VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - The Year of the Rabbit is over and the Year of the Dragon is here.
Terence Pun, administrative manager of the
Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, says its tradition to start the New Year with a clean heart, mind, and house.
"First of all, every family, according to tradition, needs to clean up their house, everything, before the Chinese New Year comes," he says, "and usually it will be done two or three days before the new year, not last minute, because everyone wants the new year to be happy with a clean and tidy house to invite prosperity and friends to come to the house to celebrate the Chinese New Year."
It's also important to try to pay off all debts, he says, and reconcile conflicts with friends and family.
"If they have some conflict or idea that they cannot solve or they are of a different opinion, because of the celebration, everybody will be happy, therefore just get rid of all the old things."
Families will spend New Year's Day on Monday and several days after visiting relatives and wishing each other peace, happiness and prosperity in the coming year. Plenty of oranges will be on hand, which symbolize health, along with red envelopes with "lucky money" in them, symbolizing wealth.
"Usually... the elderly — and not elderly only, but adults, usually married people — give red pocket money to the non-married people," Pun explains.
So what does it mean, the ubiquitous Chinese New Year greeting, "Gung Hay Fat Choy"?
Pun laughs and translates: "It means, 'Hope you earn more money in the coming year.'"
Chinese New Year celebrations continue throughout the Lower Mainland until next weekend. Visit News1130's events page
here.