Lunar New Year: How we celebrate

[00:00:00]

Guo-Jia:

Every Lunar New Year we eat our hot pot. And it's really yummy yummy in my tummy.

[00:00:12]

Grandchild:

At Lunar New Year, grandma always prepares many dishes.

[00:00:18]

Guo-Jia:

During Lunar New Year, we put up decorations at home.

[00:00:23]

Shu-Chen:

What is your favourite way to celebrate Lunar New Year?

Grandchild:

Being together with family.

[00:00:30]

Guo-Jia’s mum:

So what are you doing now?

Guo-Jia:

I am making a wish for my family in Taiwan.

[00:00:36]

[On screen text reads - This is how a family in London and a family in Taiwan celebrate Lunar New Year].

[Footage of each family travelling to, and arriving at, a shop]

[00:00:48]

[On screen text reads – London]

[00:00:51]

Guo-Jia:

We are here to buy things to make a hot pot.

[The family picks up a variety of food items from the shop and places them in a basket]

[00:01:25]

[Guo-Jia holds up Loon Fung]

This is something must in a hot pot.

[The family picks up more some more food items and places them in the basket]

[00:01:35]

[On screen text reads – Taiwan]

[Shu-Chen is preparing a range of food ingredients, including slicing a radish cake]

[00:01:54]

Guo-Jia:

This is tang-ho. It tastes like lettuce. This is fish dumpling. This is fish tofu. At the end we put it all in the hot pot. One and two and three and four.

[00:02:15]

Shu-Chen:

Eating hot pot is a must when celebrating Lunar New Year. Hot pot means the whole family having a meal together. As the ancients said: ‘reunion'. The chicken means 'prosperity'. And can make our family prosperous.

Grandchild:

Grandma, I know this. This is called radish cake

and it means good things to come.

[00:02:42]

Grandchild:

Teacher said we should have sweet rice cake when celebrating Lunar New Year. In Mandarin it’s called nian gao, which means 'to be promoted step by step'. This steamed sponge cake mean 'make a fortune' and 'good luck'.

[00:02:58]

Shu-Chen:

So this fish dish, what does it mean?

Grandchild:

Great Grandma said: 'have a whole fish for Lunar New Year...but you should not finish it'. This way you will have surplus year after year.

[00:03:10]

Guo-Jia:

This red paper gives you good luck and you put it on the doors or windows. It means 'spring'. We put it upside down because in Mandarin it means 'spring is coming'!

[00:03:29]

During Lunar New Year, we put up decorations at home. This is called mooli. In Taiwan we call it tsai tao. It means 'good sign'. This is called a Mandarin tangerine. In Taiwan we call it jú zi. It stands like being lucky.

[00:03:59]

Grandchild:

Why do we buy new clothes for Lunar New Year?

Shu-Chen:

Because of the New Year, so we buy new clothes to have a good new year. The best colour is red. It means ‘auspicious’.

[00:04:20]

Grandchild:

Grandma, do you know that Spring Festival couplets should be posted for Lunar New Year?

Shu-Chen:

I do. Darling, do you know what it means?

Grandchild:

Yes, I do. In the past the beast called Nian came to eat people during the Lunar New Year. Because Nian is afraid of the colour red and noise during Lunar New Year, people hang red paper and set off firecrackers, so the beast Nian wouldn’t dare to eat people again.

Shu-Chen:

Wow, great!

[00:04:48]

Grandchild:

Grandma! I want to buy this firecracker because the beast Nian is afraid of noise so it can help.

Shu-Chen:

Ok.

[00:05:02]

Guo-Jia:

Nian is scared of fireworks because they glow and sparkle starry light.

[00:05:11]

Guo-Jia’s Mum:

Here you go. Happy New Year.

[00:05:13]

Guo-Jia :

Happy New Year to you too.

[00:05:16]

Guo-Jia’s Mum:

Don’t you want to know why I give it to you?

[00:05:19]

Guo-Jia:

Because it’s Lunar New Year?

[00:05:22]

Guo-Jia’s Mum:

Yeah. This is New Year’s lucky money.

[00:05:26]

Guo-Jia:

Thank you.

[00:05:27]

Guo-Jia’s Mum:

This is from daddy and me. We would like to wish you a year of peace and health.

[00:05:35]

Guo-Jia:

Thank you. I’ve got three red envelopes. This tiger one is my favourite because this year is the year of tigers.