Friday, February 12, 2010

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Celebrate Chinese New Year with cupcakes!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Gung-Hey-Fat-Choy) which is Chinese for "Wishing You Prosperity and Wealth".

I'm not one to celebrate the U.S. New Year but for some reason Chinese New Year has always seemed so much more festive and significant.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Han Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

This year Chinese New Year begins on February 14th. Much more significant than the commercialized holiday known as Valentine's Day which falls on the same day. This year is the Year of the Tiger.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth.
The Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year because it is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements.


At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. Fruits such as oranges are displayed and eaten for good health and long life.

I'm always excited to find any occasion celebrated with cupcakes. Here are some Chinese New Year inspired creations.

For many February 14th marks Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day has always represented commercialism, greed and superficiality to me. Chinese New Year is much more positive in my view.

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!


From www.lesohocupcakes.com


From Dolce. Swaymyway


From Foodgawker


From blooming.com


From Fernley Family
According to Chinese tradition the color red is supposed to represent fire which scares away evil spirits


From Zainab Halal


From
Love-a-Cupcake in Penang, Malaysia

Box of Prosperity

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