{"id":4893,"date":"2021-02-11T13:30:10","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T13:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/psychictoday.com\/blog\/?p=4893"},"modified":"2022-01-27T18:45:01","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T18:45:01","slug":"chinese-new-year-2021-year-ox-nigel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psychictoday.com\/blog\/2021\/02\/11\/chinese-new-year-2021-year-ox-nigel\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese New Year 2021 \u2013 The Year of the Ox – with Nigel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chinese New Year 2021 \u2013 The Year of the Ox – with Nigel<\/h1>\n

Happy Chinese New Year<\/strong>! This year, on February 12th, is the year of the Ox<\/strong>. What do animals have to do with the year you were born? We have a psychic here at Psychic Today<\/a><\/strong> who can tell us exactly!<\/p>\n

Having lived in Shanghai<\/strong>, China<\/strong>, we are thrilled to present our resident psychic Nigel<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0with his exclusive blog from a Chinese perspective of the Chinese New Year! Read on below!<\/p>\n

\"Chinese<\/p>\n

Chinese New Year: Spring Festival, Year of the Ox<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s Spring festival time\u00a0<\/span>or, as we know it, Chinese New Year<\/strong>! The start of the Chinese lunar year, the year of Ox<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u6625\u8282\u5feb\u4e50\u00a0 Chun Jie, \u201cHappy Spring Festival\u201d<\/strong> the locals will say to each other. Everyone in China will be thinking about food, family, holidays, and little children. Indeed, they eagerly await for a large pile of red envelopes, \u7ea2\u5305hongbao or lucky money!<\/p>\n

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It is estimated that 1.3 billion people will celebrate one of the world largest festive holidays. Additionally, over eight hundred million people will travel home in the space of a few days. <\/span><\/p>\n

Likewise, the streets of Shanghai with 26 million people, with its traffic, bustling shopping malls, and millions of daily commuters, will become as quiet as a library.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed,<\/span>\u00a0it seems as though this year will be a little different than most. As a result, the traditions will carry on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

History of Spring Festival\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Chinese people call it the Spring Festival<\/strong> because traditionally it\u2019s to celebrate the first spring harvest. Indeed, 1000s of years ago, BCE<\/a><\/strong>, Chinese farmers kept track and worked with the moon’s changing, phrases, and colour. <\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, their calendar is based on this lunar circle. It wasn\u2019t until 1949 China adopted the Gregorian<\/a><\/strong> (western) calendar, but their tradition of celebrating the spring’s new moon remains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent scientific journal, Science Advances<\/a><\/strong>,<\/span>\u00a0found that phrases of the moon do have a direct effect on our sleeping patterns.<\/span><\/p>\n

And these monthly phrases have been essential dogma\u00a0in many religions, cultures, and beliefs for many millennia.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cOne small step for man!\u201d \u2013 Neil Armstrong.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ancient Chinese Traditions<\/h2>\n

In the great times of China’s ancient kingdoms, the Chinese people would come to honour the moon’s power and influence not only for harvests but also for religion (Taoism<\/strong><\/a> and then later Buddhism<\/strong><\/a>). <\/span><\/p>\n

Some traditional Chinese families in smaller towns and villages will check the moon’s timing of the best times to be married or start a family even today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a society built on Lunar year, the moon has shaped its culture, from the Chinese Zodiac<\/strong> to eating dumplings, and classic folklore. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Autumn festival is commonly known as the Moon cake named from the moon-shaped cakes eaten during the festival.\u00a0<\/span>Even the ancient Chinese Zodiac was based on the lunar circle of 12-years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Chinese Food\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

In China, the food at the Spring Festive time plays an important role, as it keeps to folklore and traditions alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re from the colder northern parts of China, like Beijing, or Hebei, then the \u997a\u5b50 Jiaozi<\/a><\/strong> is a must, and one of my favourites any time of the year.\u00a0<\/span>A Jiaozi is a small dumpling that can be served boiled, steamed, or fried. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many families will come together on Chinese New Year to make an inordinate amount of Jiaozi to be eaten later that night as the family celebrates – New Year’s Eve is the most important day of all!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jiaozi Dumplings.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Ying and the Yang<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner first established the jiaozi dumplings. He saw how cold many local farmers were getting from the frosty weather and not having a balanced warm diet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chinese people believe in balance and flow. Hot against the cold. Light against dark. So eating Jiaozi dumplings was seen as balanced from working in cold rice farms. <\/span><\/p>\n

Later on, the tradition stayed when dumplings were handed out to the poor at the Spring Festival. And 3000-years later, the dumpling is symbolic of the Chinese new year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Make\u00a0Your Own Jiaozi (dumplings)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Follow Australian Master chef winner,\u00a0Adam Liaw<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0as he teaches how to make classic Chinese Jiaozi dumplings.<\/p>\n