Wild Horses and Dancing Dragons Bring in The Chinese New Year
As celebrations go, Chinese New Year is definitely one to get involved with since it involves dancing dragons, red money packs, fireworks, beautiful red lanterns, delicious food and getting together with friends and family. Sounds like a great basis for a party!
31 January 2014 sees the start of the Chinese New Year, the most important time in the Chinese calendar, which is celebrated for two weeks - culminating in the Lantern Festival on 14 February when the first full moon of the new lunar year appears. This year will be the Year of the Horse which is “a time for progress, a very happy-go-lucky, frantic and wild year that is both adventurous and satisfying”[1].
Celebrate the Chinese New Year by hosting a party and bringing together friends and family.
- You can celebrate with friends and family by cooking a full Chinese meal with symbolic foods such as dumplings, whole fish and chicken, noodles and sticky rice cake. Or if that’s beyond your cooking skills, you can always order a takeaway from a nearby restaurant!
- The key is to build an atmosphere of prosperity and celebration. The addition of a few inexpensive decorations such as the traditional red Chinese lanterns can really help to create an ambience. The Chinese believe that lanterns ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune – something we could all do with at the beginning of the year.
- Red is the perfect and traditional colour choice for a Chinese New Year party. Suspend the red lanterns from the ceiling mixed with red, gold and black paper lanterns, maybe adding a few fans and parasols, to create an impactful setting for your celebrations.
- Give your guests ‘red packets’ - a red envelope with money, of an even numbered value as odd numbers are associated with money given at funerals. However avoid values with the number four in them as this is considered bad luck.
Chinese lanterns, paper lanterns, parasols and fans are available from The Hanging Lantern Company priced from only £1.75 www.hanginglanterns.co.uk or ring 0845 465 5585.
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For more information, contact Charlotte Waters or Michelle Curtis at Savvy & Victor, tel: 01825 763310 or email charlotte@savvyandvictor.com / michelle@savvyandvictor.com
[1] http://www.paranormality.com
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