Gong Hei Fat Choi!!

As a public pronouncement,  we are currently in the middle of Chinese New Year, which is a big, big deal in China and Southeast Asia.  It's a mixture of a cultural and a mythical-based festival that has been around for centuries.  This past weekend I drove up to Duluth with two boxes of live lobsters for the large feast on the beginning of Chinese New Year.  Based on what I heard from the boxes driving up, I don't think the lobsters appreciated the ride.

Here's the "mythology" behind Chinese New Year.

"According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.^[10]"



I have to say I don't believe in mythology, but I do enjoy the fellowship and a feast that includes a whole lot of seafood and meat. Folks have told me I need some protein.  I confess that also do not deny the red envelopes offered to me.

By the way, for those who are interested, this is currently seen as the Year of the Snake.

So as they say in Cantonese:  Gong Hei Fat Choi! (Happy New Year!)