Go Green.wmv

GO GREEN, SAVE EARTH

Eighth day of twelve lunnar month

Interesting things during this festival is the “laba porridge”, porridge with nut and dried fruit.

Laba porridge is said to pass from India. At the ancient North India, the founder of Buddhism Sakyamuni had seen the suffering of all people by illness and death, etc., and he also dissatisfaction with the existing Brahmin theocratic rule, thus he decide give up the throne and becoming a religious .

Finally, after six years of ascetic through in the twelfth lunar month on the 8th, the Buddha attaining enlightenment under the bodhi tree. In the six-ascetic, Buddha just eat one hemp one rice per day.

Initially, Laba porridge is red beans, glutinous rice boiled only. Over time, the quality and variety of porridge grew and changed.

According to theories of traditional Chinese medicine, laba porridge can also be a healthy food. The wide variety of grains and nuts not only provide carbohydrates, but are also rich in vitamins and minerals, protein, fat and fiber. It is, therefore, very nutritious. Thus, Nowadays it is not just taken on this special occasion, but whenever people feel like it.

Ingredient for “laba porridge”。

Finalize “laba porridge”

For more details, please refer below link:
http://www.robroad.com/light-industry/index.php/porridge-laba-month/
http://industry.imextrade.ru/review/kaleidoscope-of-culture/th-eighth-day/?lang=en

Lantern Festival(Yuan Xiao Jie)

Lantern Festival take place on Fifth teen day of first moon. On the night of Festival, thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate.

At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.



The lantern Festival is known as Yuan Xiao Jie because at 15th of every month, there is full moon, full moon is called “yuan yue” and in the ancient times people called night “Xiao”. Thus, The 15th day of first month is known as Yuan Xiao Festival.

Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival,or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. Those balls known as Yuanxiao .

Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself.

It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth centuty, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.

Click on following link can help you know more details:
http://www.chinavoc.com/festivals/lantern.htm
http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/festival/lantern/lantern.html

Chinese New Yaer

There are 15 days for whole Chinese new years.

First day of New Years is celebrated within family, Elderly will give the Red packet to family member that unmarried.

New Married couples usually give out two red packets on the first new year after being married. This is because the wife presents one and the husband presents one. However, in subsequent years they may give one as a couple.

Family member also will wear new clothes that being buy before new year at first day. The color of clothes usually is red or yellow since Chinese wearing red color at first day will bring luck towards the year.

During the first day, there is also something that cant do:

-Don’t wash your hair.

- Don’t sweep the floor.

- Don’t greet people who are in mourning.

- Don’t drop your chopsticks.

- Don’t say the number ‘four’ or mention death.

- Don’t borrow or lend money.

During the Second day, the family will visit the family of the wife if a couple is married.

Seventh day of new year is known as Human Day. People get together to toss the colorful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

Ninth day is the day of Hokkien people “Bai Tiankong”.

15th day of Chinese New Year is known as Lantern Festival. The Lantern Festival i will introduce at next post.

After 15th day, the Chinese new year is consider end. Now, i am going to introduce one of the most interesting things in Chinese new year:

Lion Dance

The lions express joy and happiness. From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year, lion dance groups would tour from village to village in traditional China.

For more information, please follow the link below:
http://www.herongyang.com/chinese/festivals/new_year.html
http://www.familyculture.com/holidays/chinese_new_year.htm

Chinese New Yaer Eve

By New Year Eve, Chinese will done the following:

• Clean the entire home to get rid of all the things that are associated with the old year.

• Put away all brooms and brushes.

• Pay all your debts.

• Resolve differences with family members, friends, neighbors and business associates.

Then , A reunion dinner is held on New Year's Eve where all members of the family without consider near or far, get together for celebration.

The New Year's Eve dinner is very large and traditionally usually includes chicken, pork , vegetable and fish.

However, Fish is not eaten up completely (and the remaining stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "nian nian you yu" means "every year there is leftover", or "have profit every year".

Besides that, Chinese will also open every door and window in their home at midnight to let go of the old year.

For more information, please click into below link:
http://www.herongyang.com/chinese/festivals/new_year.html

JIZhu Jie

JiZhu Jie is occur at 1st of October of Chinese Calendar. During this festival, people will burn "package" which fill with many “Dis-money”. The package will be written the name of receiver and people that send. Chinese believed that hell is just like human world that money can buy things, thus they will burn the Dis-money in order for their ancestor to buy things.“Dis-money”
“Package”

Double Ninth Festival

Double Ninth Festival is known as ChongYang Festival in Chinese, it is observed to occur in ninth day of ninth month in Chinese Calendar.

According to Chinese , nine is known as “yang”. The ninth day of ninth month contain 2 nine hence it consider to have too much “yang” and it thus a potentially dangerous date. To away from the dangerous, it is customary to climb high mountain, drink chrysanthemun tea and wear zhuyu. However, nowadays people have change to be eat ChongYang Cake(Gao) since “gao” have the same meaning with height in Chinese pronoun.ZhongYang Cake that eated during Double Ninth Festival.

DongZhi Festival (Mid Winter)

DongZhi Festival ocuur around December. During Dongzhi, the sunshine is weakest and daylight is shortest. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the Yin and Yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in.

Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that must done in this Festival is making and eatimg Tangyuan.

Tangyuan are made of glutinuous rice flour and sometimes brightly coloured. Each family member receives Tang Yuan base on their age. The flour balls may be plain or stuffed. They are cooked in a sweet soup with both the ball and the soup served in one bowl.

