Chinese New Year Gods: The Buddha of self-zodiac year

Every Chinese lunar year has a zodiac sign. To the people having the same zodiac sign the year is their self-zodiac year. According to Chinese astrology, in a self-zodiac year the fortune of a person is significantly impacted by external factors, and the possibilities the person hit by disaster or unlucks are much higher. So man should be very careful in these years. In addition man should pray often to their self-zodiac God and use Fengshui items to improve his/her lucks.

According to Chinese Mizong Buddhism, there are total eight Buddha guarding people in the self-zodiac years. They are called self-zodiac Gods. Each of the Gods has his own responsible years. The list of the Buddha is following

Zodiac rat: Thousand hands Guanyin.
Zodiac ox: Nether world Guanyin.
Zodiac tiger: Nether world Guanyin.
Zodiac rabbit: Manjusri Bodhisattva
Zodiac dragon: Samtabhadra Bodhisattva
Zodiac snake:  Samtabhadra Bodhisattva
Zodiac horse:  Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva
Zodiac goat: Maha^vairocana
Zodiac monkey:  Maha^vairocana
Zodiac rooster: Arya Achala Bodhisattva
Zodiac dog: Maitreya
Zodiac pig: Maitreya

Many Chinese think it is important to pray to their self-zodiac God in temple at the beginning of the year. This is one of the reasons that temples get much more visitors in Chinese New Year holodays. It is also popular that people bring the figure of their self-zodiac God with them daily as a Fengshui item, or put the figure at home and worship it with flowers and incense.

A surprising Chinese New Year custom: beating tree flowers

"Beating tree flowers" is a old Chinese New Year custom which has existed in China for over 2500 years. Today the custom is stilled conserved in Henan and Shanxi provinces. In Quanguo town of Wei county of Hebei province, people still keep the original custom which they inheritate from their ancestors in Warring States Period (445 - 221 B.C).

"Beating tree flowers" is probably the earliest firework in China. In Warring States Period smelting technology developed rapidaly in China. People found that the splashing liquid metals were very beautiful and gradually used them to celebrate Chinese New Year. They had the same functions as Chinese New Year crackers, that is, they are both for increasing the festive atmoshphere and scaring the evil things, such as ghosts, monsters, etc.

"Beating tree flowers" for Chinese New Year celebration is a very difficult job. The persons playing the program must be able to let the metal liquid splashes in beautiful pattern and to correct locations. They must train hard before they can perform the program. On another side, the performance selv is very tiresome. A performer becomes exhausted after about 10 minutes performing. Therefor, it is only performed by professional and strong persons. With the declining of the small smelting workshops, less and less people can the technology of "beating tree flowers". However, today the program has been set as national cultural heritage and conserved. 

"Beating tree flowers" is breathtaking, exciting and beautiful. The primitive operation method makes it an special attraction to the people who have got used to the modern technologies.  

Chinese New Year red packets online

In the recent years online red packets have become a hot point for Chinese net users. For the enterprises, stars, blogers, etc. red packets is a kind of marketing tool, for normal people red packets is a social contact tool. Red packets fly in social media groups and on the big websites. Red packets are not for everyone. There are usually limited amount of packets. The audience who want to get them must go through an certain operation. The earlier man go through the operation, the possibility to get the red packet is higher. It is not only a money earning but also a exciting game. Therefor, the activity becomes very popular. However, sometimes people send red packet directly to certain persons, normally their friends, relatives or the famous they like very much. In these cases, the red packets have become an alternative of the traditional presents.

Chinese New Year is the high time of the red packet game. A part of the traditional Chinese New Year visitting has been replaced by the red packets. Certainly the most active packet senders are the commercial units, because Chinese New Year traditionally is also a high time for advertising. Comparing with the traditional advertisement, the new method is more economic, involved, and more interesting, therefore are more attractive to the enterprises.

For the net users getting red packets has been being an funny entertainment during Chinese New Year. It has been reported that a young person spent almost all his Chinese New Year days online and was able to get red packets with total value of several thousands of CNY.

Chinese New Year red packets not only bring commercial benefits to many of the traditional enterprises, but also promote a series of branches, such as online payment, and impact the stock market.

The mordern communication technologies have changed our life style fundmently. Chinese New Year celebration customs are correspondently impacted. It seems red packets have made both enterprises and the customs more entusiastic for the festival. 

How is the Chinese New Year Gala 2018 organized?

