Celebrating Chinese New Year- 2010- Year of the Tiger

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR. FEBRUARY 14, 2010

2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Doesn't he look ferocious?

From Wickepedia on the internet. "The Chinese calendar determines Chinese New Year dates. The calendar is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by Han culture (notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese) and may have a common ancestry with the similar New Years festivals outside East Asia (such as Iran, and historically, the Bulgars lands). In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the Chinese calendar, winter solstice must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. In traditional Chinese Culture, lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4. The dates for Chinese New Year from 1996 to 2019 (in the Gregorian calendar) are below along with the year's presiding animal zodiac."

Rat
February 19, 1996
February 7, 2008
Ox
February 7, 1997
January 26, 2009

Tiger
January 28, 1998
Febuary 14, 2010

Rabbit
February 16, 1999
February 3, 2011

Dragon
February 5, 2000
January 23, 2012

Snake
January 24, 2001
February 10, 2013

Horse
February 12, 2002
January 31, 2014

Sheep

February 1, 2003
February 19, 2015

Monkey
January 22, 2004
February 8, 2016

Rooster
February 9, 2005
January 28, 2017

Dog
January 29, 2006
February 16, 2018

Pig
February 18, 2007
February 5, 2019

The Chinese really celebrate New Years. Stores close. Families are visited. Special meals are eaten. This year in Hong Kong the official celebration started on Saturday, February 13 which was New Year's Eve, and ended on Tuesday night, February 16 with fireworks over the Victoria Harbor on Monday night, February 15. Many stores were closed for the entire week to let employees have time for festivities. We were back to work at the Area Office on February 17.

We arrived in Hong Kong last year just before the Chinese New Year which was celebrated on January 26. We watched the fireworks at the harbor last year, but because the weather had turned rather chilly, we watched them on TV this year. They are always spectacular. We did, however, participate in other New Year's activities. This blog highlights three of these.

#1. A tradition for New Years is a Fair in Victoria Park with hundreds of booths selling all types of dolls, balloons, stuffed animals and other trinkets. It is also a flower day, and the fair has many flower stands with beautiful flowers, potted plants, and even trees for sale. The Park is about a 15 minute walk from our apartment. Thousands of people go to the Fair. We went early on Saturday, and we still could hardly move. It was difficult to stop and purchse things, but we did get a few things, especially Tiger items.

#2. New Years is a time for the colorful dragon dances. We saw three of them. One was held directly back of our building in a parking lot for the Wan Chai Police Station which is adjacent to our Asia Area Administrative Offices. Each year, the police invites city dignataries to view a dragon dance and enjoy a buffet lunch. Because we are neighbors, the police invited our people to join in the festivities. We attended last year, but didn't take many pictures. This year we took our cameras and have included a few shots of the acrobatic men who wear the dragon outfits.

#3. New Years is also a time for Lantern Festivals. A very elaborate one was erected in Kowloon across the harbor from Hong Kong. One night during the festivities we took the Star Ferry across the harbor to see the exhibit. We took many pictures of the lanterns and then stayed for the nightly light show that takes place with music, building lights and laser lights illuminating the Hong Kong skyline. We had taken a ferry ride to see the show this summer, but standing on the Kowloon shore and looking at the lights flashing in time with the music was even more exciting. The lanterns are made as colorful representations of people, animals and scenes, all lit by internal lights What a colorful celebration. We hope you enjoy the pictures.

This was a New Year's Display in an office building a block from our office. The fish is always part of the celebration as are red ornamentts.

Even the buildings get decorated for Christmas and New Years.

#1. NEW YEAR'S FAIR IN VICTORIA PARK, HONG KONG

The day was overcast, so the pictures came out quite faded. But the crowds were thick. A wide walkway was formed with booths on both sides selling all types of tiger items as well as other stuffed toys and trinkets of every description.

Tiger balloons were very colorful.

Notice the wrap around tiger hat on this vendor.

Not all balloons were tigers. Even smiley faces got into the act.

Tiger gloves, bats and balls for the baseball fans.

This Chinese girl isn' t too happy to have me take her picture even if she has a wind toy.

A happy tiger balloon couple.

A white tiger hand puppet. We succumbed and bought one to take home to join other puppets we had purchased at Christmas time.

Neck pillow tigers as well.

Tiger Tails. Not sure what you would do with these!!

Part of what we brought home with us. The bag has New Years tiger favors that we gave out at the Missionary Couples New Years Even Dinner. Dragons are always in vogue. This was a dragon puppet that scoots along the floor as you manipulate the strings.

