Chinese New Year

Chinese food, fireworks and festivals could be just what you need to boost business during the traditional post-Christmas lull. John Porter looks at ways of creating an oriental atmosphere.

The new year celebrations don't have to stop just because the calendar insists its January. Increasingly, Chinese New Year is being taken up by the licensed trade, recognising an opportunity to put some excitement into customers' lives - as well as a few quid in the till - during the traditionally quiet post-Christmas trading period.

There are many different opportunities. A special Chinese menu running right through January, promotions on Chinese beers available through wholesalers, or a one-off Chinese New Year party can all work well in the right pub.

If you really want to go to town, fireworks and festivals are also a key part of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, which might make the last weekend in January the perfect time for a family fun day at your pub.

Whichever route you chose, there are plenty of suppliers out there only too willing to help you. Chinese food is ideal for either a sit-down meal or a buffet, and there are an increasing number of ready-made products and recipe ideas available from delivered wholesalers and cash and carries. A good drinks wholesaler should also be able to offer you some bottled Chinese beers for drinks promotions. Red and gold are the traditional colours of Chinese New Year, and there are party packs and themed products available from many suppliers.

When is Chinese New Year?​

If you've moaned about the problems caused by the fact that the Easter holiday falls on a different weekend each year, count your blessings - imagine how much hassle it would cause the pub trade if New Year's Eve was on a different night each year. Even with December 31 firmly fixed in the calendar, the Government has a hard enough time planning licensing deregulation orders.

Like Easter, Chinese New Year is a movable feast - and for the same reasons. Both are ancient festivals whose timing is set by the cycles of the moon rather that the modern calendar. The Chinese calendar is one of the oldest still in use anywhere in the world, having been used for more than 4,500 years. Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new moon which follows the beginning of the western new year on January 1. That means it can fall at any time from late January to the middle of February.

February 12, 2002, sees the start of the Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year's Eve is Monday 11. Either day may be convenient if you're looking to liven up a quiet night. Fortunately, if it would suit your business to hold it on another day, there's no need to get too hung up about the exact date - the Chinese certainly don't.

Traditionally, the festivities start 22 days before New Year's Day itself, with people using the time to makes costumes and prepare food. The party also carries on afterwards - the 15th day of the new year is known as the lantern festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying home-made lanterns in a parade.

The lantern festival has parallels with Hallowe'en - it has its roots in an ancient Chinese superstition belief that spirits could be seen flying through the air in the light of the first full moon of the new year. Lanterns are traditionally used to search for the spirits.

Food​ Food is an essential part of the new year celebrations, with the many traditional dishes including dried meat and fruit, special sausages, and sweet or savoury cakes. Fish is thought to be lucky - eating half a fish on New Year's Eve and the other half on New Year's Day allowed a family to transfer its unused luck from one year to the next.

You might want to try making your own version of Eight Treasure Rice, a traditional new year dish featuring eight different meats and vegetables mixed with rice.

Fireworks​

New Year's Eve is the night for Chinese fireworks, with the bangs of the firecrackers and the whistle of the rockets supposed to frighten off evil spirits. While the fireworks are supposed to last until dawn, you may want to check with your local authority if permission is needed for a display, and what time you should finish in order to avoid upsetting the neighbours.

Other celebrations​

Other Chinese New Year celebrations you might adapt for a party at your pub include:

• Spring poems - lucky phrases written in black or golden ink on red paper, which are pasted onto the front door
• Music - musicians parade through the streets singing songs to welcome the arrival of spring
• Lucky envelopes - children are traditionally given small red envelopes containing money; musicians and entertainers are also paid in this way. You could give guests at your Chinese New Year party special offer vouchers in red envelopes - perhaps a free bottle of wine the next time they eat at your pub

Some Chinese New Year customs might not adapt so easily. Cleaning is not permitted at new year in case good luck is accidentally swept out of the house - something which is unlikely to go down well with the environmental health officer. Bosses used to host a dinner party for their employees, at which one unfortunate selected for the sack had the bad news broken by having a chicken's head pointed at him.

Dates for your diary​

Since Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year, you might want to plan ahead by making a note of the dates for the next few years:

• Year of the Ram:​ February 1, 2003
• Year of the Monkey:​ January 22, 2004
• Year of the Rooster:​ February 9, 2005
• Year of the Dog:​ January 29, 2006

The Chinese zodiac​

The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 animals, traditionally the 12 that turned out to say goodbye to Buddha when he ascended into heaven.

Each animal represents different personality traits, and has one year in 12 devoted to it.

If your are using the following list, remember that Chinese New Year starts a bit later, so some January birthdays may fall into the previous year - eg anyone born in January 1961 is a rat rather than an ox.