chinese lunar new year

LUNAR NEW YEAR or Spring Festival in China is not just one day of celebration as it is in the United States. The Lunar new year is, of course determined by the lunar calendar. The festivities starting on January 31st extend for 15 days. Other Asian countries (including Korea, Vietnam and Japan) get in on the celebration.

THE NEW MOON starting the night of January 30th this year is also known as the Black Moon. In addition, it's the second Supermoon of the month. This is similar to the Blue Moon where there are two Full Moons in a calendar month. Some Pagan cultures imbue such a lunation a lot of power. This raises the stakes with regard to any ritual celebration of the lunar cycle (such as the Chinese Lunar New Year). It is a particularly auspicious time in the months ahead to devise a new way of being. It's a time to revise old habits with a goal toward a better future.

THE CHINESE ZODIAC, known as Sheng Xiao is based on a 12-year cycle with each year being related to an animal sign. This year's trip around the sun will be the Year of the Horse. Each year is designated by an animal that interacts with one of five "earthly branches," (earth, water, fire, wood and metal), with this year being a "yang wood" year—defining the mood and direction of the world.

THE YEAR OF THE HORSE contains a great deal of fire energy. Along with wood, the flames are stoked. In a "yang wood" year people are said to stand firmly by their principles, making it harder to negotiate or compromise. The combination of a Horse year and a "yang wood" year only happens every 60 years and is historically marked by regional warfare.

THIS TREE branch is guarded by a Chinese-style horse and held upright in a faux bois container in front of a faux bois background, both representing "yang wood." Incense is a common tradition at altar rituals throughout the holiday and represents the fiery energy of 2014. The tree is hung with pleated paper disks and glass lanterns. The paper disks represent fireworks; the noise from which is to scare away the half-dragon, half-lion monster "Nian" who comes out of hiding during the Lunar New Year. By scaring away Nian, the Chinese wish that the coming year will be full of opportunities and prosperity. The glass lanterns symbolize the lantern festival which marks the conclusion of the celebrations (this year on Valentine's Day). The "forced branch" with flowers represents spring. And displaying and eating tangerines and oranges is said to bring wealth and luck. The tradition stems from the way the Chinese words for gold and orange sound alike, while the word for tangerine echoes luck.

RED ENVELOPES are handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year and usually contain "lucky" money. Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and business cards is a solemn act. They are usually presented and received with both hands, although the culture has become less formal about such things.

MANY FOLKTALES are also shared among families and friends during the Lunar New Year. This year the Story of the Taoist Farmer (The Horse that Ran Away) will surely be one of many parables that is repeated:

This farmer had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to console him over his terrible loss. The farmer said, "What makes you think it is so terrible?"

A month later, the horse came home—this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer's good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, "What makes you think this is good fortune?"

The farmer's son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, "What makes you think it is bad?"

A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. "What makes you think this is good?" said the farmer.*

THIS STORY is an example of an ancient Chinese philosophy known as Taoism. This Taoist farmer believed in accepting events as they come, without becoming too elated by the highs, or too saddened by the lows. The Taoist principle of living in harmony with nature and what it brings, serves as a metaphor for life. It is an understanding that difficult and stressful events can turn out to have a long-run positive effect on your life. It's a bold reminder that everything happens for a reason (or maybe only for a season).

IN CELEBRATING the lunar new year, it is good to remember that bit of Taoist philosophy and apply it to all the ups and downs we all inevitably face during the course of a year.

©2014 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland.

*The Horse that Ran Away as told by Executive editor, Elise Hancock, in the Johns Hopkins Magazine, November 1993. 

the year of the rabbit

AFTER  A  FEROCIOUS  Year of the Tiger in 2010, a welcome calm is marked in 2011 by the Year of the Rabbit. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. New Year's Eve (February 2nd this year) and the first three days of the new year are the officially observed holiday in China. The majority of businesses (with the exception of movie theaters and restaurants) close for the celebration. The Chinese people return to work between the 5th and 8th day. New Year's Day is February 3rd this year, but the spirit of the celebration lasts through the 15th day Festival of Lanterns on February 17th.

