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2011-2-2 15:50
Rabbits now are ubiquitous as millions of Chinese mark the Lunar New Year, hoping for a more tranquil time ahead as the old Year of the Tiger comes to say goodbye.
The nation's 1.3 billion inhabitants will welcome the Year of the Rabbit on Wednesday night in a hugely important family event marked by feasts and a blaze of fireworks.
Occupying the fourth position in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is closely linked to the moon and symbolises happiness and good fortune.
People are rushing to buy bunnies as pets. Still, pet or no pet, on New Year's Eve people will wish their loved ones success and happiness. But this time, those in the know will lift their thumbs up to imitate rabbit ears. This is described as very "geili" - a new expression which literally translates as "to give power" and more loosely means "cool".
And on Apple's iTunes website, a variety of festive iPhone applications are available - virtual firecrackers that go off when the phone is shaken, a kit to customise photos with rabbit ears, or horoscopes for the new lunar year. Even the mainland's postal system has jumped on the rabbit bandwagon, releasing a series of special stamps in early January that sold out in the space of just a few hours. Stamps with rabbit illustrations released in 1987 and 1999, the last two years of the rabbit, go for up to 125 times more than their original value.
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2011-2-2 15:52
Unlike their tradition-minded peers who gravitate to the yearly family reunion at the start of the Lunar New Year, the increasingly pragmatic Chinese young now try to shun the costly festivities, tiring customs, and family burdens behind this season of excess.
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2011-2-2 15:49
Here are some of the ways you can celebrate Chinese New Year
Clean House - Before the New Year arrives, the Chinese consider it very important to give the house a thorough cleaning, sweeping away any bad luck that may have accumulated over the past year.
Decorate! - Doors and window panes are also often painted red, considered to be a lucky color. In addition, people like to hang papercuts on doors and windows. (Paper cutting is an ancient Chinese art form dating back to the Han dynasty).
Don't clean for the first few days of the New Year - if you do any sweeping during this time, you risk sweeping away your good luck.
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Offer a Sacrifice to the Kitchen God - Many families have a poster of the Kitchen God in their kitchen. The custom is to offer a ceremonial sacrifice to the Kitchen God, to make sure that he gives a good report on the family's behavior when he returns to heaven. Sticky Cake (Nian Gao) is popular, or children may rub honey on him.
An important tradition on New Year's Eve is for families to gather together and spend the evening preparing Chinese dumplings (Jiaozi). According to Chinese Culture Guide Jun Shan, it is common to hide a coin in one of the dumplings. Whoever gets the dumpling with the coin will supposedly have good luck in the coming year.
Give out money packets - On New Years day, children receive leisee - red packets decorated with gold symbols and filled with "lucky money".
Serve festive foods - Throughout the New Years season, certain foods are served because they symbolize abundance and good fortune. Besides preparing special dishes, tangerines and oranges are often passed out to children and guests, as they symbolize wealth and good luck.
No matter how you celebrate this tranditional Chinese festival, People Forum wishes this Year of the Rabbit bring success, happiness, peace and prosperity and good health to every one. Happy Chinese New Year!
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