Chinese New Year Gala is a national program just like OL 2008 opening ceremony in China. Every year Chinese government grants much money to the program to make it as exciting as possible. The main goal of holding Chinese New Year Gala is to present an glocious entertainment program to celebrate Chinese New Year.

In April of 2017, only about 2 months after the Chinese New Year 2017, the related administration department has appointed the program commitee of Chinese New Year 2018. This means that the prepartion for the Chinese New Year Gala 2018 begins formly.  

Just like other Chinese New Year Gala, the program commitee is responsible for the all the detail affairs, such as receiving the enrolling, selecting and guiding the participating programs to the Gala.

The main theme of Chinese New Year Gala 2018 is traditional culture and family. The program commitee advises all the Chinese in the world participating the Gala actively. The program of recruitting Chinese living abroad started already on the 27th, September in 2017.   

Chinese New Year symbols

Using symbols to express wishes is a common culture phenomenon in China. The reason to this probably is that Chinese think nature and people's lucks are mutually compatible. One example is that ancient Chinese thought if they act positively, they will get positive results. Chinese use various auspicious symbols in daily life with hoping that the symbols bring correspondently auspicious results to them.

The traditional customs of Chinese New Year celebration are composed of various symbols. In this article you can check the list of the symbols and get a overview.

1. Colors
Red is the main color for Chinese New Year decoration. Red symbolizes: hot, happy, victory, up and celebration.
Golden symbolizes richness. The flowers and decorations in golden color are popular in Chinese New Year.
White is not always an auspicious color in Chinese tradition, but some Chinese New Year food are white, because Chinese think white food symbolize silver, which means richness or money.

2. Form
Round form symbolizes perfection, happy end and reunion. Things in round form are thought as necessary in Chinese New Year celebration. The most common things in round form are Chinese New Year food Tang Yuan and lantern.

3. Language
People are expected to speak auspicious words in Chinese New Year. The homophones of these words are also popular. Unauspicious words and their homophnes are taboos in Chinese New Year.

4. Behavior
People's behavior and rituals carrry also many symbolized meaning. One example is that the things used in Chinese New Year must be as good as possible, because good things symbolize good life quality. Breaking, borrowing money, being dirty, and other negative things or behaviors must be avoided as much as possible, because the negative things symbolize negative impacts to the new year.

5. Ritual
Some food with good auspicious meanings must appear on the food table for Chinese New Year's eve. The examples of such food are: fish and sweet soup. Fish symbolizes surplus. Sweet soup symbolize sweet life.

Chinese New Year recipes: Sweet and sour ribs with roses

Roses are beautiful and aromatic. They are popular food material in China. Roses symbolize happiness, so they are also auspicious things used on Chinese New Year celebration. There are many ways to cook roses. Putting them in sweet and sour rib dishes is a popular way when Chinese make their Chinese New Year family banquet.

Materials: 
Pig ribs 400 g, sugar, water, vinegar, light soy sauce, garlic pieces, dry rose 10 g

Method:

1.Cut the ribs into bits size about 3 cm long; 

2.Cook the ribs with boiled water until the meat on the ribs become almost white;

3.Take out the ribs from water, and drain the water from the ribs as much as possible;
4.Mix water, light soy sauce, vinegar and sugar at rate 4:3:2:1; Stir the sauce until all the sugar solutes; 

5.Put the ribs, garlic and the sauce made in the step 1 in a pan. The sauce should cover all the ribs. Cook them with moderate warm;

6.Turn the ribs sometimes when they are cooked so that all the sides of the ribs can evenly absorb the sauce;
7. When you have cooked the ribs for about 30 mintues. Put the dry rose in the pan.

8.When the sauce is almost dry, move the ribs to a plate.

The delicate lifestyle in Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the festival which gives most ceremony feeling to Chinese. In the festival, the people put on their best clothes, eat the best possible food and behave carefully. There are certain regulars for almost everything. Everything in the festival must be fine. Everyone must say good words to others. Any bad or casual behavior is thought as unacceptable. The lifestyle in these days is only delciate and fine.

The customs make the days are not only holiday, but also an enjoyment of life. Either you are poor or rich, the days are happy and nobody should make trouble in these days. In practice, these days are a good rest for mentality.

The festive atmosphere, decorations, good food, parties, entertainments create a delicate life. However, the festival represents also a kind of mental power for the people. It reprents the attitute of keeping good hope for the future and beliving the future is full of good possiblities. From this aspect Chinese New Year festival is also a preparing for a new future.