Putting up calligraphy couplets on both sides and above our door to bring good luck and happiness.
Chinese New Year in 2021 was a special one for us, not because of the locations as we always stay at home, but due to our guests we had over. We have six guests joining us to learn more about Chinese New Year traditions and especially how a Cantonese family celebrates the beginning of the new year.
Folding paper money so it would be ready to be burned for the gods. Each year hours and hours are used to folding this money that will be burned in seconds.
In the evening of the last day of the year we had a big family dinner with our guests. We ordered two boxes of oysters and spent the whole day preparing them, totally worth it!
In the evening we also played with fireworks and even they are prohibited in the city, we live far away from the city center and each year for CNY the sky is lit from fireworks and the ground is red from firecrackers.
In the morning it was time to ask for a good year from the gods. My mother-in-law has set up this home altar where you can find all the gods from the heavens. So what every you wish for, they will be listening. First you bow three times, then you say your prayers and in the end burn all the paper money you are holding.
Making dumplings is not a Cantonese traditions, but it’s a tasty Chinese dish and fun to do together, therefore we decided to include this activity. Together we made more than 100 dumplings! Chinese New Year was a great time to try Chinese art as well! We chose three different workshops where we did calligraphy, Chinese painting and pottery. Of course mastering these art forms takes years and years, but we were happy to take a little sip of each of them.
If you want to see more on what we did during Chinese New Year, check out this video below on YouTube.
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