Here in China the largest and most celebrated festival is the Chinese New Year, which takes place around the middle of February. All the customs and culture entwined throughout the holiday are amazing! such as lion dancing, making special foods, cultural performances, gathering with relatives, folding dumplings all together with many varieties of filling, and the most important custom is fireworks! Every year, on New Years Day at midnight, everyone will set off all sorts off fireworks! And to the Chinese, the louder the better. For many years, the Chinese have believed that the loud sounds of fireworks going off will scare away all evil spirits, and bring peace and prosperity to their home. To this day, many of them still believe such and continue this custom. The Chinese also believe that wearing red attire on New Years will bring luck and happiness in the new year, and will scare away evil spirits too.
How we celebrate Chinese New Year is a bit different than the Chinese I'm sure..... But we still enjoy it just the same! We make it a special family day, where we will play games and have treats to snack on throughout the day. Around late afternoon we will all start to make the New Years meal together, which is a wonderful and enjoyable time! We will make the filling for the dumplings, then form an assembly line where we all take part in the process of filling and folding the dumplings. It really is great fun. Then we steam them outside as we prepare the sauces. Then it's dinner time!! As we eat dumplings, we usually will enjoy watching Chinese performances, and festivities going on all around China. Then the fireworks!!!! This year we climbed up onto our house roof, and watched as all around us fireworks went off! The whole sky felt as if it were completely lit up at times! And the sound.... If you imagine what it might sound like if you were in the middle of a battlefield as firearms went off all around you, this it pretty much what it sounds like come midnight New Years day!
Chinese New Years is always something we look forward to as a family. And the awesome bonding time together is priceless. And of course, we love eating dumplings!! This year was extra special as it was also a celebration of the two new courting couples, Brandon & Ann, and Andrew & Jennifer! May a new generation arise, that are not ashamed to proclaim the Gospel! That are willing to lay down their lives to bring Christ to all the nations of the world!
If you feel led to support our ministry here as we continue to be God's hands and feet and bring the good news to the Chinese, click the button below to........
How we celebrate Chinese New Year is a bit different than the Chinese I'm sure..... But we still enjoy it just the same! We make it a special family day, where we will play games and have treats to snack on throughout the day. Around late afternoon we will all start to make the New Years meal together, which is a wonderful and enjoyable time! We will make the filling for the dumplings, then form an assembly line where we all take part in the process of filling and folding the dumplings. It really is great fun. Then we steam them outside as we prepare the sauces. Then it's dinner time!! As we eat dumplings, we usually will enjoy watching Chinese performances, and festivities going on all around China. Then the fireworks!!!! This year we climbed up onto our house roof, and watched as all around us fireworks went off! The whole sky felt as if it were completely lit up at times! And the sound.... If you imagine what it might sound like if you were in the middle of a battlefield as firearms went off all around you, this it pretty much what it sounds like come midnight New Years day!
Chinese New Years is always something we look forward to as a family. And the awesome bonding time together is priceless. And of course, we love eating dumplings!! This year was extra special as it was also a celebration of the two new courting couples, Brandon & Ann, and Andrew & Jennifer! May a new generation arise, that are not ashamed to proclaim the Gospel! That are willing to lay down their lives to bring Christ to all the nations of the world!
If you feel led to support our ministry here as we continue to be God's hands and feet and bring the good news to the Chinese, click the button below to........