You can always tell when Chinese New Year (CNY) is around the corner - You can hear the festive songs played on a loop at the malls and markets. Not forgetting the red colour embellishments decorated at every storefront and home.
Being the most important holiday for Chinese all over the world, this precious festival is celebrated by one-sixth of the world’s population. It is filled with joy, prosperity and good fortune. Doesn’t matter if you are a homebody or a social butterfly, here is a collection of how you can celebrate this auspicious event at home, like a champion.
1. Reunion Dinner with a Breeze
The highlight of CNY would definitely be the sumptuous family reunion dinner, which is held on the eve of the celebration. The preparations usually start days before, so that everyone gets the freshest of seasonal ingredients to make sure all is well-fed on this auspicious day.
Let’s not do that this year. Give yourself (or whoever in charge of the preparation) a break by having your reunion dinner at a nearby restaurant or any place of your choice.
For those who prefer to prepare your own dinner, perhaps you can opt to pre-order some hard-to-prepare dishes (e.g. Poon Choi) from restaurants. In that case, you save yourself a little time and effort in preparing that one dish or two.
2. Catch Up with Books
“According to the folklore, a monster called ‘Nian’ would appear before the spring to ravage China and kill its people, so folks at the village used loud noise, bright lights and the color red to scare the predator away”.
Sounds like a good plot? Reclaiming your time at home means more time for reading.
Yes, it is understandable that not everyone is a fan of reading. Take this from us — if you choose something that interests you to read, you will get into it in an instant. You can kickstart the habit with our editor’s choice articles (*wink*).
3. It’s Time for an OPEN HOUSE!
Visiting friends and family during the CNY has become a treasured tradition for the Chinese - a great time of togetherness. With that in mind, why not invite your families and friends over your place for a fun gathering? It’ll be FUN.
One drawback though, if you are married, you are supposed (not obligated) to give the younger generations red packets when they come to visit.
Friendly reminder: If you are going to someone’s home for a gathering, it will be super helpful if you could stay back and help the host with cleaning up the place thereafter.
4. Snack On
Who doesn’t enjoy snacking? It’s both sinful and irresistible. This is the time for you to have an excuse to savour all those snacks that you’ve been waiting to devour.
Just so you know, typical food and snacks for good luck and wealth are spring rolls, pineapple cookies, kumquats, Chinese rice cakes, etc. Remember to stock up before CNY so that you can welcome your guests with an abundance of snacks.
But remember, moderation is the key to everything.
5. Give Back
You may often be asked, “How do you celebrate CNY?” Tell them you are going to do something that will make a difference. An old saying goes, “it’s more blessed to give than to receive”, and we couldn’t agree more.
Just like any other celebrations, CNY is known to be the season of giving and the notion of giving can be expressed in different ways, not just handing out red packets. You can make donations in the form of physical items or money to orphanages or old folks homes, or even plan a visit there to help out. They say to give is to receive, and this is definitely a meaningful way to celebrate CNY.
6. Decorate the House
All cleaning that is done before the CNY symbolises fresh start, while throwing away bad luck. As the common saying goes, “out with the old, in with the new”. Unlike cleaning that has to be done before the CNY, home decoration can be on-going!
Make your house come alive with these traditional adornments: red paper crafts and lightings, hand-crafted lanterns, red spring couplets with positive poems written in calligraphy, and Chinese knots.
7. Watch Movies or Programs
We all have our favourite movies or dramas that can be enjoyed by everyone. Hold a movie night session at your place, where you can watch some live festive programmes or past CNY movies that you have missed in the previous years.
Ladies and gentlemen, that is how you rock CNY celebration at home. With this, we hope you’ll have a great quality time with your family and friends. Finally, from all of us at PropSocial - Happy Chinese New Year! On that note, we wish you good luck, fortune, health, and great happiness.
(Written by: Sonder, 24th Jan 2018)
