Celebrating the Year of the Tiger

Hall & Prior homes welcome the

Year of the Tiger

On February 1, staff and residents at Georges Estate in Penshurst, NSW celebrated Chinese New Year in style. Staff dressed up for the day in their finest Chinese outfits to mark the Year of the Tiger. We had a morning tea of spring rolls, dim sims and other Chinese delicacies which the residents really enjoyed. Then it was time to learn all about the Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated in Asia. Residents listened to Chinese music throughout the day and we all found out what zodiac animal we are and read about the character traits for each animal. This activity created a lot of laughter and conversation. Residents enjoyed a scrumptious Chinese lunch of sweet and sour pork with fried rice and we had a great attempt of eating with chop sticks with varying results.

Every resident received a red envelope with lollies and a Confucius fortune inside which also created a lot of smiles and laughter.

Everybody had a wonderful day celebrating Chinese New Year and they are all looking forward to April 14 when there are plans to celebrate Nepali New Year. Meanwhile at Clover Lea, also in NSW, the important day was marked by staff and residents from China. “Chinese New Year is the most important festival of the year for Chinese people - similar to Christmas for Western people,” said Claire Wei, registered nurse at Clover Lea, who is originally from Heilongjiang Province in north east China.

“Families get together to enjoy ‘lucky pockets’, where they place the pocket onto younger generations as a giving of good luck. We also have to eat dumplings! It’s the main food for the occasion and traditionally we eat them at midnight.

“We also eat fish at dinner - and then eat more fish (and the leftovers) into the first day of the New Year. This signifies abundance of food to carry on for the whole of the new year.” Homes are decorated and cleaned to ensure the New Year starts in the right way - and brings lucky Fu, says Claire. “The Chinese character Fu stands for good luck, good fortune and blessings. We wrap this character in red paper, and decorate our walls with it to bring us luck for the New Year.”

One of the residents, Ai Feng Lin, is keeping their fingers crossed the Year of the Tiger brings them an extra dose of luck.

“I’m hoping it will be lucky for myself and my husband, and that we’ll maintain our health and happiness. That’s what’s important for me at this time of my life.”

TIGER TIMES Celebrations for the Chinese new Year of the Tiger took place around our homes.

FAST FACTS - THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

• The zodiac sign of the Tiger is a symbol of strength, of the power to exorcise evils, and bravery. It is not uncommon to find images of tigers on children’s hats or shoes in China. • A wealth of lucky foods is served during the 14-day festival season, especially on the New Year’s Eve. Fish is a must as it sounds like ‘surplus’ in Chinese and it symbolises abundance. • Another must-have is dumplings shaped like Chinese silver ingots. These are shared as a sign of the unity of the family and prosperity. Another typical lucky food is Niángão (glutinous rice cake) which symbolises a higher income or position as it sounds like ‘year high’, so if you are eyeing that promotion, tuck into a few pieces of this sticky rice cake! • During Chinese New Year, pineapple is a popular choice for dessert because in the Hokkien dialect, it is pronounced as

“Ong Lai” which sounds like ‘ushering in prosperity’.