Dragon takes centre stage as Chinese New Year arrives
Friday, 9 February 2024
Wendy Zhang, who runs Red Bowl Chinese Restaurant in Christchurch, is gearing up to prepare hundreds of huamo - steamed buns - for the weekend, when the Year of the Dragon starts.
The Chinese Lunar New Year starts Saturday, and this week Zhang attempted a special dragon huamo with Liwei Yu, who has more than 10 years’ experience making the traditional festival food.
“It is actually my first time making a dragon,” Zhang said..
“The dragon is an auspicious and revered figure in Chinese culture. The dragon-shaped bun will make my Chinese customers feel at home.”
Her restaurant, in Mandeville St, Riccarton, is “fully booked” this weekend and throughout next week with Chinese tourists who are spending the Lunar New Year overseas.
It’s a ritual for Chinese families, particularly those in northern China, to make or order huamo to welcome the coming year.
In Mandarin, the word “steam” implies that the days to come will be hopeful and thriving, therefore the cooking process and appearance of huamo carry the joy of the Chinese New Year and wishes for a good start.
Huamo is made of flour with different pure natural pigments, such as vibrant hues extracted from pumpkin, spinach, and dragon fruits - the bright pink and fuchsia ones.
With a couple of simple tools - a cooking comb and scissors - the dough can be crafted into lively figures portraying a variety of human poses and expressions, as well as intricate representations of flowers, trees and animals.
Fish is a must, as the pronunciation of fish in Mandarin is “yu”, which also means “being abundant”. Thus the fish-shaped buns symbolise wellbeing and prosperity.
“Patience, good control of the dough texture, and a bit of creativity are the key [to make huamo],” said veteran huamo maker Yu.
In China, the Lunar New Year is popularly known as the Spring Festival, because it starts from the beginning of spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in co-ordination with the changes of nature) in the northern hemisphere.
It holds immense significance in Chinese culture, a momentous occasion for family gatherings and shared joy.
The Lunar New Year celebrations span 15 days, concluding with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Lunar calendar.
This day, called Shangyuan in Chinese, is the first full moon after the Lunar New Year, marking the culmination of the celebrations.
Lanterns are traditionally used to drive out darkness and bad luck and bring hope to the coming year, though in the wake of several serious wildfires in the region, Fire and Emergency NZ has banned them until further notice over fears they could start further blazes.
The lantern ban should not take away from the “real meaning” of Lunar New Year, said Wendy Zhang, chairperson of the Christchurch Zhonghua Chinese Society.
Using paper lanterns, digital lanterns, or even lanterns with bulbs or lamps instead of candles were ways people could symbolically bring hope to the coming year, she said.
Dragon-themed festivities in the South Island
– A three-day Happy Chinese New Year Festival kicked off at Christchurch’s North Hagley Park’s entertainment triangle, near Park Tce, on Friday evening from 6pm to 10pm. The event has lanterns, live shows, food stalls, fireworks and more to capture the essence of authentic celebrations in China. It goes from 11am-9.30pm on Saturday and 11am-8.30pm on Sunday.
– The Qiao Yi Hong De Lion Dance Team, which performed at last Sunday’s Lunar New Year parade, will give a small-scale dragon dance and lion dance at Westfield Mall at 10am on Saturday. (The biggest dragon in the South Island, which has a head weighing 30kg, is retiring.) A 2-metre winding dragon and wishing trees have been put up on the mall’s second floor.
– Fo Guang Shan Buddist Temple in Riccarton, Christchurch, “expects people in big numbers” to show up on the Chinese New Year day. Starting on Friday night and continuing through Saturday, celebrations include prayer activities, incense and light offerings, and auspicious red envelopes and sweet porridge will be given out.
– In Dunedin, Chinese New Year events will be held at Lan Yuan Chinese Garden. The Dragon Parade will start from Princes St to the Garden from 7pm Saturday, followed by Lion Dance, cultural performances and fireworks.
– Next Saturday, February 17, the Garden City will host Culture Galore, a multicultural festival. The event will have food, arts and crafts, as well as music and dance performances representing over 30 cultures that call Christchurch home.
– Also on February 17, Geraldine will host its Lunar New Year event, with free entry. The festivities will include a lion dance, lucky red envelops for tamariki, the Dragon Lucky Draw, and traditional Asian kai.
– On February 24, Dunedin’s Chinese garden will celebrate the conclusion of the Chinese New Year with a tranquil evening viewing event. Visitors can enjoy the summer evening, with the garden illuminated by lanterns and decorations.
– Tourism company RealNZ is offering a special $88 jet boat adventure ride across Lake Wakatipu and Kawarau River, Queenstown for the entire month
– NZ Post issued the Gold Foiled Miniature Sheet, priced at $1888, for stamp collectors and dragon enthusiasts.