Ushering New Traditions

Happy New Year, Chinese new year to be exact. I grew up with strict household traditions of what never to do during the first few days of Chinese New Year. You see, even in a non-Asian, Christian/Catholic household, traditions from our Chinese ancestors still stand strong. Comes Chinese New Year, the household staff would thoroughly clean our place like never before. My mother would wear a white glove and go through every corner of the home herself and if she finds one spec of dust, the cleaning starts from the beginning again. The Chinese believe cleaning before New Year is like Spring cleaning ... out with the bad in preparation of the better luck in the coming year. There were lots of rules. Only wear happy colors, mainly red (Chinese believed red to symbolize luck and black means mourning); Never to say the words "die", "sick" or anything negative for that matter (that rule was adhered to strictly as my sisters and I would be punished if anything bad slipped out of our mouths); The kitchen maids would spend days (I really mean days) with my mother cooking different different dishes with names that resembles luck, health, wealth and happiness ... the rules can go on and on forever.

Though now years have past and the same traditions are still kept at my MOTHER'S house, I now have the freedom to keep my household anyway I wish. And back when I was a child, New Year, though festive, sometimes seemed like a pain in the neck, now as an adult - the traditions are quite fun and sometimes they are what keeps me going. It's like "thinking happy thoughts". So here are some ideas to keep yourself positive and happy on New Years Day, the day after, two days after and maybe ... everyday of your life ...:

- Speak in positive terms. It's the same thing as my parents not letting me say the word "die" during New Year. It is like cursing at yourself.

- Wear happy colors. Red has never been my color and for every New Year, the new red shirt/sweater/dress I'd buy, they'd always end up in my "charitable donation" bag. But that's not to say your wardrobe should only be chicly black. Always add an item on your body with colors that pop whether it's a belt, a scarf or shoes! (This is why no one should laugh at my lime green Tods driving mocs.)

- Buy something new to wear on New Year's Day. New year, new clothes, new luck, new happiness, new successes ... you get the idea.

- It seems like most times the holiday festivities end after New Year's Eve when people go home drunk and they start the next year out cold, hungover and ordinary. In Chinese traditions, they burn firecrackers, they have dragon dances, they play the drums ... they make a lot of noises. Thousands of years ago, the noises are meant to ward off evil. Now, the Chinese do it for festivities, as a form of celebration. So why do our festivities have to end with the New Year's Eve party? Celebrate with friends on the first weekend of the year with yet another get together, go to a restaurant with live music, go dance the night away! Make noise! Laugh! Be happy!

None of these ideas are religion based. It's what you believe in. When I was younger, I believed that if I shower before midnight on New Year's Eve, I'd wash away everything bad from the passing year and I'd usher in the New Year with new hopes. That was nothing but a silly non-sense ... but guess what, I believed in it and I had good years. Find something you believe in, even if it's silly. Make it your tradition and you'd have a new year with lots of happy things to look forward to.