DAAN Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture

Chinese New Year celebrations in Paris featured a show with Chinese folk tales and performances:

” The 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular performed for two full-house audiences. From the beginning to the end, the audience was led through a journey of cultural performances featuring fascinating tales of celestial kingdoms with Buddha and Gods, legends of Chinese historical personalities, elegant costume group dances from different dynasties, and world-class solo instrumental and song performances.

“There were no special effects, no psychedelic lights, and no spotlights—just pure art,” said Khosro Zabihi, author of an illustrated book on Kurdish land, people and culture.

“I cannot find words to appreciate…what my family and I experienced this weekend. We will never forget it,” he added.

When the curtains opened for the first act, revealing the sight of a heavenly scene, the audience burst into applause. The bold opening act, in the form of a legend of the beginning of time, when gods set the path of Chinese history with its eras of dynasties, lifted the expectations of the audiences for the rest of the show. And they were not disappointed at all because what followed were artistic performances that could soothe the soul.

The delighted audiences marvelled at the tales of historical heroes like the patriotic General Yue Fei and the lady warrior Mulan; and applauded the charming dances of the elegant Manchu Court ladies, the tough horse riders of the Mongolian steppes, and dances of other Chinese dynasties and ethnicities. The solo performances of excellent singers like Bai Xue, Guan Guimin and Yang Jiansheng, and the heart-touching music by Qi Xiaochun on her erhu, an ancient musical instrument with more than a thousand years history, were more than what any cultured audience could ever hope for. “

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Some yummy recipes for your Chinese New Year celebrations:

“EIGHT Treasure Rice

* 2 cups sticky rice
* 1/4 cup lotus seed
* 1/4 cup red beans
* 1/4 cup green beans
* 1/4 cup black beans
* 1/4 cup red date
* 1/4 cup dried longan (see note)
* 1/4 cup white wood ear or tree fungus mushrooms
* 1/3 cup tapioca
* 1 cup sugar
* Cook sticky rice until done, stirring constantly.

In separate pans, cook lotus seed, and the red, green and black beans until soft and mushy.

Soak red date, cooked lotus seed and dried longan in enough water to cover for 30 minutes.

For the tapioca: Place tapioca pearls into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over the tapioca and allow to soak for 15 minutes or until tapioca becomes clear or transparent.

In a large soup or stock pan, place all ingredients - sticky rice, tapioca, lotus seed red, green and black bean, date, longan, white wood ear, sugar and enough water to cover, about 1 1/2 gallons. Heat to high heat and bring to a boil, then turn down to medium heat, stirring until sticky, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Note: Dried logan, which resemble white cherries, can be found at area Asian grocery stores, as well as other ingredients in this recipe.

Serves 10 or more.”

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Based on the lunar calendar, the Chinese new year begins with the new moon and continues until the full moon. This year it starts on February 18 and the celebrations continue until March 3. As the moon’s cycle begins anew every 12 years, the Chinese year is named for one of 12 animals. The cycle begins with the year of the rat, then continues on with the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This year is the year of the pig.

With the pattern of the new year in mind, the last 15 days of the old year (from the full moon to the new moon) is spent preparing for the celebration. A thorough cleaning of the house, a haircut, new clothes, paying debts and collecting what you are owed, and, of course, decorating the house and preparing a feast, are all done to prepare for the new year by sweeping out the old and bringing in the new.

A common phrase heard during Chinese New Year is “Gung Hay Fat Choy” (in Cantonese) or “Gong Hsi Fa T’sai” (in Mandarin). It means “best wishes for great wealth and prosperity in the new year.” The traditional lion dance, firecrackers, and lantern festival are all done with the purpose of warding off evil spirits and bringing good luck in the new year. For children, Chinese New Year wouldn’t be complete without receiving “Li-shih” or red envelopes from elders. Li-shih symbolizes prosperity and happiness.

Here are some decorating and gift-giving tips that signify great wishes for the new year.

Plants and flowers for decorating:

• Bamboo: Signifies flexibility
• Oranges: Signifies strength and perseverance
• Plum:Signifies strength
• Peony: Signifies wealth
• Pussy willow: Signifies prosperity for all

Food:

• Rice cake: Signifies good luck for the new year
• Fish: Signifies surplus
• Candied melon: Signifies wealth and good health
• Lotus Signifies: wealth
• Candied coconut: Signifies togetherness
• Watermelon seed: Signifies the wish for plenitude
• Whole chicken/duck: Signifies happiness

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM DAAN!!!

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Chinese New Year traditions have been passed on from generation to generation, inevitably changing over the thousands of years that the festival has been celebrated. Yet, the subtle changes are recognized only when the paraphernalia associated with the festival is peeled away, and the essence of Chinese New Year shines through.

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Every January or February there is a surge in action on the baccarat tables and the Las Vegas Strip turns a festive red, decorated with dragons and Chinese characters.

Even this year, with the NBA All-Star game in town and a President‘s Day holiday falling on the same weekend, casino executives are keeping their eye on the prize — the hundreds of millions of dollars wagered by Asian players.

