Gung Hei Fat Choy - A Chinese New Year Event Event Cache

This cache has been archived.

Nikon-Guy: It's time that this event be archived, thanks to all that came and ate and played... See you at next year's event.

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Hidden : Saturday, February 9, 2008
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:


Gung Hei Fat Choy!

 

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most important of Chinese traditional holidays.
The festival properly begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day.  This day is called the Lantern Festival.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving.  The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of the Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away.  Departed relatives are remember with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table.  The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one community.  The communal feast is called "surronding the stove" or weilu.  It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year.  Vast amounts of traditional food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us who have died.

On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish called jai.  Although the various ingredients in jai are root vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various superstitious aspects to them:

Here are some examples:
Lotus Seed - signify having many male offspring
Ginko Nut - represents silver ingots
Black Moss Seaweed - is a homonym for exceeding wealth
Dried Bean Curd - is another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and happiness
Bamboo Shoots - is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well"
Fresh Bean Curd or Tofu - is not included as it is white and unlucky for New year as the colour signifies death and misfortune


February 7th, 2008 is the year of the Earth Rat

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were all born in the year of the rat.
Zephyr064 was born in the year of the Water Ox
GreyingJay was born in the year of the Earth Horse
Bluelamb03 was born in the year of the Fire Monkey

What animal and element are you?  Use the following link to find out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Zodiac

When you log your "Will Attend" notice, we sure would like to know what element and animal you are.

Since most chinese geocachers are probably spending time with their families on the 7th,
we would like to spend time with our Geocaching Family to talk about caching, catch up on with one another.

Date: Saturday, February 9th, 2008
Time: 19:30 (7:30PM)
Place: DuBarry's Chinese Buffet
Eastview Shopping Centre
33 Selkirk St., Ottawa, ON

Price:
Per Adult -
$15.75 plus Tax

Per Child -
10-12 - $8.95
5-9 - $7.95
2-4 - $4.95
Under 2 - Free


Please respond by February 6th, so I can have a general number to reserved one of their private rooms.

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