Celebrate the New Year, Chinese style

KAREN WIGHT

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, 4702: the Year of the

Monkey.

The Chinese calendar is regulated by the lunar cycle, and since

today is the “darkest” day of the lunar rotation, a new month and

hence, a new year begin.

The legend of Chinese New Year and its animal moniker goes like

this: When Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New

Year, 12 animals honored his word and hence, Buddha named a year

after each one and the cycle would repeat itself in perpetuity. He

proclaimed that people who are born in a particular year share

personality characteristics with the annual animal that is honored.

The monkey years are reportedly sources of creativity,

intelligence and energetic life. Family feasts and fireworks are the

cornerstones of the traditional Chinese celebration welcoming a new

year. Fire symbolically drives away bad luck -- hence, the Chinese

took pyrotechnics to a new level. Fireworks, a Chinese invention,

have been a part of the new year tradition for thousands of years.

Since the color red symbolizes fire, people wear red clothes, give

children “lucky money” in red envelopes and decorate with spring

couplets, red paper scrolls with phrases praising the renewal of life

and the return of spring.

A Chinese theme dinner party is one of the best to plan and

execute. Great food, paper lanterns, chopsticks, custom fortune

cookies: A Chinese New Year celebration is easy and fun.

Last year, we had the ultimate Chinese-theme dinner for the high

school winter formal. Red fortune cookies with personalized messages,

enormous lanterns made out of red balloons, a Chinese pagoda cut out

of black foam-core board -- the possibilities were endless. A Chinese

menu accommodates everyone. We decked out the tables with black

tablecloths and red toppers, the centerpieces were made from bamboo,

horsetail and lilies out of the garden and the goodie bags for the

bus ride to the dance were Chinese take-out containers filled with

Chinese candy and gum.

One of the moms made amazing invitations. She wrote the children’s

names in calligraphy (with a Chinese flair) on fortune cookies for

the name cards. Another mother assembled the food -- it was a

fabulous group effort. At the very least, plan a Chinese New Year

dinner for your family. Grab some extra chopsticks from your favorite

Chinese restaurant, light some red candles, steam some rice and

celebrate the Year of the Monkey.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.