Happy Chinese New Year!

Okay, so I've been slacking off. Gimme a break; it's Chinese New Year! (Or, if you want to be PC, Lunar New Year.) Anyways, this is the time of year when we get to take it easy and relax. Well, technically. I still managed to work the entire weekend but I stayed away from studying - even though it's mid-terms week! - and away from the computer (kinda), etc. I played video games and watched TV *gasp* and hung out with family. It was nice. So was the food, but then, food plays a HUGE role in all Chinese and Taiwanese traditions. It's New Year's Eve: gather the family and have a feast. It's New Year's Day: let's eat the leftovers form yesterday. It's the second day of the new year: let's gather the (other side of the) family and feast (again). It's Valentine's Day: let's put food out for the Lovers (they're deities and there's a legend attached to this which is a story for another time) and then eat it for dinner later. It's the Lantern Festival: let's cook the kids' (and adults') favourite foods and eat. It's Pay-Homage-to-Your-Ancestors Day: let's put the best food we've got out for the spirits, pray and burn lots of incense and then eat it all for dinner. It's Mid-Autumn Festival: moon cakes for everyone! Yay! See a pattern? Exactly. We love cooking and eating.

Anyways, getting back to the New Year traditions. I grilled my mom about them and here are the basics and this is from a Taiwanese wife's point of view:

• New Year's Eve and Day: visit and stay with husband's side of the family and do not even THINK about seeing your mother because that will bring misfortune to your family! However, feel free to visit friends, gamble, drink and eat, of course. That's what most people do: visit friends. You're also not supposed to do any kind of work, i.e. cooking (my mom said 'lighting fires' to signify 'work' which reminded me of Sabbath), on Day One. Oh, and everyone's supposed to stay past midnight to ensure that their parents lead a long and healthy life.
  
• Day Two: now you can go home to visit. More visiting, gambling, drinking and eating.
• Day Three: sleep in and rest! Except, don't forget to cook the meals.

Now my mom recited some little diddy about the first three days and I don't really remember it but it went something like this: Day One early rise, Day Two early rise, Day Three sleep your fill. This means that on Day One, you get up early to pay visits to all those obscure relatives on your husband's side of the family (...I'm recalling visiting relatives out in the farm country on my dad's side and being completely bewildered, lost and confused...). Well, Asian families tend to be rather large anyways. Day Two, you get up early again because (traditionally) you need to catch an early train to your mother's house. Day Three is your chance to sleep in and get some rest. So that's how it goes. Interesting, no?

As for the food (again), there are a bunch of dishes that are traditionally eaten at this time of year and most of them have some sort of proverb or rhyme attached to them to make it all make sense. It's all a play on homonyms and quite clever really.

So raise up your glass, toast everyone around you (make sure to hold the cup with both hands - one around the cup and one under the cup to support - when toasting elders to show respect) and I wish you and yours joy, prosperity and good fortune! Gong shi fa choi!