Chinese New Year!

February 7th was the first day of Chinese New Year. Some of you might be familiar with this holiday. Well, I, love this holiday! It is awesome for kids and for single people! I really think this should be a national holiday in the States!

Keep in mind, I will be telling you about the Chinese-Indonesian way of celebrating Chinese New Year. This holiday is not celebrated the same in every country.

Chinese New Year is a National Holiday here in Indonesia. So technically every person is supposed to have this day off. However, because my staff is all foreigners they voted to work this day and have Friday off instead, for a three-day weekend. Everyone was happy with this idea except my co-worker Kelly (her husband is Chinese) and I. Because most of my friends are Chinese-Indonesians, so they were having a big party! Most Chinese go back to their families houses. It is a family holiday, similar to Christmas.

Anyhow, I worked in the morning/afternoon and then my friend, Angel, came and picked me up on her motorbike. I transformed from my typical American Teacher-Self, to a Bule Gila (Crazy white girl). I hopped on the bike and went over to my friend Mantju's house. Mantju is Chinese-Indonesian. She had all of us over for food and kareoki! I told you they love to sing here! After hours of fun eating and kareoki we walked to a married couple house (also friends of ours, actually the church interns). They had prepared more food, and angpow! "Angpow" is a little red envelope filled with money. Now you must give an even number of money in the envelope (you can't give three dollars, it has to be two or four). It is given to children and any single person, by married couples. It is considered good luck for the married couple or family to give angpow on Chinese New Year. So our married friends prepared angpow for all of us! Hence the reason I think this holiday should be celebrated in the States! With all my married friends, I could make bank! HA!

Chinese New Year starts with the new moon on the first day of the New YEar and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The last day of the New Year is called the lantern festival. This is celebrated at night with lantern displays. (In Indonesia this is not hugely popular, but still happens). Fire works on the New Year Eve are shot off to celebrate out with the old year and in with the new. Typically during these 15 days schools will celebrate with Lion or Dragon Dances in assemblies. I experienced both at NJIS. During the lion dance you are supposed to feed the lions "angpow" for good luck.

The last day of Chinese New Year I went to Mantju's Chinese Restaurant and ate steam boat. If you don't know what steam boat is: basically you pick your meats and vegetables and put it in a pot of boiling water. Everyone cooks it together in front of you at the table. Then when its cooked you take it out and eat it with your choice of sauces. It was quite delicious!

I was told that you can give angpow through the entire 15 days of the New Year. So I prepared envelopes with angpow and gave it to all my single friends on Sunday. Well, I was the laughing stock at church, because only married couples give angpow. I knew this, but I wanted to participate in this holiday, so I just told everyone I was married to Jesus. Then my minister preached about this "bule gila" in the Sunday lesson! So after church everyone came up to me for angpow! What did I get myself into!

I had a blast the entire holiday!