New “Featured Items” Blog Tab!

We added a new element to our blog! Have you seen it? It’s our new “Featured Items” tab on the upper right corner!

On our “Featured Items” page, you can find out about current promotions happening on HomeSeasons.com, as well as seasonal home decor picks from our website for each holiday.

We  just updated the tab with some of our new HomeSeasons Spring 2013 items! Use the drop-down menu to select different seasons and holidays. We’re going to update the tab with more items and holidays soon! Check it out!

More Chinese New Year Decorations – Featuring HomeSeasons.com

Chinese New Year is almost two weeks away! Many families have already started preparing for the holiday, creating meal plans and decorating their homes with red and gold.

Yesterday, we posted about some traditional Chinese New Year home decorations (check out the post here). Today, we’re going to share with you more Chinese New Year decorations, available now on HomeSeasons.com!

Chinese New Year Lucky Gold Pigs

These cute gold pigs are great for tabletop decoration, and they also double as a piggy coin bank!

12′ Accordion Lantern Garland

Decorate the porch of your home with this garland of red accordion lanterns!

Plastic Money Tree

This plastic money tree is a popular item for Chinese New Year. Tie treats or money to the tree for good luck!

Chinese New Year Lucky Gold Coins (Yuan Bao)

Bring wealth and fortune into your home with these lucky gold coins! In Chinese, they’re called yuan bao.

9.5″ Round Lanterns

Hang red lanterns around your home for quick and easy decorating for Chinese New Year!

All of these items, plus many more, can be found on HomeSeasons.com! Don’t forget to check out our entire selection of holiday decorations year round! We currently offer free shipping on all orders to the United States, so take advantage of the offer! Fast delivery, lowest cost, straight to your doorstep!

Chinese New Year Red Home Decorations

While cleaning your home for Chinese New Year is a must, decorating it is also necessary! Alongside fresh flowers, many families also put up other Chinese New Year decorations to celebrate. Red is the color of Chinese New Year, so make sure you have an abundance of red around your home!

We’re going to share with you some popular decorations for you to use for your own home during Chinese New Year!

Via About

Firecrackers are synonymous with Chinese New Year celebrations. Though many cities now do not allow real firecrackers to be set off because of safety, there are many decorative firecrackers that we can find on the market.

Via Random Walk in Learning

This decorative sign, also known as fai chun, is common for Chinese New Year. Many fai chun are still drawn by hand using Chinese calligraphy on a piece of red paper, but you can also find printed ones. Traditional four-word phrases are usually written on the fai chun, signifying anything from good luck, health, to many others.

Via Paperkraft

Check out this one we have from HomeSeasons.com

If you visit a Chinese New Year festival, you’ll definitely see a lot of red lanterns. They can be decorated with intricate designs, or just plain. Either way, they are beautiful when lit up.

Via This is Mandarin

The Chinese knot decoration is a prevalent wall decor. The art of knotting was popularized in the Ming Dynasty and continues to be popular now, and especially during holidays. It can be decorated using coins strung into the knot.

Give a few of these decorations a try for Chinese New Year, and let us know which is your favorite!

Plants For Chinese New Year Home Decor

In many cultures, blooming flowers and plants signify new beginnings. This is no different for Chinese New Year. In many cities across the world, flower festivals are held a week before Chinese New Year. Families would come to the festival and buy fresh flowers and plants to decorate their home for the holiday.

If you’ve ever been to a flower festival, you will know that all the blooms may become overwhelming. In today’s post, we’re going to share with you 3 flowers/plants that are synonymous with Chinese New Year!

Via Love Flowers 143

The plum blossom is a beautiful flower that  blooms in the cold winter. It also signifies the arrival of spring and beginnings. The plum blossom branch is usually placed into a tall vase.

Via Exotic Plants Blog/Via Republic Moving

The lucky bamboo is synonymous with Chinese New Year and Asian culture. Oftentimes, you’ll see the bamboo twisted into beautiful shapes and arranged in a short vase.

Via Absolute China Tours

The Narcissus is one of our favorite flowers for Chinese New Year. If the flowers bloom on Chinese New Year, it is believed to bring more good fortune to the new year. The blooms have a sweet scent that many people enjoy. The bulb is usually held in a glass bowl filled with water like the image above.

These are some of our favorite flowers and plants for Chinese New Year. What are some of yours? Let us know in the comments below! If you happen to come upon a Chinese New Year flower festival, take a look and see what else you find!

All About the Chinese Lion Dance

If you’ve ever seen or been part of a Chinese New Year festival, you may have witnessed the Chinese Lion Dance. Two individuals dressed in a lion costume perform a dance to drums and music to bring good luck and fortune to the local community.

Via Rent Cafe/China Blog

The lion dance costumes are usually made with bright colors. There are two main styles of lion dance costumes, from the northern and southern region of China.

The Chinese Northern Lion has long orange and yellow fur on the body. A male and female lion is differentiated by a red and green bow, respectively.

Via Cultural China

The Chinese Southern Lion has a few more variations of appearance depending on the style: “Fut San (Buddha Mountain), Hok san (Crane Style), Fut-Hok (minor style that exhibits a hybrid of Fut San and Hok San), Jow Ga (minor style performed by practitioners of Jow family style kung fu, exampled by the Wong People), and the Green Lion (Qing1 Shi1 – popular with the Fukien/Hokkien and Taiwanese).” [Source]

Here are some examples of the Chinese Southern lion.

