Happy (Chinese) New Year 恭喜发财

In Cantonese, Happy New Year is pronounced Gung Hay Fat Choy and in Mandarin it is Gong Xi Fa Cai. Chinese New Year is the most important and longest festival celebrated by the Chinese. It begins the first day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar calendar and lasts 15 days. 


February 10th, 2013 marked the beginning of the Year of the Water Snake. The snake is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes cleverness and tenacity, and is associated with fire. http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/ This year is also associated with the element water, making 2013 the Year of the Water Snake. Combining the elements of water and fire may signify upcoming turmoil worldwide.

Prior to the beginning of Chinese New Year, families will do a thorough cleaning of the house to get rid of bad luck and make room for good luck. Chinese people will buy new clothes, shoes, and get haircuts symbolizing a fresh start. The house will be decorated with red paper cut outs and written characters (called couplets) that will bring good luck, happiness, wealth, longevity, and more to the family. 

There are traditional activities that happen on each day of the new year beginning with the reunion dinner which occurs on Chinese New Year's eve. At the reunion dinner (which is similar to Christmas dinner), special foods symbolic of surplus, good luck, wealth, and happiness will be served.  The first day of Chinese New Year is a day to honor your elders. Ancestors are also honored at temples. Lai see, the good luck red envelopes, are given out by the elders to children and unmarried relatives. On the second day, people visit their friends and relatives, taking small gifts like oranges, candies, rice, and special cookies or cakes. Married women are expected to visit their own parents and relatives on day three. Other days have Lion and dragon dances. People stay at home or work on days the God of Wealth is expected into homes and businesses. The final day of Chinese New Year, day 15, is the Lantern Festival when special foods are eaten and lights and lanterns are lit or carried in the streets to help lost souls find their way home. In Malaysia, the final day is a sort of Valentine’s day where singles look for love partners.

special rice flour cookie

good luck money tree

lion at lion dance 

drummers at lion dance

lion checking out the offerings...

 lions sharing the offerings

musicians at lion dance

part of our Malaysian Cultural Group (MCG) after the lion dance

Yu Sheng/Lo Hei-the higher you toss the salad, the greater your luck and prosperity

we made a mess! but we it looks like we will all have a lot of luck and prosperity

this is the lion dance national champ for Malaysian in 2004

lion dancer at our condo

lion dancer 'standing' is actually 1 person being held above other
person who is standing on the platform...

can you see it here?

drummer, mid stroke

our 'light refreshments' after the lion dance left us heavy

some of our condo gang waiting for the CNY festivities to begin

more of our gang