If you’re ready for Valentine’s Day to be over, you’d better hold on to that red dress! Chinese New Year is quickly approaching (as most of the fashion and travel worlds are probably aware!). The bells will ring for nearly two weeks during the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, which is about to fall on February 18th! Here are some DIY tips on how you can ring in the Spring Festival in style!

  • [highlight color=”red”] Wear red. [/highlight]  Every fashionista knows the famous Bill Blass quote, “When in doubt, wear red.”  In Chinese culture, red is a symbol of good luck. If you really want to go all out, dress in traditional Chinese clothing, and don’t forget to wish your relatives good luck with money-filled red envelopes. We’re loving these looks from designers Michael Kors, DVF, and Delpozo for a sexy mix of modernity and tradition.

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Photo source : E! News

  • [highlight color=”red”] Eat in eights. [/highlight]  Set out a “tray of togetherness”. The number eight is considered lucky in Chinese culture, and there are eight compartments in the tray full of sweets like candies, nuts and small cakes. Pastries symbolize a rise in abundance for the coming new year while those with a round shape brings family reunion. Available at your local Costco, the famous California pastry company Donsuemor released a limited supply of French Almond Cakes in honor of Chinese New Year. Or why not make your whole diet about 8’s?! Here are 8 Ways to Detox Your Body, 8 Ways to Help Prevent Breakouts, and 8 Foods to Eat for Healthy Shiny Hair!

 

  • [highlight color=”red”] Make some noise. [/highlight]  Firecrackers and fireworks aren’t just for the Western New Year’s Eve!  In China, the louder the better, as the noises are believed to scare away bad spirits and fend off bad luck. Firecrackers are featured in Chinese parades along with special costumed lion and dragon dances, activities and music. If you’d like to watch the action, check out the parades on the national China Central Television broadcaster (CCTV).

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  • [highlight color=”red”] Take some tea. [/highlight]  Dragonwell Green is perhaps China’s most famous tea, and for good reason. Often served to visiting heads of states and other notables, the tea is known for its sweet and nutty taste. Grown high in the mountains near Hangzhou, it is handpicked and processed with delicate care just as it was 1,500 years ago. In spring, the top two leaves of the plant are harvested and then pan-fried and folded into its distinctive sword-like shape. Dragonwell Green tea brews into a jade green color, gives off a sweet aroma, and has a toasted chestnut-like aftertaste. This distinct tea can be enjoyed as a pick-me-up in the morning or as a refresher throughout the day. 

 

Happy Year of the Goat!

Written by Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers is the founder of TGIFguide. She uses her innate skills as a natural “connector” to serve businesses, brands and individuals in the LA area and beyond.