How to Hold a Chinese New Year Party

The Chinese New Year's celebration lasts fifteen days and begins on the first day of the lunar calendar, so the exact date of the start of the celebration varies. Celebrate the Chinese New Year with a party featuring traditional Chinese food and decorations to invite good luck for you and your loved ones in the coming year.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A tray of togetherness featuring candy, dried fruits and other foods
• Chinese lanterns
• Peach blossoms, narcissus and chrysanthemum
• Red and gold paper items
• Red clothing
• Traditional Chinese food

1. Invite your guests with handmade invitations cut in the shape of the animal that represents the current year on the Chinese calendar (for example, 2007 is the Year of the Pig). Use paper or cardboard and write your invitation on the back.

2. Decorate your home with traditional Chinese decorations. Use red and gold to symbolize wealth and good luck, and choose flowers such as peach blossoms for good luck, chrysanthemum for longevity and narcissus.

3. Prepare a Chinese meal. Make it potluck or order Chinese take-out. Serve your guests lucky foods such as dumplings, fish and noodles. Don’t forget the fortune cookies!

4. Make “lucky” place settings with red or gold napkins. Put a plastic toy animal symbolizing the year at each place .

5. Make inexpensive gift bags for your guests with mandarins or oranges, chocolate coins and fortune cookies.

Tips & Warnings

• In 2007 the Chinese New Year festivities begin on February 18.
• Many Chinese restaurants feature special New Year menus, a great option if you don’t want to cook.
• Prepare a traditional Chinese “tray of togetherness”--a platter of eight different types of food such as dried fruits, nuts and candies.
• Wear red and gold clothing for good luck, and ask your guests to do the same.
• If you serve dumplings, insert a coin into one of them—the person who gets the coin will have extra special good luck in the coming year (if you don’t want to leave anyone out, put coins in all of them).