Golden Monkey New Year

Golden Monkey New Year

Written by Li-Chang Kuo

This is the first day of ‘Golden Monkey Year’, a sunny day. In Taiwan, people are looking forward to the ‘Chinese Lunar New Year’, family members can reunion together at the hearthside, especially on the cold eve of new year. We will prepare various foods for eating and ‘Red Envelop’ for kids and parents.

Toro chips mixed with meat to be ‘Toro Cake’

The meal for a reunion dinner at hearthside

We pasted the couplets--in red paper and black word on the frame of door that signs the Spring is coming.

People get up early to the local temples to worship the gods for the blessings.

It’s a joy season to make wishes for good luck in the year to come.

The Temple also prepared to welcome the pilgrims.

The Temple decorated by the lanterns

People say ‘Kung Si’ (恭喜) to each other like ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Mazel Tov’ for cordial greeting.

There are many entities of corruption existed in Taiwan; but more integrity of people live in this Island, for example, a lot of heroes put down their routine affairs to rescue the victims of earthquake in Tainan, day and night, they do not care about the new year, but expect to save the victims first. I must salute them on this very day. Meanwhile, I make prayer to my Sovereign God concerning these upright persons to be fruitful and increase in number and fill in blessings.