotation??? 3 Quote
LaoJian Posted January 20, 2012 at 06:02 AM Author Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 06:02 AM 三十晚上闹(nao4)一宿(yi4xiu3)，大年初一扭一扭(niu3) Play in whole night at 31st of Dec at home, and go out for visiting or playing at 1st day of New Year 1. 守夜 and 年夜饭 - Stay up all night at New Year's Eve, Family Dinner at New Year's Eve As a traditional custom, All family members need to unite together at New Year's Eve, make dumplings together, see Festival TV programs together, eat '年夜饭' together, and play games together, so warm~ What we eat, dumpling is a necessary food for most of northern's family and also accompany with a assortment of other homemade yummy dishes. feature 饺子 -making dumpling 包饺子 -raw dumplings -boiled dumplings homemade 年夜饭 2. 拜年(bai4 nian2) - Pay a new year call This is really really one of the most important activities during the Spring Festival, it is kind of most simple way for you to express your good wishes to the people you love, or strangers you meet in the street. I believe Every body would also response you with similar wishes to you or a just happy and smiling face~. And normally, we can do '拜年' each other as early as one month before lunar New Year's Eve, and as late as one month after lunar New Year's Eve. But for same people you known, one time '拜年' is enough, not do it again and again whenever you meet a same guy~ How to '拜年' - like most of countries's custom, we could express our wishes through gift exchange, or simply greet card exchange, or even a mobile text message nowadays. While for the people you can meet face to face during holiday, a most direct expression is do '拜年' in person - "talk with your body". Please see pictures I find for you learn how to do it in action, you can say '过guo4年nian2好hao3~！' or '给gei3您nin2拜bai1年nian2' while performing this action on your friends. I'm a Beijing Guoan(Soccer club) fan, this is head couch of Guoan club Liu Dehua, I think some of you are familiar with this handsome guy, right? Yang Mi, lady version of '拜年' 群拜~hehe There are still lots of other custom and traditions I hope to introduce to you guys, like '压岁钱'， ’请安‘， ’逛庙会‘... but I can't make my article too long~ sorry, skip into part 2~! Part 2 - a few auspicious words consist of '龙' I would like introduce some of auspicious words including 'dragon', you can use of them to express your wishes to your friends when '拜年' to them. 龙腾虎跃(long2teng2hu3yue4) - describe people's life or career will have a great success or very lucky; Or describe people will have a good health and be full of energy in coming year. 龙马精神(long2ma3jing1shen2) - describe people energetic and healthy physically 龙行虎步(long2xing2hu3bu4) - similar as ’龙马精神‘ 龙年大吉（long2nian2da4ji2） Sample - 我 祝愿/恭祝(gong1zhu4) 你(friend name) 2012 龙年快乐， 龙年大吉，龙马精神~！ Ok， I took almost 2 hours to write this thread, hope you enjoy it and enjoy Chinese New Year of the Dragon~! 4 Quote
liuzhou Posted January 20, 2012 at 07:42 AM Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 07:42 AM You shouldn't use the names January to December to describe the traditional Chinese calendar months. It just gets totally confusing. What do you do in those years where the Chinese calendar has thirteen months? Just call them months one to twelve. 4 Quote
LaoJian Posted January 20, 2012 at 08:33 PM Author Report Posted January 20, 2012 at 08:33 PM thank you Liuzhou Quote
skylee Posted January 22, 2012 at 08:11 PM Report Posted January 22, 2012 at 08:11 PM It is 美目盼兮, not 美目盼分. Happy year of the dragon. 1 Quote
jkhsu Posted January 24, 2012 at 09:44 AM Report Posted January 24, 2012 at 09:44 AM Here is a question for you, do you know why some people mean to paste paper-cut of '福' with a 90° rotation??? I think you mean 180 degree rotation? Because 福 "倒" (sounds like 到)了。Hoping good fortune will arrive (到). 1 Quote
jbradfor Posted January 25, 2012 at 01:59 AM Report Posted January 25, 2012 at 01:59 AM LaoJian, which one is you in the 群拜? Quote
Hofmann Posted February 3, 2012 at 04:45 PM Report Posted February 3, 2012 at 04:45 PM It's amazing how many screwed up 春聯 you see...Up there you see one that's backwards and one that doesn't even work. Quote
LaoJian Posted February 14, 2012 at 01:53 AM Author Report Posted February 14, 2012 at 01:53 AM It is 美目盼兮, not 美目盼分. Happy year of the dragon. spelling error - 呵呵，Thanks SkyLee 本命年开始了! imron, have you prepared red colored dressing, like red socks, red belt？ This is a tradition in China, It's told that dressing in red will bring people lucky in his 本命年 think you mean 180 degree rotation? Because 福 "倒" (sounds like 到)了。Hoping good fortune will arrive (到). jkhsu, you are expert indeed, congras~ while no bonus, hehe。 maybe if you come to Beijing ,I will treat you one meal LaoJian, which one is you in the 群拜? jbradfor, did you notice that big tree as background in the picture, that's me~! hehe, joking, they are all stuff of Guoan Soccer Club. Quote
imron Posted February 14, 2012 at 02:16 AM Report Posted February 14, 2012 at 02:16 AM imron, have you prepared red colored dressing, like red socks, red belt？ This is a tradition in China, It's told that dressing in red will bring people lucky in his 本命年 Nope There's a fine line sometimes between tradition and superstition. The tradition stuff generally interests me (it's nice to know what zodiac animal I am), the superstition stuff (wearing red socks all year for good luck) not so much. Quote
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