Celebrating the Chinese New Year, The Year of the Tiger

 

    The other day while listening to someone talk about the Bengals possibly being in the Super Bowl, they brought up the fact that February 1st was the Chinese New Year, and it was going to be the year of the Tiger. 

     That was when I remembered that a few years ago, I shared a fun Chinese New Year party when it was the year of the dog.(you can see that post here.) I have been working with Oriental Trading company for many years, and I really enjoyed that party. I thought why not share my tips for celebrating the Chinese New Year but update for 2022. 

    Did you know that red and gold are very lucky colors for the Chinese?  That is why you see so much of it in the decor.  Have you ever wondered why you do not see white?  Well that is because it is an unlucky color, and the color of death. 

I am an affiliate of Oriental Trading Company, and Dollar Tree, and these are affiliate links. 

One thing you will need is a cute tablecloth. I am loving the tigers on this one. (it is even on sale right now) 

This is the year of the dog tablecloth, we had at my party a few years ago.  

This was the place setting from 2018.  When I was looking on the Oriental Trading website, I noticed that they did not have table setting items specifically for 2022.  Since items like this go into production way in advance, that could be because of everything happening with the supply chain the last several months.  It would not be too difficult to put together a place setting with a black, red, or gold plate and coordinating napkins, from the Dollar Tree.  

They do still have this burst centerpiece. It is red and gold and has many symbols such has luck and fortune. 

Have you ever wondered why you see so many dragons in Chinese celebrations and decorations?  The dragon is a symbol of power, luck and strength.  It also represents the Emperors, who were assumed to have been descendants of the dragon. 

This is hanging dragon decoration is currently on sale as well. 

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They do have this set of hanging tiger banners.

Chinese New Year could be a great reason to have Chinese food.  On this particular night we had sweet and sour chicken, and egg rolls. 

Mandarins are also considered very lucky, so we had a big bowl of them on the table and  even ate a few . 

It's always fun to crack open a fortune cookie and read what it says. The fortune that I got that night, came true right away. 

Happy Year of the Tiger!