It's hard not to do a repeat of the same post every year as I know my posts during Chinese New Year have always been pretty similar. Photos of CNY preparations, mandarin oranges, red and gold decorations around the house and that sweet box full of candied fruits. Maybe my instagram pictures will put a slightly new spin on things then? If you're on instagram too, my user name is Diamond Canopy. All but 3 of these photos here are taken from my iPhone, which has made photo taking today super quick, snappy and er...sneaky!
It's the Eve of CNY and the tradition is to have a big noisy get together with your family. It only seems like yesterday when we were all at my grandma's on Christmas Day but here we were earlier today, gathered around several tables at my grandma's house (the one above is the 'kids' table!) tucking into some yummy traditional food.
Below are plenty more photos from around my grandma's house and all her lovely decorations. My grandma is hard at work cooking up a feast in her little kitchen in the first photo! I really do love Chinese New Year, I love the vibrant colours, the traditions and the awesome atmosphere. I am determined to celebrate it in Hong Kong one of these days, the celebrations are unreal!
I learn new things every year to do with traditions. One of them includes the first door decoration below. I asked why the symbol for 'good luck' was upside down and I was told that it was arranged that way on purpose. According to tradition, the upside down character is placed that way to show that luck is coming for the new year. I rather like that!
Of course we finished off the evening with a noisy game of Mahjong (yay, I won a game!) and I took a photo of these awesome Hello Kitty lucky red envelopes (laisee) which were a couple that were given to me today. I always keep my favourite ones because they're just so pretty.
Right, off to complete one of the last traditions on the eve of CNY and that's to take a bath and throw in a whole bunch of fragrant pomelo leaves. It's meant to bring good luck for the rest of the coming year. It's strange one, but I love the tradition and it smells just lovely!
新年快樂, 恭喜發財!
Happy Chinese New Year!
What a spread of food! Looks like an awesome evening.
ReplyDeletewonderful photos! the play looks really like fun. i wish you a happy new year
ReplyDeleteHappy Lunar new year, Winnie. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year Winnie! :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to be in Hong Kong during CNY too, it would be so fun!
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Kong Hei Fat Choi Winnie! Well for tomorrow! There's nothing wrong with having 'similar' looking CNY posts as its tradition to have all the pics of the food, lai sie, oranges, etc. I love how everyone can just get together and celebrate. Thats why i love this time of year! And how we get to celebrate our own new year! Hehe. Everything looks great! Need to post pics of my own siblings holding the suckling pig up as a mask! Haha
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures, that food looks amazing! Have a wonderful time!
ReplyDeleteI'm a long time lurker but thought I would come out of the woodwork to wish you gung hei fat choi! My parents are in HK for CNY so no celebrations for me, but I am in new PJs and have had a bath in those leaves!
ReplyDeleteLove the Hello Kitty lai see. They are sooo cute! ^_^
Gah, just casually torturing myself and living vicariously through your CNY celebrations ;) I love that the kids' table always just grows with our generation, my cousin just turned 25 and ended up at the kids' table along with me and our other cousins at Christmas! 恭喜發財, and 新年進步 (: Hope the Year of the Dragon brings you lots of luck! xx
ReplyDeleteI.LOVE.THIS! x
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year! I hope you get to celebrate it in HK one day! I've been in HK when it was Chinese new year once, and it really is something! Very lively!
ReplyDeleteThose Hello Kitty red envelopes are so cute! Happy Lunar New Year!
ReplyDeleteSounds like an awesome time.
ReplyDeleteI like that last tradition to. I'm sure its relaxing.
Love the Hello Kitty!
Lovely, post. What a wonderful family gathering.
ReplyDeleteAmazing looking celebrations! Wow.
ReplyDeletelove it!
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Happy Chinese New Year!! I loved looking at your pictures of traditions! Reminds me of my childhood.
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year Winnie. Hope the year of the Dragon brings you all the good luck you can imagine.
ReplyDeleteLove the look of Chinese NY, I'm super jealous of all the celebrations, food and amazing traditions. And the Hello Kitty Red envelopes are just amazingness.
happy Chinese new Yearh!
ReplyDeleteWOWOWOWOOWOWOW FOOOD!!!!happy chinese new year:)x
ReplyDeleteawww these pics are amazing. The seafood looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteEmma xx
Pomelo!!! I just ate one the other day. Throwing the leaves into a hot bath actually sounds quite fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI love family get togethers :) Hope you're having a wonderful time celebrating Chinese New Year! x ps. The Hello Kitty envelopes are so pretty! x
ReplyDeleteThat food looks sooo good!!! Hope you've had a fantastic day celebrating :D
ReplyDeletexxx
Looks like so much! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year! Your evening looks fantastic, want the food so much!
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year!
ReplyDeleteYou can really feel the festive vibe in these photos - they remind me exactly of what I did on Chinese New Year and Chinese New Year's eve. Hope you got a lot of red packets hehe :)
Happy Chinese New year! Your family feasts always look so delicious, I wish I was there to try all the lovely food haha.
ReplyDeleteWinnie，祝你新年快樂！ :)
ReplyDeleteTHE FOOD LOOKS DELICIOUS!!! Looks like you celebrated well for the eve/day!! :D Happy New Year to you!!
ReplyDeletethat's the KID'S table?! chinese and italian cultures sure have a lot in common when it comes to food! i love this post, so homely and lovely :) xx
ReplyDeleteHi Winnie! thanks for your comment, hope you had wonderful lunar new years and lots of red pockets! :)
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Happy Chinese New Year to you! I adore the Hello Kitty, how sweet are they?
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year! :D
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year - all of that food looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year! Lovely pictures :) food looks yummy xx
ReplyDeleteSo nice post;)
ReplyDeleteFood looks delicious!
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Great post! I like your blog^^
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Happy CNY!
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Oh my god such a cute post! :3 ♥
ReplyDeleteHi thank s for visit...winnie
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looks so fun :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a great post dear :) Love it! ^^
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Cheers,
Karina Dinda R. ♥
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omg this is legit CHINESE FOOD! can i come over? haha
ReplyDeleteOh wow! the food looks SO good, I had dumplings on the day, I am absolutely obsessed with them :)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! XX
初一打牌! awhahwahawh
ReplyDeleteWaah how wonderful, I always deeply enjoy your chinese tradition posts :)) A lovely new year for you and your family, Winnie!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year thank you for sharing your lovely traditions it looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteYour grandma looks exactly the same as my grandma hahaa, from the back anyway. I guess you can only look a certain way though being a old chinese lady.xx
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year - the food looks really delicious!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great Dragon year Winnie!! Love all the CNY decor - I can feel the lively, fun atmosphere there!!
ReplyDeletemmm that looks sooo yummy!!!! love that decor!!! happy year of the dragon to you too!! you have a new follower!! xx Alice Barton ♥ The Mow Way
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year. Those shoes are so adorable. Love the stockings with your printed skirt. -xx :)
ReplyDeleteYour Chinese New Year pictures keep making miss home :( Everything looks so lovely though and I'm so happy you're spending it with loved ones and eating AMAZING food. I didn't know that you had Instagram! I just started using it, so I followed you at "stephanielinis" :)
ReplyDeleteEveryone is positive this year and I'm one of them. There is just this positive vibe this year that each of us believe something is good is going to happen for all of us.
ReplyDelete