Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations in Buffalo starts a few days beforehand on January 28.It is the year of the Dog.
January 28 – 2:30-5pm – FREE. University of Buffalo Confucius Institute celebration in the Mainstage Theater, UB Center for the Arts. Performances that illustrate the dynamism of Chinese culture through music, dance, story-telling, theatrical presentations and martial arts.
Restaurants We Recommend (read more)
Home Taste – Small but inexpensive and great food.
PF Chang’s at Walden Galleria- Yuppie Chinese
Restaurants with Dim Sum on Weekends – Peking garden -3666 Delaware and Crystal Asian Cuisine, 267 Grove Cleveland Hwy
According to Fengshui Import, here are the things to do and not to do during the Chinese New Year.
- It is believed that there are some bad chi accumulated in the previous year. So it is necessary to do some house cleaning and get a hair cut before Chinese new year in order to welcome auspicious chi in for the coming year.
- Cook some food for praying or party use. Cooking more food for Chinese New Year Eve stands for bringing more wealth and abundant. In most Chinese region, people make new year cake (Chinese Nian Gao) to represent better and better in coming year.
- Pray to the heaven god, earth god and ancestors to thanks to them for safety in the previous year.
- Decorate the house using New Year Decorating and something represents wealth, good health, etc good meaning, such as ingots, fish, money tree, coins, wu lou, etc.
- Gather together eating the dinner at Chinese new year Eve. Chinese new year Eve is considered union day. This is also the time to make wishes each other. In addition, people can’t eat all the food. the remain of food is the symbol of abundant and wealth for coming year ( Nian Nian You Yu).
- After finishing dinner, people are gather together waiting for the New Year coming. They usually don’t sleep that night. Young persons need to Shou Sui for their parents and wish their parents live longer (Shou Sui means Holding Age).
- Old people put money inside the Chinese Red Envelopes and give them to the younger to hope the younger good luck in the coming year. Giving red envelope is called Li Shi.
- From Chinese new year on, people usually visit their relatives’ house and send good wishes each other.
- Chinese Lunar new year cerebration including dragon dancing, lion dancing, Parade and festival, etc cerebration.
Make sure not to do the following things on Chinese New Year 2017:
- Don’t use water to clean the floor or dump trash. Water is the symbol of wealth. People don’t want the money to go away. Dumping trash is like Giving Away;
- Don’t kill animals. It symbolize safety (no war);
- Don’t break porcelain bowls or plates. Broken is the opposite of reunite; If people break something on Chinese New Year, that person needs to speak some auspicious words immediately;
- Don’t use scissors or needles. Using scissors or needles is said it will bring bad chi;
- Don’t speak inauspicious words.