China’s Secret Teas owner Hazel Tan explains, “There are 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac and the date of the lunar New Year changes every year. In 2007, 18th February will usher in the Year of the Pig. In China, the New Year celebration lasts a full fifteen days.
It’s a long holiday full of rich and symbolic traditions. The Chinese use this time to gather and visit with their extended family and friends, where lots of eating and tea drinking occurs. Celebrations start with a reunion dinner on the eve. On the first day, we put on new clothes, go visiting where we exchange two small oranges and greet each other with wishes of good fortune, health and prosperity. It is an especially popular celebration for young unmarrieds as elder married family members give out little red packets filled with cash.
Although Westerners don’t usually celebrate so elaborately or even necessarily understand the many traditions behind the Chinese New Year festivities, many do recognize the holiday as an important one to the Chinese. The most common way for Westerners to partake and celebrate is with a cup of green tea.”
Green tea has been consumed in China for thousands of years. It turns out that drinking green tea is a very healthy thing to do. “There are at least 27 health benefits to drinking green tea, so celebrating the Chinese New Year is probably one of the healthiest new customs Westerners can try.” Apparently, many people are catching on to this, because China’s Secret tea sales to Westerners have been booming.
For more information on Chinese New Year traditions, Chinese teas or China’s Secret, contact Hazel Tan at +44 (0)7796697315 or hazel@chinasecret.co.uk. To buy green tea online or find out more about it go to www.chinasecret.co.uk.
