Aaron and I went grocery shopping this morning and I came across a really beautiful flower along with a
red card, so I thought in honor of the
Chinese New Year (January 23rd, this year is the year of the
dragon, my year!
1988 - year of the Earth dragon) we could get this pretty flower. All the flower said was that it was a "Vintage Mum," which is what kind of flower? Who knows! I've been trying to find out what kind of flower or any other information about it online, but alas I have come up with none. On the other hand the flower is really beautiful so I did some more research on the red envelopes and the Chinese New Year in general, as well as take some cute pictures of it.
Red envelope:
In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope or red packet (known as hóngbāo in Mandarin, Ang Pao in Min Nan, Lai See in Cantonese, Sae Bae Don (세뱃돈/歲拜돈) in Korean, and Lì Xì in Vietnamese) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions.Red envelopes are mainly presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or on holidays such as the Lunar New Year. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 討紅包, 要利是, (Cantonese): 逗利是.During the Lunar New Year, mainly in South China, red envelopes (in the North, just money without any cover) are typically given by the married to the unmarried, most of whom are children. The amount of money is usually a single note to avoid heavy coins, and to make it difficult to judge the amount inside before opening. It is traditional to put brand new notes inside red envelopes, as well as to avoid opening the envelopes in front of the relatives out of courtesy. In recent years, some Asian-based banks provide newer-looking notes to reduce the environmental impact of printing new banknotes.
Chinese New Year:
Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (Pinyin: Chūn Jié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: Zhēng Yuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chú Xī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".
Dragon:
The Dragon (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍), is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar, and the only animal that is legendary. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the earthly branch symbol 辰.
-All information from Wikipedia
