The weeks before Chinese New Year are busy days of spring-cleaning for Chinese families to get rid of last year's bad luck and to welcome in the new year's good luck! Hence, all the new red decorations, lucky bamboo plants, and all symbolic new year decorations. Did you know the Chinese traditionally never sweeps dirt out of the doorway out of the house to avoid sweeping out good luck? Tip: Always pick up the dirt inside the house's door threshold in a dustpan and dispose separately.
The "practicing" Chinese believe you can do a lot to actively attract the good and to avoid the bad.
Examples are practicing Tai chi for daily meditative physical exercise, stimulating your accupressure points to get your qi (energy) circulating smoothly and to induce good health by improving your immune system. There are specific points for specific ailments. Eating a healthy balance of "heaty" and cooling foods or specifically for an organ that is challenged or a condition. My East-West medicine doctor at UCLA diagnosed a spleen deficiency and recommended spleen tonic foods in the tradition of food as medicine. He also ordered health check blood tests. As a retired Caucasian Chinese doctor who teaches accupressure say, "There is no illness but blocked circulation." In other words, you don't have to be born Chinese to be a "practicing" Chinese health practioner :)
So, here's wishing you a healthy year of the horse :)
Read more about new year preparations and origins of New Year traditions in these links:
http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year
http://www.history.com/topics/chinese-new-year-traditions-and-symbols
http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-new-year-traditions.html#.UuRX6hCwrIU
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/holidays/spring-festival.htm
In Los Angeles, if you are adventurous and your children can stay up to midnight on a weekday, participate in the Midnight Temple Ceremony on the eve of New Year on Thursdays night! If you have never been in Chinatown for the grand parade, this year's parade should feature horses. A few years ago, a live Vietnamese pot-bellied pig in a shopping cart was part of the Year of the Pig celebration parade. Go for a early lunch in Chinatown and find a nice spot for your parade viewing. Bring snacks and entertaining games you can play while waiting in your good spot. If you would like to give a good luck red packet to the lion dancer, place an even amount of money inside the red packet (say, $2, $4, but not an odd number $5 note) and "feed" them to the dancing lions for good luck. You will need to wave to the dancing lions and wave to show your red packet and the lion dancers will come to you and take it through its mouth! This is a wonderful experience for your children and a great photo memory. I suggest taking the Gold Line metrolink which stops right near the parade and save parking hassles in Chinatown during Chinese New Year.
We have never been to the Citadel Outlets, but there is also a musical performance on the same day as the parade if you wanted something quieter than a parade.
For the first time and in a big way, Santa Monica Place is celebrating the whole 15 days of the Lunar Chinese New Year with events scheduled until Feb 14 on Valentine's day. I have included details of the public schedule below and it looks like a very manageable way to enjoy some Chinese cultural arts demonstrations, music and performances in a very comfortable mall setting.
Finally, on March 1, don't miss Chinese American Museum's annual all day celebration of the Chinese Lantern Festival which we have always enjoyed!
Enjoy the 15 days of Chinese New Year celebrations :) It is a family celebration indeed.
Wishing all of you a Happy and Prosperous New Year, as the traditional greeting goes!
Details of all events below:
JAN. 30: MIDNIGHT TEMPLE CEREMONY - CHINATOWN
Downtown LA’s historic Chinatown kicks off the Year of the Horse with a traditional celebration at Thien Hau Temple. The Midnight Temple Ceremony takes place from 10 p.m. to midnight on Chinese New Year’s Eve - Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014. Attendees can participate in traditional incense burning, make offerings to deities, watch lion dances, and witness 500,000 firecrackers in action at one of LA’s grandest temples. The temple ceremony is free and open to the public.
FEB. 1-2:
CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL -CHINATOWN
CHINESE NEW YEAR FESTIVAL -CHINATOWN
The annual Chinese New Year Festival is taking place in Chinatown on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 1-2, 2014. The weekend festival takes place at several venues in Chinatown. The Central Plaza Stage features live performances, vendors, gourmet food trucks, and a craft beer garden. The West Plaza features numerous cultural artisans, including brush painting, calligraphy, sculpture and magic. The Spring Festival on Spring features live bands on Saturday only, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend festival hours are noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to all festival events is free.
FEB. 1: GOLDEN DRAGON PARADE
The highlight of Downtown’s Chinese New Year Festival weekend is the 115th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, taking place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014. Thousands of spectators line the parade route, which begins at Hill and Ord Streets and ends at Broadway and Cesar Chavez. The parade features dozens of floats, marching bands, entertainers, local business leaders and cultural groups. The 2014 Grand Marshal is Mayor Eric Garcetti.
On Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, Santa Monica Place kicks off its six-day celebration of Chinese New Year. The celebration is free and open to the public. The featured entertainment and presentations are based on authentic Chinese traditions, including: a traditional Chinese dragon dance; live Chinese classical music; Chinese ribbon dancers; Chinese stilt walkers; a Wishing Tree; crafts; a festive Chinese photo backdrop; and much more. The Chinese New Year celebration also offers food tastings by Santa Monica Place restaurants and Mandarin-speaking greeters. The celebration is taking place on Friday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, Feb. 2; Saturday, Feb. 8 to Sunday, Feb. 9; and Friday, February 14. Scheduled event times are 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
JAN. 31 - FEB. 14: SANTA MONICA PLACE
Chinese New Year Festival at Santa Monica Place
January 31, 2014 through February 14, 2014
On January 31, Santa Monica Place will kick-off a six-day celebration of the Chinese New Year that marks the Year of the Horse. Also known as the Spring Festival, the celebration will feature entertainment and presentations based on authentic Chinese traditions such as the traditional Chinese Dragon Dance, live music entertainment by a Chinese classical musical ensemble using native instruments, Chinese Ribbon Dancers, Chinese Stilt Walkers, a New Year’s Wishing Tree, a Chinese Henna Tattoo artist, Chinese children's crafts, the Chinese Dough Art, complimentary fortune cookies and a festive Chinese photo backdrop that will be available for guests to capture the magic of the Chinese New Year Festival.
Schedule of Events
Friday, January 31
The Market1:30-4PM Chinese Dough Artist
6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble and Chinese ribbon dancing
6-6:30PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble
6:30-6:50PM Traditional Chinese Dragon Dance
6:50-8:30PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble
1:30-4PM & 6-8:30PM Chinese stilt walkers to perform throughout Santa Monica Place
Saturday, February 1
The Market1:30-4PM Chinese Dough Artist
6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist and Chinese stilt walker
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble and Chinese ribbon dancing
6-6:30PM Live music entertainment/performances
6:30-6:50PMTraditional Chinese Dragon Dance
6:50-8:30PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble
1:30-4PM & 6-8:30PM Chinese stilt walkers to perform throughout Santa Monica Place
Sunday, February 2
The Market1:30-4PM Chinese Dough Artist
6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist and Chinese stilt walker
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment by Chinese classical music ensemble and Chinese ribbon dancing
6-6:30 Live music entertainment
6:30-6:50PM Traditional Chinese Dragon Dance
6:50-8:30PM Live music entertainment/performance
1:30-4PM & 6-8:30PM Chinese stilt walkers to perform throughout Santa Monica Place
Saturday, February 8
The Market6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
6-8:30PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
Sunday, February 9
The Market6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
6-8:30PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
Friday, February 14
The Market6-8:30PM Chinese Henna tattoo artist
Center Plaza1:30-4PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
6-8:30PM Live music entertainment/performance with Chinese harp and traditional flute
http://santamonicaplace.com/Events/Details/195592?startDate=1/31/2014
FEB. 1: CITADEL OUTLETS
Located just ten minutes south of Downtown LA, the Citadel Outlets features over 115 top brand-name stores and restaurants in a historic 1929 building designed to resemble an Assyrian castle. On Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, Citadel Outlets presents a Chinese New Year celebration with holiday décor, music, and live entertainment. A live performance by the Los Angeles Chinese Cultural Center (LACCC) is taking place from noon to 3 p.m. in the Center Court.
MAR. 1: LANTERN FESTIVAL - CAM
Located in the oldest and last surviving structure of LA’s original Chinatown, the Chinese American Museum (CAM) is the first museum in Southern California dedicated to the Chinese American experience and history in this region. The annual Lantern Festival is one of the museum’s signature events and a beloved community tradition. A hugely popular holiday in the Chinese culture, the Lantern Festival occurs on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and marks the end of Chinese New Year festivities. The CAM Lantern Festival re-creates a traditional village street fair with brilliant lantern displays; exciting musical, acrobatic and lion dance performances; arts and crafts booths; and a dazzling glow-in-the-dark silver dragon stage performance to close out the evening. Other activities include Chinese opera-style face painting, kite building, Chinese paper-cutting, calligraphy, and much more. CAM’s 13th Annual Lantern Festival celebration is taking place on Saturday, March 1, 2014, from noon to 10 p.m. Admission is free.
