This week, Mr. A and I have had a few conversations about the traditions and rituals we want to create for our family. We both believe creating rituals will help connect us as a family, as well as reinforcing the values and traditions we want to pass on to the girls. My family did a good job at creating family traditions as we were growing up. Mr. A’s not so much.
When we were talking about how we want to celebrate Chinese New Year, Mr. A only had some vague memories to draw on. That means we are pretty much making it up as we go along. This is the first year we are taking it a little more seriously than we have in the past, because M is probably old enough to start forming memories. Now is as good a time as any, I guess. That being said, obviously we aren’t experts on CNY traditions.
This is a picture of the good luck (I think) banner things we hung on the door. When my MIL saw them last weekend, she said “OH! Now people will know a Chinese person lives here!” I am not sure if she meant that as a good thing or a bad thing. Usually, we prefer the banners with the chubby babies, but we got to the store too late and they were sold out.
(Our door is actually more red than pink. the flash just makes it look very mauve.)
Despite all my smart-assed comments about white people dressing their kids in Chinese traditional clothing, this is what the girls were wearing today. It was totally by coincidence that I realized we had new outfits for both of them and Mr. A thought it would be fun if they dressed up. M’s is from her dance recital last year, which she didn’t attend because we were in China. L’s outfit was originally given to M by Mr. A’s aunt, I think, but she never wore it. Both girls liked wearing the outfits, though L slid off her chair at dinner due to the silky pants and bumped herself pretty hard.
Mr. A took off from work early to come home and make dinner. His Chinese cooking skills are usually far superior to mine. We didn’t have a real feast because it was just the four of us, but he made long life noodles, bean sprouts and baby bok choy. L scarfed up the noodles like a girl who hasn’t been fed in a week. She seriously loves Chinese food. I forgot to take a picture of dinner, but for dessert we had mochi instead of nian gao (basically because it is a little bit yummier). L loved the mochi and kept stealing them off the table when we weren’t looking.
After dinner, we all read this book together. M liked it. L was not at all interested and used our distractedness to try to swipe more mochi.
Then, M got to work making some ghost money. The ancestors will be living large now, because she drew two thousand-dollar bills featuring Blue and Magenta from Blue’s Clues. We each lit three sticks of incense, I think because three is a lucky number. But also, because we have ancestors in three families: mine, Mr. A’s, and L’s family. We each sent our prayers/wishes to heaven with the incense and burned the spirit money.
Then, Mr. A and I gave the girls their hongbao. We asked M say Gong Xi Fa Cai! and bow, which she did. That was basically how we celebrated Chinese New Year tonight. We wanted firecrackers, but apparently they are illegal and thus unavailable in our state at this time of year. Next year, we will have to pick some up around the forth of july and hoard them until CNY.
(This photo and the reading one were reinacted for your blog-reading pleasure.)
Where’s the picture of you wearing your qipao? Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Sounds like a good New Year’s Eve. Did you make or buy the mochi? My son was asking for some tonight and I was going to look at the Asian market tomorrow.
Oh my gosh those are the cutest girls.
My husband’s family celebrates CNY by going to the Chinese-People-Approved restaurant (there is only one, though it’s constantly changing due to the apparent incessant drama in the lives of Chinese restaurant owners) and eating enough food for the next week. Can’t say it’s a bad time, although I wish we could get mochi for dessert instead of that red bean gunk. Oh, and I guess this year the boy will be getting red envelopes. Gotta build that college fund somehow.
Ahhh-I had such big plans for CNY this year-now it’s all about sleep. And we are taking lbg dancing with us Sat night-regular crowd, all expecting her. Maybe she can wear her tutu cheongsam for some fusion ; )
Sounds like you have some warm traditions in the makings! ~lmc
ha ha, had to laugh with your kids in the silkies..every time I put my kids in these outfits your comments are in the back of my mind! lol
But like you I do it for CNY and that’s it!
It sounds like you have some really great traditions starting.
What fantastic pictures. Thank you for sharing them.
I think you’re absolutely right about establishing traditions. It’s something I struggle to do, and I’m not even sure why it’s a struggle.
Happy New Year!
I love the grins on Mr. A’s face in the photos, especially knowing that they are re-creations….
Awesome! And thanks for the reminder. We have the ghost money as well. I can’t wait to burn some. I’m doing a little CNY party at LSP’s school tomorrow. I’m putting her in the outfit she selected at the department store in Beijing.
“Both girls liked wearing the outfits, though L slid off her chair at dinner due to the silky pants and bumped herself pretty hard.”
The man commented “see another reason not to dress our kids in chinese outfits… its dangerous” :0)
He is such a stickler for the chinese outfit thing.
sounds like our house but I am off a week (see what working overnights does to my brain?) I thought it was the 17th not the 7th.
We have the same book too.
Nicely done! We are still working out our personal family celebration of CNY. We didn’t dress up the boys at home this year, but they have worn their Chinese outfits to a number of local events. At our local Chinese Cultural Association’s event most of the children their age of Chinese-American families (as well as many of the adults) wore traditional outfits, so they fit in better. Also, they love wearing them!
We had saved some sparklers from July 4 for them to have (I know, these aren’t the same as far as noise for scaring off the evil spirits) which they loved lighting off, but Kai was disappointed we didn’t have any large ariel mortars like his crazy uncle lights off. Still, monitoring a 4 and 5 year old with lit sparklers is thrilling enough for me!
What a great idea to have M draw the ghost money. I’ll have to tuck that away for future use. Xin Nian Kuai Le!
We love that book too!
Happy New Year!
FWIW, as Chinese-Americans, we aren’t interested in dressing our little girl in ‘the outfit,’ but my Dad wanted to get her one for CNY, and my mom didn’t want to. I did see some a 6- or 7-year old dressed up with her grandma and grandpa at the Asian market strip mall near my work yesterday, when we went out for CNY lunch. She had a VERY unhappy look on her face, but I would only be speculating about whether it was from being ‘paraded around’ or if maybe she was scolded for doing something inappropriate!
Additionally FWIW, if given a choice, I prefer to see our little girls in the 2-piece pants set vs. the dresses (cheong sam) because the dresses are too China-Doll-looking for me.
oops, sorry, Happy New year!