When a Chinese person greets you with “Kung Hey Fat Choy” (Cantonese dialect) or “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (pronounced Gong See Fah Chai in the Mandarin dialect) during the Chinese new year, what do you say?
If you are not Chinese, you would simply reply with the same as it returns the universal new year greeting meaning wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year. In fact, “Gong Xi” means congratulations or respectfully wishing one joy and “Fa Cai” means to become rich or to make money.
If you are Chinese or have a close Chinese colleague or friend, you might also say “Hong Bao Na Lai” which is, may I have the red envelope, please! Red envelopes are gifts that symbolise good luck and are supposed to ward off evil spirits.
Married couples usually give out red packets to single people, especially to children.
The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, in accordance with Chinese beliefs; odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals.
The amount of money is usually notes to avoid heavy coins and to make it difficult to judge the amount inside before opening.
It is traditional to put brand new notes inside red envelopes and also to avoid opening the envelopes in front of the relatives out of courtesy. They are also an excuse to stay single for as long as possible!
The Chinese new year is a month-long celebration that started on January 31, saying goodbye to the 2013 Year of the Snake and welcoming in a new lunar calendar Year of the Horse.
The horse is one of twelve animals in the Chinese horoscope along with the Rat, Cow, Tiger, Dragon, Dragon, Snake, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig.
The Chinese strongly believe the characteristics and traits of your animal year have great influence on your life.
The horse is one of the Chinese people’s favorite animals representing travel, competition and victory throughout China’s long history, and a symbol of leadership, nobility and freedom.
If you were born in the Year of the Horse, you are in good company along with Jackie Chan, Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington and John Travolta.
People born in Horse years (2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942) are bright, cheerful, popular, and fun loving. They find people and crowds exciting, and love parties. Horse’s childish innocence, sunny disposition, and natural charm attract many friends.
The horse is a highly intuitive animal, so people born in Horse year follow their hunches. Their keen judgment and natural intuition often help them make the right decisions throughout their life. Usually they don’t need to struggle in order to succeed and obtain the fine things life has to offer.
While the Western new year is more about drinking and partying, the Chinese new year is an age-old tradition to honour family and friends, and to enjoy some superstitious but delicious culinary delights.
Tangerines, Mandarins and Oranges
Displaying and eating these fruits is said to bring wealth and luck.
The Chinese words for gold and orange sound alike, while the word for tangerine means luck.
It’s even better if they have their green leaves in tact because leaves symbolize longevity. But don’t group the fruit in a heap of four, as this number is associated with death in Chinese culture.
Long Noodles
Nearly every Chinese banquet will feature a noodle dish because their long strands represent long life. Don’t cut the noodles before serving, as this will bring bad luck.
The Tray of Togetherness
Most Chinese families will put out a tray with multiple compartments for visiting relatives to snack on, or given as a gift, filled with things such as preserved kumquats for prosperity, coconut for togetherness, longan fruit to bring many sons, and red melon seeds for happiness.
New Year Cake
Nian gao means year cake, but gao sounds the same as the word for tall or high, so New Year cakes symbolise achieving new heights in the coming year.
These steamed sweets are made of glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, and oil.
Some versions have white sesame seeds, red dates, or nuts in them as dates and nuts are said to bring early prosperity
Pomelo
These large citrus fruit are thought to bring continuous prosperity and status, as the Cantonese word for this fruit sounds similar to the words for prosperity and status
Jai
Is a mixed vegetarian dish that is eaten because it’s part of the Buddhist culture to cleanse one self with vegetables.
It’s also packed with good-luck foods like black sea moss for prosperity; lotus seeds for children/birth of sons; noodles for longevity; lily buds for 100 years of harmonious union; and Chinese black mushrooms to fulfill wishes
Long Leafy Greens and Long Beans
Chinese green vegetables with their long stems and leaves such as Chinese broccoli, bok choy and choy sum are served whole to wish a long life for parents.
Whole Fish
The Chinese word for fish sounds like the word for abundance, and is served whole from head to tail to ensure a good start and finish, and to avoid bad luck throughout the year.
Sweets
Like many other old cultures, the Chinese believe that serving desserts brings a sweet life in the New Year. Peanuts, coconut, and sesame are often used because they are considered good luck foods that bring long life.
Almond Cookies
The cookies symbolize coins, which means it will be sure to bring you good fortune in the year. Chinese almond cookies can be made with almond flour as a gluten free alternative.
Boiled Dumplings
In North China, boiled dumplings are made with a pork and cabbage filling and served with vinegar and soy sauce.
During new year celebrations, yuanbao dumplings symbolise the ancient, ingot-shaped Chinese currency, and that eating them is said to bring prosperity.
In Chinese astrology, the horse year is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and good things. 2014 is also known as the Wood Horse, or Green Horse year, influenced by one of the five elements of water, fire, earth, metal and water.
For many, 2014 will be a year of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance.
Astrologers predict it is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better; a promising sign for Fiji tourism in 2014.
Decisive action, not procrastination, will help bring victory and success this year they say. But you have to act fast in a Horse year. If you are not 100 per cent secure about a decision; then don’t do it.
Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don’t want to gallop off in the wrong direction and find yourself lost.
Gong Xi Fa Cai — Happy Chinese new year!
* Lance Seeto is an award-winning international food writer, author, television presenter and executive chef based on Castaway Island Fiji.
