That means - Happy New Year - in Cantonese. Literally translated, it actually means "may prosperity be with you" or "much money for you".
That's Chinese culture, folks - MONEY is KING.
Chinese New Year (shortened as CNY) is celebrated with gusto in Hong Kong! Streets and shops everywhere are donned with decorative red silks, lanterns, flags, and such. Homes and shops post a "good luck" sign in the Chinese character. They tip it upside down in the doorway so that good luck will pour into the home.
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| Giant Kitty at Times Square demonstrating the proper gesture to accompany your "kung hei fat choy". |
CNY lasts for days. DAYS. Kids get a whole week off of school. Lion dances, dragon dances, and performances are everywhere.
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| lion dance at our apartment complex |
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| CNY games at our apartments |
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| Me in my new CNY shirt, holding the lion from our kindergarten lion dance parade, with a tambourine tucked under my arm |
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| I learned the "Yange Dance" and performed at the school assembly |
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| The girls wearing their CNY dresses |
Leading up to and through CNY, people give (and are expected to give) red envelopes (called laisee packets) stuffed with money (ideally $20 for good luck, but NEVER any amount with a '4' which is bad luck). We give them to those who work for us (cleaners, helpers, guards) and to children and single friends. These often come in red, but you can also get 'hello kitty' and such. You'd better keep a stash in your bag, just in case!
Chinese families eat special foods (lots of sweets, dumplings, fish which sounds a lot like the word 'abundance' in Chinese language - and my new favorite -
turnip cake!). This leaves many parts of Hong Kong quiet and empty (with many shops closed). Then people converge on the city through the weekend. And the FIREWORKS!
This is - no joke - a full 30 minutes and is like the '4th of july grand finale' for 30 minutes straight. They made heart shaped fireworks, and figure 8's (that lucky number), and lots of noise to scare away the bad spirits (and the monster who supposedly comes this time of year).
Pre-fireworks funk:
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| kids watching cartoons and eating pizza |
Fireworks night, ABear scored with her first sleepover - a party of girls at the Hotel overlooking the harbour. Chaperoning proved uber-fun, though with very little sleep.
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| standard sleepover dance party in pj's |
Chinese people are nothing if not superstitious, I'm learning. And Chinese New Year is rich with rituals, traditions, symbols and foods that are steeped in age-old superstition. One of my favorites:
The Wishing Tree
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| tree at Lam Tsuen - |
You write a wish (not for objects, think bigger), tie it to an orange, and toss it up in a tree. If it catches and hangs, your wish will likely come true.
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| our own kindergarten wishing tree, courtesy of a generous mom |
It is so much fun to be here in Hong Kong during this holiday!
