Not everyone knows when Chinese New Year is. It will also be interesting to get acquainted with how this event is met here, with the traditions and recipes for preparing dishes for the festive table. The long New Year holidays for adults and children are over. But if you want to plunge into this festive atmosphere again, then you can celebrate the Chinese New Year, learning the traditions and preparing everything you need.
About the Chinese New Year - when it begins and ends
Since 1911, the inhabitants of this eastern country have been celebrating the New Year when they have the Spring Festival. It comes on the new moon, which comes after the new moon on December 21st. According to the Gregorian chronology, this is a fairly long period, which falls on the day between January 21 and February 21.
Each year this event has its own date.
If you do not know when the Chinese New Year is in 2018, then now read that it will happen on February 16th. It is then that the year of the earthen yellow dog will come in China. By the way, the 2017 Chinese New Year began on January 28th, and the 2019 Chinese New Year will begin on February 5th. Yes, this holiday lasts not one day, but 15 days.
On the eve, the Chinese buy themselves new clothes or sew them with their own hands, they are mostly red.
You will soon find out why the people of this eastern country prefer this color. And on the eve of the New Year, they seal up the cracks in the windows, some are hiding from evil spirits and especially from the mythological monster.
His name is Nian, which means "year" in Chinese. It is believed that the monster comes on the first New Year's day, devouring grain, food supplies, livestock and even villagers. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, the Chinese sometimes put food near the entrance to their house, opposite the door.
Tradition says that if you please the Nanny, he will get better and will not attack anyone. Somehow this monster saw a child in a red robe and was frightened by him. People decided that Nanny was so influenced by the color of her clothes. Therefore, now, before the arrival of the New Year, they decorate the streets and premises with red lanterns, scrolls of the same color and dress up in clothes of this color.
Also, on the first New Year's day, the Chinese burn incense, launch fireworks. It is believed that all this will scare away evil spirits and bring peace and happiness to the family.
Make use of these traditions when Chinese New Year comes in 2018. After February 16, you can celebrate this holiday for another two weeks, as is done in this country.
Such a long New Year's holidays end with the holiday of lanterns. On this day, lanterns are lit on the street, the Chinese walk on stilts, show various folklore numbers, perform the Lion Dance and Yange. During the Lantern Festival, sweet dumpling soup or boiled cakes are eaten. Cakes and dumplings are formed in the form of balls, prepared from rice flour, dates, hawthorn, sesame seeds, beans, chocolate are used as a sweet filling.
Decorations for the Chinese New Year - photos, master classes
These friendly people use various types of handicrafts to decorate their homes for the New Year. Some of them you can take on board. If you want good luck to settle in your home, you will be happy and prosperous, then make a Chinese New Year decoration, which is the inverted character fu. It is these wonderful words that he means.
Of course, most often it is painted on rhombuses or red circles, and then hung on the wall or on the doors of living rooms. You can draw it yourself. The basis will be a rhombus or circle. Draw symbols inside any of these shapes, let them also bring you happiness.
It is better to use gold paint for drawing Chinese New Year characters. It looks great on a red background. A Chinese couplet called Dui Lien is also handmade. Two lines of poetry are written by hand on red paper, after which it is glued in the room, decorating it.
You can draw such hieroglyphs on a scarlet strip or simply print them out on a color printer. If you know how to compose yourself in this language, then do not forget that the poems should have deep meaning, but few words. Each word here stands for one character.
So that the beginning of the Chinese New Year does not take you by surprise, prepare a New Year's drawing in advance. Usually it is performed on a rather large square, the sides of which are 90 cm. The motives for the picture are animals, mountains, the God of wealth, the God of longevity. After you create this masterpiece, hang it in the most visible part of the room, just like the Chinese do.
Doors are decorated with images of the God of doors. You need to recreate two drawings, hang it on both sides of the door. Thus, they decorate not only the house, but also the temple, office. It is believed that this deity will not let evil into the dwelling.
The Chinese love ancient handicrafts, especially various paper crafts. On New Year's, they decorate the premises with real works of art, created by virtuoso paper cutting. Usually red paper is used. The motives are very different. These are animals, people, hieroglyphs for happiness, flowers.
This art form is called Papercutting. Let's dwell on it in more detail.
How to masterfully cut out of paper?
See how great the work is as a result.
To cut such a charming flower out of paper, you first need to draw it with a pencil on the prepared surface. It can be any color of paper, but for the Chinese New Year festivities, use red.
It is necessary to depict the smallest details, not forgetting that the drawing should be symmetrical.
Now, with a special tool, starting from the smallest details, gradually moving from the center to the edges, cut off the excess.
Then the paper will turn into an openwork canvas.
