Taiwan Central Bank launches a silver medal for the Year of the Monkey in Taipei on January 2 ,2004, to mark the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year. Each silver medal costs T$1,000 ($29.40). The Lunar New Year falls on January 22.

An Iraqi woman cries while recounting January 3, 2004 how U.S. forces last night targetted her farm in a Baghdad suburb, and later took her son and a relative for questioning. Loud explosions reverberated across Baghdad late on Friday as U.S. forces pounded what they said were suspected guerrilla positions around the capital.

A worker installs a Chinese character which reads 'Spring' at a park in Guangzhou, southern China's Guangdong Province. Spring Festival, the most celebrated date for Chinese, falls on a different date every year on the Gregorian calendar, this year on January 22. From January 22-28, Chinese residents will have 7 days off, mainly for family reunion, gathering of friends and planning of a new year.

Spring Festival Introduction ´º½Ú¼ò½é
 

Spring Festival Introduction ´º½Ú¼ò½é

The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, more commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year. Like all Chinese festivals, the date of the new year is determined by the lunar/solar calendar rather than the Western (Gregorian) calendar, so the date of the holiday varies from late January to mid February. The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of ploughing and sowing. In the past, feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion, and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed.

Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon. Houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes bought. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits.
In many homes incense is burned, and also in the temples as a mark of respect to ancestors.

On New Year's Eve houses are brightly lit and a large family dinner is served. In the south of China sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding called Nian Gao is served, while in the north the steamed dumpling Jiaozi is popular. Most celebrating the festival stay up till midnight, when fireworks are lit, to drive away evil spirits. New Years day is often spent visiting neighbors, family and friends.

The public holiday for New Year lasts 3 days in China, but the festival traditionally lasts till the 15th day of the lunar month and ends with the 'Lantern Festival'. Here, houses are decorated with colourful lanterns, and YuanXiao, a sweet or savoury fried or boiled dumpling made of glutinous rice flour is eaten.

Fortune Sticks ÇóÇ©Æí¸£
The New Year is obviously a time when people are mindful of the future. Often people will seek to have their fortunes told at the temple.

The oldest known method of fortune telling in the world is known as Kau Chime - a set of 78 numbered sticks held in a bamboo case. Holding the container in both hands and shaking it causes one of the sticks to rise and fall out. The number on the stick is cross referenced with ancient texts, and a fortune told. The fortune is generally a short poem or rhyme, and the point is not so much to have a clear picture of the future, but an indication of the possibilities which lie ahead.

The Chinese are not, by and large, fatalistic, though they hold many superstitious beliefs. Therefore, having one's fortune told is more an indication of the conditions ahead rather than actual events. The opportunity therefore exists for people to make the most of their lives by being more aware of the 'environmental conditions' which surround their lives.

The Lion Dance ´«Í³Îèʨ
The most spectacular event of the Chinese New Year festivities must surely be the Lion Dance. Lion dances take place throughout the first few days of the Chinese New Year, and bring good luck to the households or businesses which they visit.

The Lion Dance itself is performed by two 'dancers' one at the head and one at the tail of the lion. Careful observation of the Lion Dance will show that it is in fact a very careful demonstration of stylised movements performed by skilled performers (generally from a martial arts school or acrobatic company). To enhance the 'life' of the lion, the eyelids, mouth and ears of the Lion's head all move.

The dance is accompanied by loud music played on large drum, gong and cymbals. The use of firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals are related to the role of the lion in dispelling evil and bringing good luck - evil being afraid of loud noise (See the legend of Nian).

The dramatic climax of the Lion Dance is the Choi Cheng or 'Picking the Green'. The green here refers to vegetable leaves which are tied to a piece of string which also has a red packet attached containing money. The string is hung above the door of the house or business, and the lion 'eats' both leaves and red packet. Lying on the floor the leaves are 'chewed' by the dragon while the musicians play a dramatic rolling crescendo. The lull is broken as the lion explodes back into activity while spitting out the leaves. This is a symbolic act of blessing by the lion, with the spitting out of the leaves signifying that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year.

Nian- The New Year Monster ´º½ÚµÄÀ´Àú£¨Ä꣩
Nian in Chinese simply means 'year'. However, it is widely accepted that the origin of this word comes from the mythical monster that would come and terrorise humans around the time of the New Year. Indeed, so fierce was Nian that it threatened to destroy mankind. The Emperor summoned a wise man to solve this problem. Seeing at first hand the destruction Nian brought, the wise man approached Nian with a challenge. "Why do you choose to kill and destroy the humans who are no match for your strength?" he asked. "Prove your real power by destroying the other monsters of the earth."

Nian took up this challenge, and one year later, having destroyed all the monsters of the earth, he returned to terrorise mankind. However, the day he returned some children were playing with firecrackers, and they noticed that Nian was afraid of the noise. From then on each New Year firecrackers and other fireworks are used to scare away the last remaining monster of the earth -Nian.

Food ʳÎï
Food is one of the most important aspect of the Spring Festival, and huge amounts are bought, prepared and eaten in Chinese households. Many of the foods served at New Year have symbolic meanings. Some foods have a name which sounds the same as a character with a lucky meaning and for some foods their shape and colour are emblems of words special to the Spring Festival such as happiness, prosperity fortune or luck.

Two recipes for Chinese New Year foods are featured below. Yau Gwok, being crescent shaped and fried till deep gold in colour resemble the traditional Chinese gold ingot (tael), while Jin Dui are also golden and symbolic of prosperity.

Yau Gwok (Deep Fried Puffs) Õ¨½È

Ingredients
5 oz plain flour
1 tablespoon grated coconut
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted pounded peanuts
1 tablespoon fried white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons water

Sift the flour and separate it into two portions. Add the water into one portion and knead till it is a dough. Add the oil to the remaining portion of flour and knead till it is a soft dough. Mix the two doughs together and knead the dough mixture till it is soft. Roll into a thin sheet. Make into round shapes using a pastry cutter. Mix together the coconut, peanuts, sesame seeds and sugar with a little oil and water, place portions on the individual round sheets of dough mixture, fold over to make a crescent shape and seal the sides. Deep fry on a medium heat till golden brown. Drain and serve.

Jin Dui (Chinese Sesame Cookies) ¼â¶Ñ

Ingredients
6 oz sweet potatoes
10 oz red bean paste
1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup plain flour
2/3 cup white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup hot water

Peel the sweet potatoes and boil them till tender, then mash them. Sift the glutinous rice flour and flour together then blend together with the sugar and mashed sweet potato. Knead the mixture well and sprinkle in the hot water. Knead the dough into small balls and then roll each ball into a flat round shape. Spoon on some red bean paste onto each as stuffing and knead back into balls. Coat the balls with cold water, then coat thoroughly with sesame seeds. Deep fry on a low heat until the balls are golden and swollen. Drain and serve.

Red Couplets Öйú¶ÔÁª
Decorations are an important feature of the celebrations for the Chinese New Year. One of the main forms of decoration are the 'Red Couplets', which are Chinese good luck sayings written on red paper, often with gold trimmings and usually made up of four Chinese characters which ask for luck in terms of long life, wealth etc.

Red is not only a lucky colour for the Chinese, but also frightens off the monster 'Nian' who arrives at this time of year and destroys crops and homes.

Some New Year couplets are intended to be pasted or pinned in special places such as the kitchen or doors, while some can be placed anywhere. The couplets are usually taken down after the New Year celebrations, though some people keep them up all year long in the hope of keeping good luck.

Red Packets ºì°ü£¨ÀûÊÇ£©
Red packets are every child's delight at Chinese New Year! The tradition of giving gifts in Chinese culture is not the same as practised in European or "western" culture. By and large the giving of gifts is restricted to giving money. Small gifts are given when visiting a home of a friend, and increasingly for weddings, but traditionally money is given.

The way in which this is done in the West would be by putting money in a card, or indeed, giving a gift voucher. The Chinese give money inside red envelopes which are decorated with lucky symbols or Chinese characters. These are known as 'Lai Si' or 'Hung Bao'.

At Chinese New Year these are given by married couples to children/unmarried people. The red is used as the most auspicious colour, while the decoration may have a blessing or good wish. The symbolic giving of the money represents a wish for fortune and wealth in the coming year. The money may also be used to pay off debt, thus allowing a financial clean slate in the new year.

Things NOT to do at New Year ½û¼É
Avoid housework on New Years day: this activity runs the risk of washing or sweeping away good luck. For the same reason, avoid washing your hair on the first and last day of the New Year.

It is also considered unlucky to use anything sharp on New Year's day - knives, scissors, even nail clippers. The action of the sharp blades risks cutting the threads of good fortune brought in at New Year.

It is important not to use language which is negative- having an argument on New Year's day is to be avoided at all costs.

Words related to sickness and death are to be avoided. This even extends to the use of words which sound like the words for death or sickness.

To avoid any association with death, any slaughtering of poultry or livestock is carried out on New Year's Eve. Finally, care must be taken not to stumble or to break anything - this would be indicative of bad luck ahead.

