恭喜發財

2011 is the year of the rabbit! Chinese New Year this year falls on February 3^rd. It is celebrated as the symbol of spring’s celebration. Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

Red envelopes are usually passed out during the Chinese New Year’s celebration. It almost always contains money, usually varying from a couple of dollars to several hundred. They are usually red with auspicious characters, designs or symbols. Per custom, the amount of money in the red envelopes should be of even numbers. The numbers 6 and 8 are considered lucky.

Some of the most common Chinese New year foods are: fish, nian gao, fa gao, noodles and much more.

Eating a whole fish is to bring long life and good fortune. One should eat the fish with head and tail intact.

Nian gao or Chinese New Year cake. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during Chinese New Year.

Fa gao literally translates as “Prosperity cake”. It is a common dessert for the offering in Chinese New Year festivals. It is made with wheat flour, water, sugar and leavened with either yeast or baking powder. Fa gao batter is steamed until it rises and splits open at the top.

Noodles are served uncut, in which it represents longevity and long life.

One should wear red or other bright colors throughout Chinese New Year because it was once believed that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune.