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Latest post Thu, Dec 13 2007 5:45 PM by Anonymous. 22 replies.
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Iris D
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164532
Wed, 30 Nov 05 10:38 AM
Hi there! New year is coming. I am interested in your traditional ways of celebrating New Year.I think every body know New Year is on 1 jan. of each year. But in China,we also have our traditional new year -- Chinese Lunar New Year (it's 29 Jan. in year 2006,and you also can call it-- Spring Festival).
Lunar New Year is the most important festival of the year for Chinese all over the world.On Lunar New Year's Eve,we will eat the reunion dinner,all members of the family will gather for the most significant meal of the year,and the absentee members would endeavor to return home in time for it. On the New Year Eve , children will get red packets with money from elders.it symbolize fortune and wealth in the coming year. (I still can get red packets from my grandparents,due to they said everyone who haven't marry still is kid in their eyes,I enjoy it very much).On New Year’s Day, some Chinese families will eat a vegetarian dish called "zhai"(in Chinese).And we will visit our relatives in the coming days.Sorry for my poor English,I can't describe it in several sentences,hope somebody would supplement it.
So what about your New Year?
Joined on
Thu, Nov 24 2005
Guangdong,P.R. of China
New Member
06
I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards !
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Eire
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164583
Wed, 30 Nov 05 12:56 PM
In Catalonia (a country in the North-East of Spain), we also celebrate the New Year. In New Year's Eve, the family members have dinner together and we usually eat something especial (that you wouldn't usually eat). But, the best moment is at midnight when the bells ring twelve chimes (one for each hour) and we have to eat a grape for each chime. It's almost impossible to eat the twelve grapes at the same time as the bells' chimes, but it's fun! After that, we toast to a happy new year and we kiss each other. After that, New Year's parties start and we enjoy a lot.
Joined on
Thu, Jul 14 2005
Catalonia
Junior Member
84
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Francesca
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164680
Wed, 30 Nov 05 05:17 PM
In Italy people generally go to the restaurants for the "big dinner of St. Silvester" in the evening of 31th december; young people often eat togheter in a flat, parents free, or in a garage without cars and after midnight go to the disco. Anyway at midnight everyone uncorcks a bottle of champagne and toasts the new year and kisses friends and acquaintances all around. Somone uses to cook lentils and "zampone" (pig's trotter stuffed with seasoned mincemeat); they are eaten at midnight because lentils will give you a lot of money in the new year. Someone eats grapes for the same reason of money! In every city or town there are fireworks at midnight! Young people usually turn back home the next morning after breakfast in a bar with "cappuccino and brioche" !![Smile [:)]](/emoticons/emotion-1.gif)
Joined on
Tue, Oct 11 2005
Contributing Member
1,786
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Iris D
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164822
Thu, 01 Dec 05 04:14 AM
Hi Eire. "eat a grape for each chime". It's really fun. Huh~I will have a try to eat twelve grapes with in twelve bell's chime at some time![Big Smile [:D]](/emoticons/emotion-2.gif)
Now I will do my best to continue introducing Lunar New Year.Days before the New Year, every family is busy giving its house a thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming good luck. people decorate the doors and windows with paper-cuts and Spring Festival couplets with the very popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "longevity" and "satisfactory marriage with more children", In the old days,we also decorate the doors and walls with New Year Painting .And various kinds of food are tributed at the alta of ancestors.
Chinese people will start to do Spring Festival shopping several months ago.we will prepare lots of foods to serve visitors.Like assorted candy,peanut candy--mean sweet; cumquat ---mean properity; watermelon seed - mean joy,happiness,truth,sincerity; red dates - mean prosperity;apple -- mean safety. I remember the new year day in my hometown,when my Father open the door, many relatives and friends will pay New Year's call to each other.
Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new lunar year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.At that time,you will enjoy lion dance , dragon dance,exhibit of lanterns,fireworks...etc
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nona the brit
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164874
Thu, 01 Dec 05 08:23 AM
A lot of people in the UK will go to a party and there is usually a big count down 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Happy New Year! to the point of midnight. Then it is traditional to sing a song called 'Auld Lang Syne' (originally a poem by Robbie Burns. It is written in old Scots and the title means Old Long Ago). While singing it you have to cross your arms in front of you then hold hands with the people each side (also arms crossed) to form a circle and you sort of 'shake hands' up and down in time to the song.After the song everyone exchanges kisses.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!
Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Joined on
Wed, Sep 22 2004
England
Veteran Member
11,713
The name says it all.
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YoungCalifornian
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165244
Fri, 02 Dec 05 11:31 AM
Americans celebrate the New Year in the same manner that Nona described, 'Auld Lang Syne' and all.
Joined on
Mon, Feb 14 2005
Los Angeles, California
Regular Member
586
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Julie~25~
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165322
Fri, 02 Dec 05 03:56 PM
In Germany we celebrate with our family or friends. At the evening there is the tradition to look "Dinner for one" in TV (don't know if you know it) and do a little walk through the streets. After midnight we go on the street and start fireworks. And we do some ones inside- "table fireworks".
Joined on
Sun, Nov 27 2005
Germany
New Member
33
~~ It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop. Confucius ~~
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Little Cloud
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165449
Fri, 02 Dec 05 10:36 PM
In Naples, we do something different from Francesca's city.
In general,we have dinner at home with parents and relatives and we cook some special plates. As Naples is also famous for fish dishes, we cook "spaghetti with seafood" and so many things that we begin at 21.00 and finish just in time for the fireworks. Each family prepares its fireworks out of the windows and at midnight, we lght them on all together, and the show continues till 02.00 in general. After that, young people, often go to the disco or to some friends' to stay all together and play cards, listen music, continue drinking and eating particular Xmas cakes like "panettone" and "pandoro" and so on.
here we uso to go near the sea, or at Vomero or Posillipo Hills to wait for the sunrise and later to take "cappuccino and cornetto" and then we come back to our own house just in time to have lunch!!
Joined on
Fri, Jul 15 2005
Italy
Full Member
360
I love Italy..but I would be English!! Eh! Eh!
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Iris D
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166336
Mon, 05 Dec 05 08:39 AM
I found wherever we are,however to celebrate New Year, most of us will have a big,sumptuous meal.
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