THIS  TREE  symbolically holds a diminutive ceremonial tea for Chinese New Year. Last year a client of mine gifted me a collection of miniature cloisonne teapots from China. This year these beautiful ornaments complete a symbolic set of 11 ornaments (representing the year 2011), along with four recycled newsprint ornaments shaped like lanterns. Just thinking of a ceremonial cup of tea by the light of lanterns evokes the calm and placid mood symbolized by the rabbit. The idiom "tempest in a teapot" doesn't apply here.

CLOISONNE  ENAMEL  is also called the "Blue of Jingtai" in China. Blue is the dominant color used for enameling and cloisonne became popular during the reign of Jingtai (1450-1456) in the Ming dynasty in China. The cloisonne teapots are made by the process of applying enamel to the surface of a copper or bronze object, which is then fired to become a colorful work of art. The technique was spread to China from the West and perfected by Chinese artisans.

LIGHTED  LANTERNS  appear everywhere during the Chinese New Year celebration. Fireworks are also "lit" as  a big part of the festivities. The noise of fireworks is believed to wake up the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring spring rains. Some believe that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits, preventing them from entering the new year. In fact, gunpowder was invented in China over 1,000 years ago for that very purpose. Firecrackers are thrown at the feet of the dragons in the celebratory parade to keep them awake, since they are believed to sleep the rest of the year.  

CHINESE  NEW  YEAR  is traditionally celebrated by a religious ceremony honoring heaven and earth, the gods of the household and thanksgiving. A sacrifice to ancestors is the most vital of all the Chinese New Year rituals. Family ancestors are honored by food and incense offerings to the gods. At midnight, the celebration really begins, as it does for any New Year celebration. Fireworks fill the sky and the streets are packed with people wishing each other a happy new year. The next morning, gifts are exchanged among family members and friends, including "lucky money" given to the children in a red envelope like the one seen in the photographs here.

THE  DEMEANOR of the rabbit is the symbol for a quiet and placid year to come. Few people are aware that the rabbit is the symbol of the moon, while the peacock is the symbol of the sun. Together, these two animal signs represent Yin and Yang. Pay particular attention to the full moon this year and you just might strengthen your inner "Chi" energy and bring wisdom into your life. Here's wishing everyone a happy calm and healthy prosperity in The Year of the Rabbit.

TEA TIME | (Top two photos) Cloisonne teapots direct from China (a gift from coworker Melinda Frost) decorate this tree celebrating Chinese New Year. 

LANTERN FESTIVAL | (Third photo) Repurposed newsprint cut into fantastic lantern shapes complete the tree and sets the mood for tea. The lanterns are distributed by Roost Home Furnishings. Mine were purchased this past holiday season at Star Provisions in Atlanta. 

GROUNDED RABBIT | (Fourth photo) A mercury glass rabbit ornament is  from this past season's offerings at West Elm. An asymmetrical manzanita branch "tree" bought at Homegoods is held upright in a faux bois cast stone container. You can learn more about the art of faux bois and Mexican artisan Dionicio Rodriguez from the book Capturing Nature, written by Patsy Pittman Light. Read about the Faux Bois sculptures of Dionicio Rodriguez here at Martha Stewart Home and Garden. 

WAKING DRAGON | (Bottom photo) an accordion garland made from printed paper backed by silver (from this past holiday season's David Stark Collection at West Elm) represents the undulating dragon. The ornament ball distributed by Roost Home Furnishings is meticulously made from dozens of rolled recycled paper cylinders that evoke the omnipresent fireworks marking the New Year in China (while keeping the dragon awake). The red envelope for "lucky money" completes the picture. 

©2011 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Photography, collecting and styling by Darryl Moland.
Location courtesy Devin Borden.

simple harmony

SOMETIMES,  simple is better. I've always had a hard time with that though. The more I do, the more I realize that simplicity is not as easy as it looks. The broad brushstrokes of simplicity can be made up of layers of meaning even as it speaks to our most basic needs and instincts. Somehow simplicity harmonizes with nature and our place within it.

