Gong Xi Fa Cai - Happy Chinese Lunar New Year
Like all festivals and holidays – there are many traditions attached to Chinese New Year. Actually, lot more than I’ve heard of in any other culture – because the Chinese actually celebrate their new year for two whole weeks! They do believe that these two weeks set the tone for the rest of your year, hence there is plenty of fun stuff and dos’ and don’ts’ prescribed for the two weeks.
Feng Shui has nothing to do with all of this per say – but the one tradition I think is fun, is the ‘bowl full of oranges. Yes, folk lore has it that keeping a bowl full of ripe golden oranges in the center of your home or table ushers in good luck. The reason for this being that they symbolize gold with their shape and colour. Also, their nourishing and immunity boosting properties are like gold for this time of year (flu season!). And visually seeing a bowl full of fruit on your table gives a sense of abundance.
And yes, if you’d like an addition to your family in the year – friends, pets, babies – add a pomegranate. I add local BC apples for the ‘fruit of the land”.