Watch two small workshops that will explain and show you how to create such works to decorate a room for Chinese New Year 2018.
See what tools you need to get the job done.
Here you see two knives with sharp blades. In this case, they are Japanese firms. But if you just want to start cutting out of paper, then you can use simpler tools. A utility knife or scissors will do.
Plain sketching paper has worked well, and when you get your hand filled, you can pick up paper designed for pastels. But watercolor will not work, since it is too loose. Cardboard, on the other hand, is too dense and difficult to cut through the first time.
- First, on the selected sheet, you need to draw a sketch of your future work and think carefully about what exactly you will cut out. You will be working on the back of the paper, so draw here the image in a mirror image in relation to the finished one. This is especially true of the letters and words that are in this picture.
- This is to keep the pencil sketch on the wrong side. After completing the process, do not erase the lines of the drawing made with a pencil, as the paper may wrinkle or tear.
- You can see that you first need to draw a frame. Start by cutting out smaller parts, gradually make larger ones.
After completing the work, it remains to remove the excess and you can hang such an artistic sketch for the Chinese New Year of 2018 on the wall, on the door or on the window.
If you want to make a flower out of paper, then first redraw all its smallest details.
Now, starting in the middle, carefully cut off the excess with a knife.
Try to be careful not to break the flower fragments. When cutting, you need to fix the flower so that it does not move.
Such painstaking work will be rewarded, since as a result, you will have such a beautiful paper flower in your hands.
When you get your hand filled, you can draw paper cut diagrams by hand. To draw such a flower, you first need to draw several symmetrical lines, in order to then create identical segments.
Then you need to cut this flower. You can first remove the excess from one side, and then move on to the other.
Also in China it is customary to make ornaments in the form of lanterns. Then you can run them.
How to make Chinese lanterns?
Such accessories are an integral part of China's New Year paraphernalia.
To make such accessories, take:
- cardboard or thick paper;
- Scotch;
- glue;
- tape 5 mm wide;
- scissors;
- beads;
- Double-sided tape.
Make a curly stencil according to the size of the future details, outline and cut them out. For one Chinese flashlight, you will need 10 to 20 pieces.
Fold these pieces in half, and then start glueing them together. You need to fix at certain points. The figure has marks - numbers. First, start glueing the ones under the number 1, and then the ones that have the number 2.
Connect the edges of the ovals with tape, or using thread.
It remains to unfold the flashlight, connect its first and last sidewalls, fixing them with glue. Attach the loop by making it from a ribbon and you can hang the flashlight, decorating the room.
The next Chinese lantern can be made for the street, then run it.
To make such an unusual thing, you will need:
- garbage bag 120 liters;
- medical alcohol or ignition solution;
- wide tape;
- packing of cotton wool;
- tracing paper;
- cardboard square with sides 40 cm;
- wire.
Then follow these instructions:
- Unfold the garbage bag and extend it by attaching the tracing paper here with duct tape. Cut 2 cm long strips of cardboard and tape them to the outside of the tracing paper.
- Roll the frame out of the wire in the form of a circle, in the center of which there are two more pieces of wire crosswise. In the center of the cross, fix a piece of cotton wool, which needs to be soaked in liquid for ignition or alcohol.
- Place the frame with the lit wick inside the bag and fire the flashlight.
Once the surrounding space is decorated, it remains to choose what to cook. When the new year arrives according to the Chinese calendar, it is better that you have everything already prepared.
Eastern New Year - recipes
On this day, the smell of citrus soars here. Place 8 tangerines or oranges in baskets or flowerpots. It is this number that symbolizes well-being and longevity in Chinese symbols. You can decorate such baskets with flowers, sweets.
Citizens of the Celestial Empire love dried fruits, they believe that candied fruits bring happiness to the house.
There are traditional Chinese New Year dishes that are served on this holiday in the Middle Kingdom. Noodle soup is a symbol of long life. Therefore, the noodles need to be boiled and eaten, not chopped, but whole.
Also, whole carcasses should be on the table, a duck symbolizes loyalty, a fish and a chicken - prosperity. If you cook eggs, then you will certainly have a good harvest in the coming year, as this is a symbol of fertility.
Do not forget to put oranges on the New Year's table, which are a symbol of good luck in China. Here's what you can cook for Chinese New Year.
Jiaozi dumplings
Let's start with dumplings called jiaozi. The list of products includes:
- minced meat 600 g;
- onions - 2 pieces;
- fresh dill - 300 g;
- cold water - 300 g;
- wheat flour - 3 tbsp. l.;
- fresh ginger - 70 g;
- pepper and salt to taste;
- starch - 0.5 cups.
Recipe:
- When it is Chinese New Year, you will put a simply gorgeous dish on the table. First you need to cook it. Sift starch and flour into a bowl. Add ice water here and knead the dough. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for now.
