If you’ve got Chinese friends, whether they be from work or school, you should know that the Chinese New Year is a particular time for them. It can be quite confusing since the Chinese lunar calendar is what determines when the New Year happens. It usually occurs near the beginning of February on the Gregorian calendar.
When you’ve nailed down the date, you might want to do something special for your Chinese friends, especially if they are far from home and are alone. Here’s how you can get a Chinese New Year celebration going:
Go Red and Gold
The first step is the right décor. When you’re planning a Chinese New Year celebration, you should use the dominant colors of the festival. These are red and gold. Red paper decorations are usually hung on windows as a way to ward off evil spirits. Besides that, red symbolizes power, happiness, and vitality – all things that you want to invite into your home for the New Year.
Gold is the other color to concentrate on. It represents wealth and prosperity. Have it as the highlight of red decorations. If possible, find some pens with golden ink. Have red paper ready and write down messages of prosperity on the red paper as a way to celebrate.
Throw in Some Dragons
The other thing you should be adding to your decorations is dragons. A symbol of good luck and strength, get Asian dragon decorations to festoon on your walls or across the door. They are a great party decoration and will be even better if they are in red and gold colors.
Cook Some Good Food
The celebration of Chinese New Year is not complete without some good food. The typical Chinese New Year celebration lasts for two weeks and is often a culinary extravaganza. However, if you’re planning to celebrate for just one night, you can mix them. Take out that Chinese cuisine cookbook and watch some Youtube videos to see how exactly to cook appropriate dishes.
The main thing to note is that you need to have noodles as part of the main course. The long noodles represent long life and prosperity. Mix these with the chicken, pork, fish, vegetable, and beef dishes. You want all of them served on your table. Prepare some dumplings and rolls, too, to act as finger foods. Remember to prepare chopsticks to make it truly authentic.
Have Gifts Ready
Chinese New Year is also the time for giving out gifts. As the host, you’ll be the main one responsible though. This will require you to have a custom red packet for everyone, each of them containing a bit of money to celebrate the New Year.
The Chinese New Year is a grand celebration that welcomes the New Year for the Chinese People. With the tips above, you should be able to help your Chinese friends feel welcome and more at home with you. Do it right, and it will be a memorable evening for everyone involved.