Kitchen God's Day ³øÉñ
On the 24th day of the last lunar month the Kitchen god returns to heaven to give a report to the Jade Emperor (in Chinese mythology the Jade Emperor is the ruler of heaven) about the family's activities over the past year. This day is marked by acts of appeasement to the Kitchen god so that he will give the Jade Emperor a favourable report.

Traditionally images of the Kitchen god are burned as a symbolic act of departure. Often some gold or silver money will also be burned for travelling expenses. In some households the lips of the Kitchen god are brushed with honey or a sugar solution just before the image is burned - this will increase the likelihood that only sweet things will be said by the Kitchen god. From the 24th the Kitchen god will be absent from his shrine in the kitchen, and during this time it will be cleaned in preparation for his return on New Year's Eve.

Door Gods ÃÅÉñ
During the build up to Chinese New Year Door Gods are placed on the external doors of houses. This is an age of tradition dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD). The Emperor Taizong is said to have fallen ill, and had a dream in which ghosts came to the palace in search for him. He recounted this tale to his officials the next day, and the story quickly spread through the Imperial Court - such matters were not taken lightly. The emperors top two generals, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, both of whom had fought to establish the Tang dynasty stood guard outside the emperor's bedroom door.

The emperor slept soundly in the knowledge that he was protected by these two generals, and had no further dreams of the ghosts. However, after a few nights the emperor became concerned for the generals. He ordered that two paintings be made, one of each general. Once completed, the emperor had these hung on the door to his room, and relieved the generals.

This tale soon became widely known, and in their eagerness to share the protection of these "Door Gods" the common people made their own paintings and placed them on their doors. The tradition has continued ever since.

Flowers ÏÊ»¨
Flowers hold a special significance at Chinese New Year, and the Chinese language's endless opportunities for puns and play on words are demonstrated in the flowers which are used. As with almost all activities at Chinese New Year, there is enormous symbolism in the use of flowers.

In Chinese cities around the world, flower fairs appear on the 26th day of the last moon, and run each evening until New Year's Eve. A stroll through the flower fair is a New Year ritual many Chinese enjoy, even after they've got all their flowers; indeed, it's a popular way of spending New Year's Eve while waiting to see in the New Year.

Three of the most significant flowers are described below.

Blossoms Ê¢¿ªµÄ»¨
Blossoms are particularly auspicious flowers. Coming as they do in spring they symbolise life, growth and prosperity. The peach blossom is the most auspicious of all plants, its significance lying in the symbolic importance of the peach.
The peach, in Chinese culture, is a symbol of long life, and is regarded as the strongest defence against evil. Should your peach blossom bloom during the New Year celebrations it is sure sign that the year ahead will be one of good fortune. Sprays of peach blossom at one time they were placed above front doors to prevent even the strongest evil spirit from getting into the house. The custom today is to use them as decorations within the house.

Kumquat Tree ½ð½Û
This is a play on words. In Chinese the kumquat is called Gam Gat Sue. The word Gam rhymes with the Chinese word for gold, and the word Gat rhymes with the Chinese word for luck. The tiny green leaves of this plant symbolise wealth as the word Luk (green) rhymes with the Chinese word for wealth. Finally the shape of the small oranges are a symbol of unity and perfection.

Peony ĵµ¤
The peony is called the 'Flower of Riches and Honour' in Chinese, and is the emblem of love and affection, as well as being a symbol for feminine beauty. The bright red peony is particularly auspicious, bringing with it luck and good fortune.

Lap Bak À°°Ë
Lap Bak means 'Cold Eighth' and refers to the traditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year - the eight day of the last lunar month. It is traditionally the time when the weather becomes cold. On this day a special hot rice soup is eaten, containing nuts, dried lotus seeds, red beans, dried dates and other (non meat) ingredients. This tradition has its roots in the Buddhist faith, and the eating of the rice soup is a symbolic purification of the body in preparation for the New Year.

Yuan Xiao

Milk Yuan Xiao

Vegitable Yuan Xiao

Egg YX

Billy,

You do know that in America we are allowed to post in more than one thread. :)

Green YX

It is my first time to see green Yuanxiao.

Sounds like a good time is had by all.:)

I went to Xi'an to see the Emperor Qin's Terra-cotta
 

I feel the History facing my head when I saw the museum. There are many good museums in Xi'an. The old China history is hided under the earth. I have taken some pix there. But I cannot uopload them because they are too large.

Emperor Qin's Terra-cotta