QI Qiao(Qixi) JIe: Chinese Valentine Day

Qixi is fall on 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. That is a very romantic story about this festival. The 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven name “Zhinü” and an orphaned cowherd known as “Niulang”. However, The Emperor separate them by forced his daughter to star of Vega and the cowherd move to Star of Altair. They are only allowed to meet each other only once a year on the day of 7th day of 7th lunar month in bridge that build by pied magpie between 2 star.



Chinese believed that if girl pray to moon at this time, they will be bless by Zhinü to get their truth love.

Please refer following link for more details:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/foodfestivals/a/chinavalentine.htm
http://blog.youxu.info/2007/08/18/qi-xi-chinese-valentines-day/

Ancestor Day

Ancestor Day is known as Qing Ming in Chinese and it usually fall on 5th of April of Chinese Calendar. Qing Ming is the time to remember the dead ancestor and more important is period to pay respect to one's deceased ancestors and family members.

During QingMing, people will slightly sweeping the tombs, then people will offer food, flowers and favorites of the dead, then burn incense and paper money and bow before the memorial tablet.

KItchen God Festival

Before the new year eve, at the 23rd day of the 12th month in a year on the lunar calendar is called "off year", (Xiaonian in Chinese). It is the day on which the folk people offer sacrifices to Kitchen God, Kitchen god is a god sent from heaven by Jade Emperor to each family taje charge of family affairs and make a report on what the family has done in the past year to Jade Emperor on the date of 23th allow the Jade Emperor to make it punishment and rewards.

In order for the kitchen god can't speak ill of the people in front of the Jade Emperor. Folk people will offer a typical Chinese Candy instead of usual cow, chicken, fish , pigs or sheep. By the way, people will also offer pure water, soybeans and grass fodder. It is said the water and fodder is prepared for the god's horse while going up to the celestial palace.

According to the folk custom, "men do not worship the Moon while women do not offer sacrifices to Kitchen god." So sacrifices to Kitchen god is only confined to men.

Please look into below link for more details:
http://www.chinavoc.com/festivals/KitchenGod.htm
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa010300a.htm

Ghost Festival (GuiJie)

The Ghost Festival is fall on the 15th night of the seventh lunar month in Chinese Calendar. In the Ghost Festival, “The Gate of Hell” will open allow ghost and spirit include dead ancestor come out from Hell and back to human world.


Offering that prepare for ghost and spirit.


The food on the table are offer to ghost and spirit that released from Hell.



“Getai” literally known as sing stage are usually perform to entertain the ghost and spirit. However, there are also many people love “Getai” too!!

Please refer the following link for more details:
http://www.chinese-culture.net/html/hungry_ghost_festival.html
http://travelerfolio.com/getai-hungry-ghost-festival/

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based. The Dragon Festival is originated from ancient China. Quyuan, a patriot of the Chu Kingdom during War State period. Qu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Since Quyuan is love and esteem by the citizen, the Chinese citizens throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating rice dumplings.

Dragon Boat races are the most exciting part of the festival. Dragon Boats are generally brightly painted and decorated canoes. Ranging anywhere from 40 to 100 feet in length, their heads are shaped like open-mouthed dragons, while the sterns end with a scaly tail. Depending on the length, up to 80 rowers can power the boat. A drummer and flag-catcher stand at the front of the boat. Before a dragon boat enters competition, it must be "brought to life" by painting the eyes in a sacred ceremony. Races can have any number of boats competing, with the winner being the first team to grab a flag at the end of the course. Annual races take place all over China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and other overseas Chinese communities.

Please refer to following link for more details:
http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/festival/dragonboat/dragon.html
http://www.ncsu.edu/midlink/dec97/holiday/boatz.html

MoonCake Festival

Moon Cake Festival also known as Mid Autumn Festival. In Chinese, it is known as Zhongqiu. It is celebrated at 15th August in Chinese Calendar. The picture above is one of the point of Moon Cake Festival : Deng long

The Moon cake Festivals is to commemorates an uprising in China against the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty. Liu Bo Wen , ad visor to the Chinese rebel leader came up with the idea of timing the rebellion to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival. He distribute thousands of moon cakes to the Chinese residents in the city, Inside each cake, was inserted a piece of paper with the message: "Kill the Mongol on the 15th day of the 8th month" . On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government


Moon cake is another point of Mid Autumn Festival. It is a special kind of sweet cake prepared in the shape of the moon and filled with various ingredient such as sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds and duck eggs

Chang-er is one of the legend about Mid Autumn Festival. The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it. One day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. Fortunately, the earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon.

Wesak Day

Wesak Day is the one of the important festivals of the Buddhists in Malaysia and fall in the month of May. It is celebrated to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and death of Lord Buddha.The celebration is done with prayers, chants, offerings and giving alms. The Buddhist eat a vegetarian diet prior to the festival in order to cleanse and purify themselves.

Wesak Day is also where you will see many of the Malaysian Buddhist devotees releasing animals such as doves and tortoises. This act is seen as a symbolic gesture of one releasing the soul and giving up for the sins that they have made in the past. Besides that, this particular act is also seen as a way of giving freedom for those that are held against their will or being tortured

During Wesak day, Free meals are also given to the needy.

For more details, please refer following link:

http://www.1malaysiatravelblog.com/2010/02/wesak-day-festival-in-malaysia/

Beginning: Sunrise

Everything must have beginning. Beginning is just like Sunrise. Very beautiful and it is really need to be cherish!! A Good beginning will lead us to success. Just like this blog, i hope this blog will like by everyone. In this blog, I will introduce the Festival that celebrate by Chinese.