- At this time, you will prepare the filling. Chop fresh dill and finely chop it. Also chop the onions thoroughly, and rub the ginger root on a fine grater.
- Add all this, as well as salt and pepper to the minced meat. Mix the filling well.
- Roll out the dough thinner and cut it into tortillas in a round shape, or roll the sausage and cut it across into small pieces. Place the filling in the center of each, lift the edges of the dough up and mold them here like a cake to leave the edges free.
- Boil the dumplings in boiling water until tender, then serve. If desired, tie a spring onion ribbon around each dumpling.
Do not forget to put a salad on the table for the New Year, which, according to legends, brings wealth, luck and happiness.
Salad
The products are quite affordable, so you can cook such a dish from what is sold in our region.
To make a vitamin salad, take:
- fresh salmon - 600 g;
- two each: carrots, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, ripe avocado, fresh cucumber;
- 4 tbsp. l. sesame;
- a bunch of green onions;
- half a cup of roasted peanuts.
The filling consists of:
- 1 tsp ground white pepper;
- 2 tsp lemon juice;
- 6 tbsp. l. plum wine;
- two grapefruits;
- 2 tbsp. l. olive oil.
- The avocado should be chopped into strips, put on a small dish with a slide. Also, cucumber, carrots and bell peppers, cut into strips, must be put on a dish in a slide. Peel each grapefruit, remove the veins and cut all the wedges into 4 pieces. Place on a platter and place the ginger in the middle.
- Fry the peanuts with sesame seeds, chop the peanuts a little.
- To cut the fish well, first place it briefly in the freezer, and then chop it into 5 x 1 cm pieces.
- Sprinkle the vegetables with peanuts and sesame seeds, taking half the norm. Put the prepared fish on top, then pour over the sauce, which must be sprinkled with the rest of the peanuts and sesame seeds.
- To make the dressing, you need to mix the wine with lemon juice, oil and pepper.
- On New Year's Eve, you need to eat this Chinese dish in a certain way. This salad is served as it is. Then everyone present should slowly stir it. Taking a small portion, each one in turn says wishes for happiness in Chinese, which sounds like "Lo hei."
- Only after that, the salad is poured with sauce, sprinkled with the remnants of peanuts and sesame seeds, and decorated with chopped green onions.
Since eggs symbolize fertility in China, we suggest making the following dish.
Marble eggs
For it you will need:
- 12 eggs;
- 6 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
- 2 cinnamon sticks;
- 2 tbsp. l. black tea;
- 2 tsp black pepper in the form of peas;
- tangerine zest.
Place the eggs in a bowl of cold water, after it boils, cook for a couple of minutes. Take out the testicles and, taking a knife, make cracks in the shell. Boil the eggs again, but add the rest of the ingredients to the water. Everything should boil over low heat for about 30 minutes.
Of course, when there is Chinese New Year 2018 or the next one, you cannot do without a sweet one. Make a traditional pie, serve it for tea.
Nian-gao - pie
The recipe includes:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 glass of water;
- two eggs;
- 4 tbsp. l. milk;
- 4 tbsp. l. dried fruits;
- 4 tbsp. l. brown sugar.
Step by step cooking:
- Add milk to the water, add sugar, boil the solution. When it starts to boil, make a small fire, add flour and stir the dough thoroughly.
- Then cool it until warm and beat in two eggs one by one, kneading the mass thoroughly.
- Wash dried fruits, you can soak them for 20 minutes in warm water. Then dry, chop finely, add to the dough and stir.
- Place the dough in a greased baking dish and bake in the oven or steam.
For those who want to get a prediction for the New Year, the following dish is suitable.
Fortune cookie
Here are the ingredients you will be using:
- flour - 200 g;
- corn starch - 2 tsp;
- icing sugar - 100 g;
- proteins - 4 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - 6 tbsp. l.;
- some vanillin and salt.
Write your prediction in advance on paper rectangles and turn on the oven.
Beat whites with salt, then add butter and vanillin, mix gently. Pour the powder into the sifted starch with flour, pour the whites and butter here and mix.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and grease it with oil. Take the dough with a tablespoon, pour it on the glassine, giving it a round shape.
When the cookies turn golden, remove them one at a time using a glove. Place a fortune paper in the center and fold each cookie in half in half. Then they need to be cooled and can be placed on the table.
Even in China, noodles with spices and sauces are traditionally prepared for the New Year. If you want to know what else you can put on the New Year's table to celebrate this holiday according to the Eastern calendar, then check out the video.
It also tells about the traditions of this New Year's holiday in this Asian country.
It will be interesting to see how the Chinese New Year is celebrated in the village. You have such an opportunity.