COMMUNICATION  was propelled into the future with the printed word and left us with a recorded history. Printing, or the duplication of images, started in Mesopotamia around 3,000 B.C.. China and Egypt led the way with small stamps for seals that led to larger printing blocks. Printing moved from silk and other cloth to papyrus scrolls in Egypt. Movable type was first created in China from porcelain, but was rarely used because of the enormous Chinese character set. Metal movable type was first created in Korea. Fast forward to 1439 and Johannes Gutenberg developed the first movable type printing technology and the European age of printing on paper began about 10 years later.

IN  OUR  increasingly digitized world, it seems we are moving away from the printed word and becoming more and more disconnected from one another to distraction. Maybe it was meant to be that the printed word was to be experienced as well as seen—and that involves certain tactile qualities like turning the page or experiencing the texture of paper. As I write this digital version of what I wish to someday become a book or a magazine, I realize that today's accessibility of information on the internet is crucial to the way our society now works. But is technology and industrialization of everything threatening to destroy our physical library of knowledge? Or is it an opportunity to become more in tune with our collective consciousness?

DIGITAL  VERSIONS  of information may, or may not become actual printed pieces. I do think the revolution that is happening in publishing is exciting and can be even more interactive in some ways (see the new iPad publication of Boundless Beauty from Martha Stewart for an example). But there is a definite connection to our basic nature when you curl up with a book—even if it is only because paper is made from trees, which in turn (physical) books are made from paper. There's a certain ancient wisdom that comes from that fact alone. For when you commit something to paper, you want it to be accurate and you want it to be lasting. It has become something that is less and less accessible for the everyday person to have something printed the old-fashioned way, so our memory for what we had is replaced with what we have. I'm not sure that is always good. History is always doomed to repeat itself if memory is short.

THE  TREE  I decorated for this post (see product information below) is laser cut from a thin piece of Poplar wood supported in a wooden block. The garland is made up of paper circles with text printed on some of them sewn together with metallic silver thread—which represents a quality  Smythe sewn book. The bird (that doesn't Tweet) is decoupaged with the same printed paper. The globe underneath the tree is made of porcelain and is subtly etched with the outlines of the continents and meridian lines. The German wooden stars placed in the branches are reminders to our ultimate tie to the cosmos and our insignificance in its vastness.

MAYBE  IT  is important that we don't forget or destroy our collective history, which seems to be more and more malleable as information is more easily changed and "updated." The largest and most significant ancient library was the Library of Alexandria in Egypt and functioned as a major center of scholarship until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 48 B.C. A great deal of history was lost in the destruction of that library. 

THESE  DAYS, a lot is lost in translation to the digital world. Less importance is placed on the accuracy of information because it can be so easily updated and changed. Publishing is screaming in new directions out of necessity, but would be well-served by remembering the how in how far we have come. Information is a precious part of the way we communicate and there should be a certain kind of reverence to its long and fruitful history. 

REAL SIMPLE | (Top and above) This Alpine Centerpiece Tree is laser-cut from Poplar wood and slides into a white wooden base (from Design Ideas in Springfield, Illinois). Available at Nandina Home & Design and at Star Provisions in Atlanta (sold in several sizes this season—this being the X-large size). Evocative of the holiday season evergreens to come, my tree is simply decorated with natural-finished German wooden stars from my collection and a garland sewn together from textured silver paper and printed paper circles with silver metallic thread (from the current David Stark Collection at West Elm).

TWEETY BIRD | You can't reduce what this bird (top and left) has to say to 140 characters (including spaces) as Twitter does! This adorable decoupaged paper mâché bird is also from the David Stark Collection at West Elm.

GLOBAL  REVOLUTION | (Above) This porcelain globe from my collection is subtly traced with the outlines of the continents and global meridian lines. I thought it would be good to include as a reminder of how small our world has become because of the print and digital revolutions. I hope it also reminds us to not forget the complexity of our place within it, even as it seems simpler to communicate, nature is still a formidable presence in all of our lives.

WHITE-ON-WHITE | (Above) These white blown glass ornaments with translucent lines are simple and elegant (from tag).

