What is Buddha's Delight?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
February 7, 2005
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading—>Click here.
Killer Picks: 'Green Mountain' & 'Bird and Flower'—>Click here.
Wednesday, February 9th is the start of Yiyou, better known as the Year of the Green Rooster or Year 4702.
The second new moon after winter's solstice marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year. The celebration runs until the full moon fifteen days later. The New Year has specific traditions beginning with a thorough house cleaning. All brooms, brushes, mops, rags and buckets are put away. On New Year's Eve at midnight, windows and doors are opened; the remaining vestiges of the old year leave.
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Buddha of Luck—Smiling, this version of Buddha represents happiness, good luck and opulence. In this brass sculpture by Pah, Buddha is dressed in gold and he is surrounded by coins. The craftsman- ship is superb.
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The Asians invite luck and wealth into their homes. Homes are decorated with flowers for they represent prosperity. Mandarin oranges (Citrus reticulata) are eaten for they represent gold. Hearing a birdsong, seeing a red bird or having a plant flower on New Year's Day foretells of good fortune.
The first meal of the New Year is customarily lo han jai or Buddha's Delight, a vegetarian dish with 28 ingredients. But some of the ingredients are more than components, they are symbolic and often homonyms (sound-alike words) of good things. It is a meal shared by family members.
The red color of hong lao bok (carrots, Daucus carota var. sativus) is a lucky color and carrots cut into coins represents wealth. Bak ko (Ginkgo biloba nuts) look like silver ingots and bring good fortune. Fat choy (black moss, Nostoc flagelliforme or N. commune) is a homonym for "be prosperous". Ma tai (water chestnuts, Trapa natans) and lam dao (snow peas, Pisum sativum var. macrocarpum) represent unity. Jook tseng (bamboo, Bambusa edulis) and mung-bean threads (Vigna radiata) are for a long life while fun kok (Nelumbo nucifera tuber) is for a good life. Foo jook (sticks of soy bean curd) are thought to bring blessings and happiness into a home. Far sung (peanuts, Arachis hypogaea) symbolize an addition or birth in the family.
Kung hei fat choi.*
The Asian Health Services has posted a recipe for lo han jai, the traditional New Year's dinner. To view the recipe by Sherrie Sonomura, click on the link:
http://www.ahschc.org/rarchive39.htm
(Compiled from: Hortus Third, Staff L.H. Bailey Hortorium, NY State College of Agriculture and Life Science, Cornell University, Macmillan, NY, 1976; "Chinese New Year", Wikipedia; "Chinese New Year", China the Beautiful and "Chinese New Year", Wolff-Michael Roth, Lansdowne Professor, University of Victoria, British Columbia.)
*Congratulations and be prosperous.
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Why was it called an orange? What's in a Name? - February 14, 2003
What Chinese plant gives us so much more than just food? Plants that Changed History - 10/02/01
In Chinese tradition, what are the precious things? Herbal Folklore - September 3, 2001
What plant made mortar stronger than brick? Plants that Changed History - August 13, 2002
Celadon ceramic tea set, 'Green Mountain' (set of 3)
NOVICA®/National Geographic®
Godly figures leap from Thai history to grace the cracked celadon surface of this sea green tea service. Poonpon Dechakaisaya skillfully crafts each piece in extraordinary detail, a breathtaking blend of ancient Chinese technique and imaginative personal flair. It makes a cozy kitchen accessory for rainy afternoons. [Sale price and more info...]
"My name is Poonpon Dechakaisaya, I was born in 1934 in Bangkok and I set up a celadon workshop 42 years ago in northern Thailand. Most people do not really know what celadon really is, and they often mistaken it for ceramic. In fact celadon is the aristocratic ancestor of the Oriental pottery family and it takes its name from two Sanskrit words: Sila - meaning stone - and Dhara - meaning green - that is, 'green stone.' The celadon is a glaze that was developed by master potters from northern China to duplicate their beloved opaque jade." [View More Items by Poonpon Dechakaisaya]
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