It's Chinese New Year and we start a Year of the Rooster and end a Year of the Monkey. People born in the Year of the Rooster are considered observant. Resourceful, courageous and talented, Roosters are very confident in themselves and they are hardworking. New Year traditions are colorful and plentiful. Firecrackers are set off and Red Envelopes with Lucky Money are given to children. New Year Bells are rung and ancestors are remembered.
Each year, the New Year celebrations last for 7 - 10 days. Over 200 million Chinese are on the move to celebrate the New Year or Spring Festival. Train stations like the one below are packed to capacity. The entire country is on the move. A family reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is a cherished occasion in China and family members travel long distances to continue this tradition. On the first day, Sons return home for a Family Meal. Sisters & Daughters visit on the Second Day.
Families shop for days in advance and buy Pork, Chicken, Beef, Candy, Tofu, Chinese Cabbage and many other ingredients. Throngs of people crowd the markets. 
Huat Kueh - Chinese Steamed Rice Flour Cakes are sold or baked at home only during the Chinese New Year Period. These are cakes that bring Luck and Prosperity. 
The table is full and popular dishes include Long Life Noodles with Eggs and Chicken Soup which signifies Long Life, Good Health & Luck. 
The New Year dinner table is a Feast.
Mahjong is a must during family reunions. Additionaly, lucky signs are purchased and stuck on doors and inside and outside homes and offices. They even buy and give and wear Lucky Red Underwear but you will have to take my word for it!
And so begins the Year of the Rooster. We're celebrating by featuring the best of our China Teas. Good Luck, Good Health & Prosperity to all. Kung Hei Fat Choy!