Via Hello Kids & CCTV

During the Chinese New Year celebrations, the Chinese lion will visit local businesses and homes. The community will prepare a giant head of lettuce and a red envelope for the lion to “eat” when they visit. The lion brings good luck and fortune to the community, and then is given the red envelope as a gift.

If two lions approach the same lettuce, they will compete by doing elaborate martial arts moves and dances, and the winner will gain respect and praise to their group.

The lion dance is not just popular among the Chinese. There are also variations of it in other parts of Asia, such as Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Japan.

The Chinese Lion Dance is an important part of the Chinese New Year celebration. Have you ever seen a Chinese Lion Dance? Let us know in the comments below. We can’t wait to see the lions perform again for 2013!

Chinese New Year Outfit – Traditional Qi Pao/Chang Pao Clothing

Among all the traditions to observe for Chinese New Year, dressing up in new clothing is an integral part to welcome the new year, and to also signify new beginnings. Everyone would dress up in brightly colored shirts, usually in red, to scare off evil spirits and bad fortune.

Via Oxentiatourism

To step this tradition up a notch, many people would dress up in traditional Chinese outfits. The  females would wear a qi pao (or cheongsam), which is a traditional Chinese dress. When the qi pao first came around, it was a loose article of clothing that hid most of a women’s body. Over time, it was tailored to be more form fitting to adapt with the modernization of the pattern.

Via Cheongsam Fashion

This is an example of a more modern version of the qi pao. It has short sleeves and a short hemline, but still uses a traditional type of pattern.

The male version of the qi pao/cheongsam is called the chang pao (or changsan). Males would formally wear the chang pao as part of their daily uniform before the more Westernized suit became popular.

Via Cultural China

Will you be wearing a traditional Chinese outfit to celebrate Chinese New Year? Let us know in the comments below. Celebrate this holiday in traditional style to bring good luck and fortune for the new year!

DIY Lucky Fortune Cookies

We’re all familiar with fortune cookies. They’re usually served at the end of a meal as a little sweet dessert treat. Crack open the cookie to find a note of good fortune or prediction for the future.

There is a common misconception that the fortune cookie is a Chinese treat. They’re actually an Americanized dessert, thought to have originated from a Japanese cookie. The inventor of the fortune cookie is unknown, but many have fought for the title.

Via Babble

It may not be tradition to serve fortune cookies during Chinese New Year, but many have adopted this sweet treat into their celebrations because of the good fortune it brings. We’re going to share with everyone a quick recipe to make  your own at home!

Ingredients: (Makes about 6 cookies)

• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup sugar (white sugar)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp almond extract
• 1/4 cup sifted flour
• 1 to 1-1/2 tbs water
• Homemade fortunes (3″ x 1/2″)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees before you start preparing the ingredients. Beat the egg whites until peaks form. Mix in the flour, and then the almond, vanilla, and sugar. Once mixed, add water and stir.

Prepare a sheet for baking. Silpat is the sheet of choice, but parchment paper will be fine. Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto the sheet. Spread it out to make a flat circle around 3-4 inches in diameter. Bake for 9-10 minutes (try baking 2 at a time until you have gotten the hang of the process).

Once ready, take the sheet out of the oven and remove the cookie. The next few steps have to be done quickly but carefully (the cookies are HOT)! Place the fortune in the middle of the cookie. Slightly fold the edges over (just the edge!), and bend the middle of the cookie over the edge of a cup. This should make the famous fortune cookie shape. Leave aside for the shape to set.

Via Intimate Weddings

There you have it! Your own DIY fortune cookie! Fill your cookies with sayings of good fortune to pass on to friends and family. They’re sure to enjoy this delicious treat!

Some popular sayings for Chinese New Year is:

• Happy New Year!
• Cheers!
• Wishing you good health and prosperity!
• Good luck!

Let us know what types of fortunes you would put in your fortune cookie in the comments below!

Chinese New Year 2013: Year of the Snake

Chinese New Year is less than a month away! Many of us are familiar with the January 1st traditions we celebrate on the first day of every calendar year we observe (also known as the Western or Gregorian calendar). However, the Chinese observe a different calendar known as the lunar calendar (based on the cycles of the moon), and Chinese New Year falls on a different day every year.

For 2013, Chinese New Year will be on February 10. Each year is represented by one of 12 animals, and the cycle is repeated every 12 years. 2012 was the year of the dragon, and 2013 will  be the year of the snake. (For  more information on the origin of Chinese New Year, click here).

Via AF Chicago

Many families start preparing for the holiday a month in advance. The home is thoroughly cleaned, and festivities and foods are planned. Families gather together to celebrate the holiday with a large feast the night before. Children will wish good fortune and health to all the elders, and in return, given a red envelope of money. The night comes to an end with loud bangs of firecrackers and poppers.

We’re going to be sharing more Chinese New Year posts soon! Learn all about the traditions that the Chinese observe for the holiday, and what types of food are served. We’re also going to share home decorating tips and project ideas to inspire you to prepare your home for the holiday. Stay tuned!