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Photography, collecting and styling by Darryl Moland.

the year of the tiger | 恭禧發財

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The traditional Chinese phrase: 恭禧發財 (also superimposed in photo of the decorated tree above) is the broad-brushed symbol for this sentiment. The Lunar New Year is regarded as the most important cultural holiday among Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian nations. This year is the Year of the Tiger, which symbolizes strength. Personally, it is the to honor Luci, my beautiful Calico cat, who is a tiger in her own right. She has shown the strength to stay with me much longer than she should giving me 16 "Luci years" (all with her certain prosperity of luck, strength and beauty). I'm glad she's still with me now, but the new year will show me the strength to let her go to run with the gods.

THE NEW MOON changes are tracked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar (which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems). The Chinese New Year celebration can begin anytime between late January and mid-February. This year, the 14th of February (Valentine's day) kicked off the beginning of the lunar calendar or Lunar New Year. This new beginning is the culmination of 15 days of spring festivals celebrating the event in China.

THE TREE I designed to celebrate the Year of the Tiger is inspired by the many rich traditions of the holiday. I wanted it to be a simple and elegant representation of only a few of the many and varied elements of this richly symbolic holiday. Using only mercury glass lantern ornaments in a sophisticated pallet of reds, golds and greens (from this past holiday season's Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's) hung from red cotton cords on simple natural branch forced into flower, I'm representing a time of renewal, rebirth and a precious celebration of life (honoring Luci along with the Lunar New Year).

HONG BAO NA LAI (紅包拿來) literally means "may I have the red envelope, please." Red is considered the luckiest color in China. During Chinese New Year, elders give lucky money in red envelope packets to the young people close to them, thus "hong bao" is essentially a cash gift. It is an important part of the New Year celebration. The ones you see in the photo at left have a large traditional Chinese symbol 發 (fa) with means literally "to emit," or rather "to send." It all depends on what other characters precede or follow it to complete the meaning of the expression. This one letterform symbol has more direct meaning when combined with others, but can imply so much standing alone. For instance, one can also think of it as  “to have plenty," 發財 (or "fa xai") can be translated as such.

WELL WISHES for good luck, happiness and prosperity  are the main sentiments embodied by the Chinese New Year traditions. But they are not the only ones. The celebrations are also centered around reconciliation and forgetting grudges. A clean sweep, if you will. This new year interpretation of a decorated tree is my way of relating this and more to all of the people (and little tigers) that bring the light of many multi-colored lanterns into my life. They give me the strength to recognize life's worth as clearly and as strongly as possible, seeing through the fog of uncertainty.

LANTERN FESTIVITY | (Top and middle) This "forced" tree branch is made quite elegant with the addition of mercury glass lantern ornaments from the Martha Stewart Collection 2009 at Macy's. The traditional paper lanterns used on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival, are bright, colorful, and in many different shapes and sizes. The container holding the branch is an antique stoneware vase from a friend's private collection. The green spider mum symbolizing longevity (within a glass globe from Bungalow I bought a few years back, above, left) and in a vase by Victoria Hagen for Target (top), kumquats and oranges symbolizing prosperity and red envelopes (a custom explained above) are all a part of the varied traditions surrounding the holiday.

YEAR OF LUCI | This portrait of Luci (Above) was lovingly painted and given to me by Odette Colón, my dear friend (and talented co-worker) this past Christmas. When I received this incredible gift from the heart, I shed big blubbering tears of joy and grief at the same time. Looking at it prepares me for the inevitable loss of a life, and it will give me the strength to carry on after Luci is gone. I like to think all the good energy put into this painting has translated to her living longer than expected. Even so, I'm glad to have her already immortalized for the prosperity of life to continue. Already in addition to my Bengal Abella, I've added a lovable tuxedo cat that found me much like Luci did 16 years ago, coming into my life suddenly and without without warning. I think Luci somehow called for the new little one to help me in this transition. That's how magical Luci's existence has always been. And at the risk of coming off as a complete cornball, this last line of the song "Memory" from the musical "Cats" is more resonant than ever before: Look. A new day has begun.

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, collecting and styling by Darryl Moland, tree photographed by Harold Daniels Studio / assisted by Shawn May