Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Lou Hei!

Also found this interesting piece of information while preparing Table Topics.
Everytime when we lou hei, didnt know what to say. Below is of great Reference:
Reference: http://superfinefeline.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html

Rituals and Meanings

Yusheng plays on the homonyms where yu means "fish" but enunciated appropriately, it also means "abundance"; and sheng means literally "raw" but enunciated appropriately, it means "life". Thus Yusheng implies "abundance of wealth and long life". In Cantonese it is known as lo sheng with lo also meaning "tossing up good fortune". The tossing action is called lo hei, which means to "rise" (hei), again a reference to a thriving business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the New Year.

Step 1: All at the table offer New Year greetings.
Words: Gong xi fa cai meaning "Congratulations for your wealth" or Wan shi ru yi meaning "May all your wishes be fulfilled".

Step 2: Fish, symbolising abundance or excess through the year, is added.
Words: Nian nian you yu 年年有馀 and You yu you sheng.

Step 3: The pomelo is added over the fish, adding both luck and auspicious value.
Words: Da ji da li.

Step 4: Pepper is then dashed over the ingredients in the hope of attracting more money and valuables.
Words: Zhao cai jin bao.

Step 5: Then oil is poured out, circling the ingredients to increase all profits 10,000 times and encouraging money to flow in from all directions
Words: Yi ben wan li and Cai yuan guang jin.

Step 6: Carrots are added to the fish indicating blessings of good luck.
Words: Hong yun dang tou.

Step 7: Then the shredded green radish is placed on the fish symbolising eternal youth.
Words: Qing chun chang zhu.

Step 8: After which the shredded white radish is added - prosperity in business and promotion at work.
Words: Feng sheng shui qi and Bu bu gao sheng.

Step 9: Peanut crumbs are dusted on the dish symbolising a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolise eternal youth.
Words: Jin yin man wu.

Step 10: Sesame seeds quickly follow symbolising a flourishing business.
Words: Sheng yi xing long.

Step 11: Deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows is then added with wishes that literally the whole floor would be filled with gold.
Words: Pian di huang jin.

Step 12: All toss the salad an auspicious 7 times with loud shouts of "lo hei" and other auspicious New Year wishes.
Words: Lo hei which is Cantonese for "tossing luck".

The ingredients are mixed by pushing them toward the centre, an encouragement to push on the good luck of all at the table.

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