Chinese New Year 2009 - the Year of the Ox

By the end of January, the Christmas tree is put away and the champagne bottles are safely corked again, but that doesn't mean the holidays are over. Get in tune with your lunar calendar and throw a Chinese New Year Party on on January 26. 2009 will be the Chinese year 4707, The Year of the Ox.

Chinese New Year begins on the darkest day of the year (or the new moon of the new year) and continues for a 15-day celebration. The first 14 days of Chinese New Year are a time to celebrate and enjoy your family, friends and ancestors. Remembering loved ones who have passed and showing respect for your ancestors is a big part of Chinese culture. By the time the Lantern Festival comes, on the 15^th day, everyone is ready for a little fun, fireworks and lots of food.

Year of the Ox

The Chinese calendar is based on a cycle of 12 years: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. According to Chinese legend, these animals were chosen when Buddha called a meeting of all the animals and they were the only ones to show. Therefore, Buddha named a year after each of the animals which became the Chinese Zodiac. Buddha decreed that people born under a certain Chinese Zodiac sign would exhibit characteristics of those animals.

People born in the year of the Ox, including Jack Nicholson, Walt Disney and Anthony Hopkins, are brave, friendly, and dependable and very hard workers. Often, Oxes become skilled craftsmen like artisans, painters or architects or go into engineering.

Here are some recipes, ideas and tips for bringing in 2009 - The Year of the Ox including classic Chinese traditions and modern takes.

Invitations

To get your guests into the spirit, be creative with your Chinese New Year invitations. Paper lanterns or rice-paper fans are available at most party stores, and are fairly simple to make yourself. (See my articles on how to make paper-lanterns and fans just for this purpose: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/533819/how_to_make_chinese_paper_lanterns.html?cat=24) Calligraphy markers are available at craft stores and simulate a real calligraphy pen without the mess. Use calligraphy to write your instructions and directions to the party. Add the phrase: "Gung Hay Fat Choy!" ("Happy New Year!") or other Chinese calligraphy symbols.

You could use the sign for the Ox since 2009 is the Year of the Ox, or choose the sign for the dragon, which a powerful symbol for good luck. Or choose something personal to you and your friends, such as each person's Chinese Zodiac sign. Check out http://www.chinesesymbolsmeaning.com/ for a variety of Chinese symbols for love, strength, peace and other ideas.

Decorating: Red and Shiny

For a Chinese New Party, you can stick to one color: Red. This vibrant hue is considered the luckiest color for Chinese celebrations because it was used in ancient times to symbolize fire and scare off unlucky spirits. Drowning your home in red, especially around the front doors and windows, keeps bad luck from settling into your new year.

Try to wear a traditional Chinese shirt, with frog clasps in the front, which are trendy in stores like Bamboo Trading Company right now. Otherwise, wear read and consider decorating your face like your Chinese Zodiac sign. Encourage your guests to wear red and gold as well.

If your Chinese New Party is in a room with a lot of wall space, use large photographs of Chinese landscapes as murals. The Great Wall of China, a cityscape with pagodas or an island scene with a single boat are great scenes to make your guests feel like they have entered a new world. Place red Chinese New Year banners on your front door and windows. Use streamers, balloons and banners with gold accents.

Placing characters for strength, love, and money around your home are thought to bring you those wishes in the new year. But remember to hang some of your Chinese characters upside down to confuse the evil spirits lurking about.

Chinese Dragon Parade

Get younger children involved in Chinese New Year by letting them make a paper-mache mask of a dragon head. Use tissue paper to include lots of large scales and big eyes. Line up the children and put the mask on the front child in line. Drape red sheet across the of the line. Each child holds onto the child in front of him and the leader snakes around like a dragon. This way children get to be the dragon in the Dragon Parade. Let other guests bang pots or set off noise-makers and sparklers to ward evil spirits. Traditionally, Chinese people would light stalks of bamboo which crackles loudly to scare away the spirits. Instead, you can use gunpowder snappers or small firecrackers. Just be sure to check the city and state laws where you live concerning fireworks.

Party Favors

The most popular favor is always the Chinese tradition of putting money in red envelopes for children, also known as "lucky money." For your party you can put gold-foil wrapped chocolate coins in bright red envelopes and decorate with bits of poetry or Chinese calligraphy symbols. Or purchase authentic Chinese money through a coin changer. Chinese lucky money envelopes, which are red with gold foil decorations, are pretty cheap and can be purchased online.

You may also want to find small toy versions of each Chinese Zodiac sign for each guest. To do this you might have to ask your guests what year they were born for your RSVP. Tiny plastic animals with red ribbons are a simple keepsake for your guests. Or just find tiny oxes since 2009 is the Year of the Ox.

InvitationsbyDawn.com offers Chinese fans with Zodiac symbols on them for about $1 each. You can also make small good luck signs out of colorful paper with words (or Chinese characters) for luck, health, peace, happiness, wealth, etc.) Also check out OrientalFurniture.com for more ideas.

Decorated Chinese take-out boxes are available in bulk online and make cute purses for girlie guests. You can also use them to fill with treats and place around for munching or as wrapping for your Chinese New Year party favors.

Treats

If you have time, consider making a few Chinese recipes from scratch. Chinese take-out is always a quick save and is usually pretty cheap as well. Be sure to order extra chopsticks. Even if your guests don't normally eat with chopsticks, a Chinese New Year Party is a great time to learn. You can even make a game using traditional Chinese dumplings to see who can pick the most up successfully using chopsticks.

Another idea is to go for traditional Chinese dumplings including the coin in the center. The person who gets the dumpling with the coin gets good luck all year long. Include sweet mandarin orange slices for dessert and savory hot tea instead of coffee.

Fortune cookies are easy to make and you can personalize your own fortunes. Prepare the fortune cookie dough just before your guests arrive. Have each guests write down a fortune as they come in. Then shape the cookies around the fortunes your guests wrote and bake. Dip the cookies in chocolate sauce and sprinkles and let dry. Each guest will get to read their fortune to the party to see what everyone wrote.