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Chinese new years celebration in San Francsico, DAAN’s home city:

“Beginning this weekend, Chinese restaurants in major cities here and across the Pacific will be busier than at any other time of the year. Sunday ushers in the Year of the Boar and, with it, two weeks of eating and celebrating.

Status foods such as abalone, bird’s nest, shark’s fin and sea cucumber, among others, will appear on menus. Other specials, such as New Year’s cake (there are savory and sweet versions) made of pounded rice or glutinous rice, golden purses (to signify wealth), and whole steamed fish, are symbolic of good fortune and blessings.

Some regional foods rely on the spoken regional dialect for meaning. In the Cantonese repertory, a desert weed called “fa choy” is employed in a vegetarian dish because the name is a homonym for “fat choy” in the Cantonese greeting “Gung hay fat choy,” meaning happiness and wealth.

These foods will be part of feasts hosted by Chinese families and businesses from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Taipei to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s time for the finest of fine dining, and the biggest of banquets. Fast-paced, work-dictated lifestyles have led to entertaining in restaurants rather than at home. In place of one’s own dining room, Chinese restaurants offer private rooms. ”

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New Jersey Chinese new years celebrations:

“Chinese people can be superstitious. 2006 was the year of the dog, a lucky year for love. Couples rushed to tie the knot within the year.

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the New Year begins Feb. 18, welcoming the year of the golden pig.

The Chinese zodiac follows a 12-year cycle. But 2007 is not any old pig year, it’s a golden one. Representing wealth and good luck, the golden pig rears its curly tail only once every 60 years. Babies born this year will grow up to be successful and prosperous. Chinese officials are already bracing for overcrowded maternity wards.

Starting this weekend, Chinese communities around the globe will begin celebrations of the New Year. Dragon dance parades will snake through the streets, keeping the beat with clanging cymbals and popping firecrackers. The holiday is also a time for a thorough housecleaning. Deceased relatives are honored. Kids get red and gold envelopes with cash folded inside. And of course, family and friends gather for banquets overflowing with succulent Chinese dishes.

What we would say for “Happy New Year” in Mandarin, “Gong Xi Fa Cai,” is better translated as, “May this year bring you prosperity.”

One way to usher in a prosperous year is to enjoy good food.

While there is no set Chinese New Year dish, certain superstitions dictate what is best to serve, according to Joan Wang, a principal at the Northern New Jersey Chinese Association Chinese School, based in Montville.”

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Even in Kyiz, Ukraine, they are getting ready for Chinese New Year:

“Chinese New Year is also known as Spring Festival and Lunar New Year and is the most important Chinese holiday. The celebrations last for 14 days, ending with a lantern festival.

There’s an interesting myth about the origins of Chinese New Year. According to a legend, there was a man-eating beast – “nian,” from the mountains, who would silently break into houses and prey on humans. Later, however, people learned its weaknesses – it was sensitive to loud noises and the color red. So, the people scared it away with firecrackers and displays of red. These customs inspired the first New Year celebrations.

The firecrackers and the color red remain important to modern New Year celebrations, as are family dinners. Prior to New Year, Chinese families clean out their houses – sweeping away the bad luck of the preceding year. Homes are decorated with paper cutouts of well-known Chinese proverbs.

A traditional New Year’s meal includes chicken and fish dishes, the latter being the most significant element of the meal. It symbolizes a surplus and is not eaten up completely – the rest is stored overnight. In fact, in pronunciation the words “surplus” and “fish” sound almost the same. So wishing each other “surpluses in the upcoming year,” is basically wishing each other to have a bounty of fish. In the Northern part of China, dumplings are the main dish to be served during the festive season. While preparing dumplings you are symbolically packaging luck inside them. There is also a dish called Buddha’s Delight – a vegetarian dish using 18 ingredients – to be served on the first day of the New Year. Finally, to ensure the upcoming year will be “sweet,” you need to eat sweets – such as sweet rice balls and candy.

Equally important at the Lunar New Year are gifts, especially for kids and young ones. The gifts are presented in red packages and may contain toys or, more traditionally, money in even numbers (odd numbers are given at funerals). The packages are usually slipped under children’s pillows, where they find them in the morning.

While quite a few New Year traditions focus on dispersing good luck, you also need to make sure you don’t do anything which is considered “bad luck.” You shouldn’t buy shoes, pants, or books. You shouldn’t cut your hair, which symbolizes cutting away your prosperity. Neither should you sweep the floor or take a bath. On the contrary, opening windows and doors is good luck, as is turning on the light at night to scare away ghosts and spirits of misfortune.”

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A new study published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation has suggested that foods which contain free radical agents cause oxidative stress, which in turn has a negative effect on neurodegeneration diseases like Alzheimer’s.

DAAN’s Hemotune contains health promoting properties that enhances one’s well-being.

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Spring is seven weeks away, and the short, cold days of winter mean that Portlanders are still suffering the coughs, colds and flu endemic this season.

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