After Christmas I began really trying to organize the house. Although I didn't specifically do this with Chinese New Year in mind, it is certainly among the holiday tradition to clean house -- to clean out the old year, the bad luck and be fresh and clean for the new year and the good luck. I organized closets, the pantry, the laundry room and even the garage which honestly had never been cleaned since we moved in. It was left very much in "dumping ground" state. It is now beautifully cleaned and organized and labeled!
My friend Sheri in Nebraska told me about a paper mache lion that we could order for $10 with profits going towards anti-trafficking efforts in Vietnam. It is simply awesome and it's the centerpiece on our dining room table. The only thing I really wish I had were some authentic, nylon, red lanterns. I'll order some online next year.
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| As you can see, I couldn't be more excited about this lion head. The tail is easily 3 1/2 feet long! I adore it! |
Thanks to my daughter's attitude problem and temper tantrums that threw me over the edge, I held off our holiday feast until January 31, rather than serving it the night before as tradition would have it. Our Chinese New Year feast consisted of dumplings, noodles and tangerines. Delicious! For dessert I made a Chinese rice pudding filled with fruits and red bean paste. Too bad L didn't like the dessert, which really surprised me. It was okay, but I probably won't make it again if she doesn't like it.
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| Dinner is served! |
On Sunday we went to church, our Quiet Tiger dressed in the new qipao that I bought her for Christmas online (my plan every year), visited the local Asian market and their annual New Year's celebration which is always a HUGE hit with our family! This year I remembered red envelopes with singles for tips for the awesome dragon dancers.
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| This year I opted for an aqua blue dress because the color is absolutely scrumptious on her! |
On Tuesday I taught about Chinese New Year at our homeschool co-op. This was my first time teaching the group and I think it was well received. It was a small group but the kids were really attentive and I think they really enjoyed the craft.
First, I read from a picture book that I ordered on Amazon. It explains the holiday (albeit a bit more Cantonese than anything, which would not be my daughter's heritage) and customs in a very simple form.
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| My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz A good book that does speak of celebrations relative to Southern China, but still a good idea of what the holiday is like. |
Then we made paper lanterns for our craft.
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| The boys with their paper lanterns. |
Then we had snacks. I had Goldfish crackers to symbolize the whole fish eaten at Chinese New Year, a clementine for each student in lieu of the tangerines, and a fortune cookie with a Bible verse inside (I know they are American and not Chinese, but they are fun and certainly explained that). I also had made horse cookies, which was my own touch, but the glaze didn't dry in time for me to take them, so we have plenty of horse cookies to share at home!
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| The red and gold horse cookies that didn't dry until after our co-op. |
So now that it's all over I can relax. Happy New Year! Here's to a wonderful Year of the Horse!
