For many across the world today, there will be the giving of gifts,
money-filled hong bao (red envelopes) new outfits, and little mini
orange trees. Fire works and festivals, lion and dragon dances will fill
the streets, all to celebrate good luck and fortune for this coming
year.
As an American child, growing up in China, I loved these
festivals. When we lived in Hong Kong, we would sometimes go over to
Macau, to see the fireworks and festivals. Some of the most spectacular
fireworks I've ever seen were at the harbor overlooking Kowloon. I
remember my mother, an international school teacher, receiving many
little orange trees and baskets of fruit. In school, we would learn and
sing the classic "Gong xi, Gong xi" song and perform them in our own
festivals for school.
My rich Chinese friends would come to school the next
week (after our week off) telling me of the envelopes of money received
from relatives and grandparents. In Beijing we would buy stadium-sized
fireworks for a few hundred kuai, and set them off in the large barren
fields surrounding our house. There were always markets selling candied
fruits, clothing, and goodies for the festivities. It was just an
overall wonderful time of year.
While in London this past year, I
would visit Chinatown often to get my fill of Pocky and Boba tea. There
was a shop there that was full of lucky cats, all waving their little
hands, signaling in wealth and fortune. Growing up, I would see these
little cats all over Asia, and the world, in shops, in homes. It is a
nostalgic symbol for me, and this is why I designed this tee-shirt. Not
only to signify our desire for monetary gain ;) but also to give you
that extra little bit of luck and happiness for the year. And maybe,
remind you, that you can find luck in some of the most ordinary places.
These tees are screen-printed onto 100% cotton. They are in stock and ready to be sent to you, so
find them here:
Happy Year of The Monkey!
(Check
here for your own Chinese horoscope.)
Gong xi fa cai!
恭禧發財
Photos by Jessica Peterson Photography