Chinese New Year begins February 3, 2011 and preparations for the Year of the Rabbit are hoping along in Richmond, BC – the Canadian city with largest proportion of residents of Chinese ancestry. The Rabbit is considered a lucky sign, but you don’t need to be born a Rabbit to have good fortune in the New Year with these eight tips for celebrating Chinese New Year in Richmond:
1. Plan a big dinner – Three essential elements of any Chinese New Year festivity are food, friends and family, as the New Year is a reminder to treasure time spent with loved ones. Most of Richmond’s 300+ Chinese restaurants offer special menus for a traditional feast for groups of six or more friends and family. The elaborate, multicourse feast is especially popular on New Year’s Eve February 2. Jade Seafood Restaurant, Hakkasan Contemporary Chinese Cuisine and Dinesty Chinese Restaurant – all winners at the recent 2011 HSBC Chinese Restaurant Awards – offer specially priced group menus that feature auspicious foods including specially prepared fish, sticky rice pudding cakes, oysters and long noodles.
2. Eat your dumplings – Dumplings are as essential to Chinese New Year as turkey is to North American Thanksgiving. Symbolic of wealth because they resemble Chinese gold coins, devouring dumplings is a New Year’s Eve tradition in Northern China as it’s said to bring prosperity and success for the coming year. Try the famous Xiao Long Bao dumplings at Shanghai River Restaurant. Here you can watch them being made behind a big, open window that looks onto the kitchen.
3. Red and gold are the new black – Looking to increase your riches in 2011? Start by wearing traditional Chinese clothing in red and gold, two bright and happy colours that are said to bring good fortune. If your current wardrobe is drowning in black and beige, stock up on the latest designer fashions from Hong Kong and Taipei at Richmond’s trendy Asian-style Parker Place Mall during their popular annual Chinese New Year Sidewalk Sale from January 22 through February 14. It’s a tradition to wear new clothes on New Year’s Day.
4. Decorate for prosperity – Sweep away any bad luck accumulated in 2010 by making sure every corner of your home is cleaned in preparation for the New Year (but don’t clean during the celebrations or you risk sweeping away good luck!). Then head to the famous Japanese Daiso Store at Aberdeen Centre to inexpensively adorn your spotless home with $2 treasures including red and gold balloons, lanterns, streamers and Chinese paper for good luck and wealth.
5. Pay your respects – On New Year’s Day, crowds of people pay respects at Richmond’s numerous Buddhist temples. Richmond is home to the International Buddhist Temple, which is the second largest Buddhist temple in North America, and the brand new Thrangu Monastery, the first traditional Tibetan Monastery in Canada. During the two-week Chinese New Year celebrations both temples welcome visitors to join in meditation and prayer sessions.
6. Spread the luck – It’s a Chinese tradition to present family members with a Hóng Bāo or lucky red envelope (Lai See in Cantonese) filled with money as tokens of good luck. If you’re feeling extra generous, you’ll find jadeware, bead bracelets, endless rows of fruits and flowers – all symbols of abundance – and other beautiful gift items at Aberdeen Centre’s popular Flower & Gift Fair which runs from January 28 through February 3, with hours extended until midnight on New Year’s Eve February 2.
7. Spend time outdoors – Relax and rejuvenate on a stroll of Richmond’s 80 kms (50 miles) of dykes and interconnecting trails. According to the local Chinese community, Richmond has the added good fortune of being shaped like a dragon’s mouth. Enjoy a bike ride through the Historic Fishing Village of Steveston, ending at London Heritage Farm for their special Chinese New Year tea on February 5 and 6.
8. Learn a new skill – Chinese New Year encourages positive change and growth, and is an ideal time to perfect a new hobby. Discover Chinese calligraphy and crafts or learn about lion dancing, Chinese opera, traditional folk dance and Kung Fu during the RCCS Lunar New Year Celebration at Richmond Centre on February 5 and Lansdowne Centre on February 12.
For a complete list of Richmond’s Chinese New Year events visit www.tourismrichmond.com. Gung hay fat choy!