My New Years Eve Outfit. The flowers are beautiful and the sweater and cap keeps me warm in in 50 degree weather.

Many flower stands selling all kinds of flowers and plants.

Artificial flowers were also available in all colors.

The ornamental orange bushes are used as New Years decorations. The fruit is small, but I guess is edible. These are in pots, and you see them all over the city in building lobbies, in front of stores etc. during the New Years season. They are live plants.

#2 CHINESE DRAGON DANCE AT WAN CHAI POLICE STATION

The posts with round stands are for the two smaller dragons to perform tricks on. There are two gymnasts wearing the costume. The dragon head is complete with large eyes that blink, a gaping mouth, and furry coat. The dragon jumps from one stand to the next while the drummers keep the rhythm going with a steady beat.

The large dragon is made with many yards of material attached to a huge dragon head. Several men are under the dragon armed with long poles that they move up an down as they run simulating the moves of a beast. The head comes up to greet people, and they feed it cakes and goodies. (the men enjoy the feast).

The dignitaries sit on the stand and are greeted by the large dragon as well as the smaller ones. Here you see one of the dragon dancers getting ready to assume a role under the dragon.

The small dragon is very realistic and fun.

The dragon coat just drapes over the dancers who assume a crouched position as they move about.

The four legs of the dancers holding the dragon coat with its head in an upright position. It takes a lot of skill to make the dragon look real.

Here is a leap of the dragon forward. The two men must coordinate or they will be on the ground!!

This shot shows what is going on under the costume. He made the jump successfully.

A close-up of dignataries with small dragons in front and the large dragon behind.

This is a very noisy drum line.

The video shows the movements of the long dragon

The finale of the dragon dance. Enjoy the show.
#3 NEW YEAR'S LANTERN DISPLAY AND VICTORIA HARBOR LASER LIGHT SHOW

Click on the picture to see the beautiful Hong Kong skyline at night.

You can see how the buildings are lit up at night. Again, click on it to see the detail.

This sign explains the various lantern scenes. There were 16 scene depicted. Click to read some of the descriptions.

You can vision the scenes better on this shot.

The little children were fascinated by the lights, or luminaries as they are called.

Sister Smith is in the center of the display. Scenes are on both her right and left.

It is hard to describe how impressive the lanterns were. We were glad we were able to see them before they were taken down. They stayed up for about six weeks.

Spiritual Highlights of our Mission

Our mission has turned out to be filled with many wonderful spiritual highlights. We have already traveled to eight different Asian counties besides our base in Hong Kong. (Trip to Nepal still ahead in April). Although we trained welfare missionaries in these countries in the procedures for handling humanitarian projects, including emergency responses, every visit was also filled with spiritual experiences as we met the humble church members, many of whom were recent converts to the Church. We felt their spirit as we shook their hands and looked into their eyes. We listened to their stories and saw their faith and courage in accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer against the pressure of non-Christian traditions and cultures. We met many individuals not of our faith, but who had principles of goodness in their lives and they were great examples to us. We have touched upon these experiences in several of our blogs.

When we are in Hong Kong, we have many experiences with the Spirit that are not directly related to our assignment as welfare specialists, but which have given our mission a spiritual fullness. Every Monday morning we join with the 11 other Asia Area Missionary Couples who serve with us in the Asia Area Administration Building in Wan Chai, and the 60 Chinese staff members who work here as well, for a devotional. Each of us have the opportunity to participate in prayers or talks. The devotional starts our week off with the spiritual emphasis we need. We hear from our Area Presidency members each quarter. Then, once a month the missionary couples join the Area Presidency in a session at the Hong Kong Temple, followed by a testimony meeting in the adjoining chapel.

Our Sundays are filled with spiritual experiences as Elder Smith serves as the First Counselor in the Branch Presidency of a Philippine Domestic Worker Branch (200 sisters) and Sister Smith assists in helping the sisters with their Sacrament Meeting talks and with learning how to prepare their ancestor's names for temple ordinances. Once a month we meet with 15-20 sisters and one elder in a joint home teaching meeting where we share a Gospel message with them. On another Sunday night, we join the same group of members in a Family Home Evening where everyone has the opportunity of participating by giving a scripture, teaching a lesson, or conducting a game. This is followed by a branch supper. Twice a month the couples assemble in one of the apartments for a Family Home Evening, with the lessons given by the host couple. Every Thursday night we catch the bus for the temple to serve as ordinance workers. We work with patrons from all over Asia who come to the Hong Kong Temple to do ordinance work for their deceased ancestors. Elder Smith has been able to use his sealing authority to perform sealings for the living and the dead. Each Friday, the Missionary Senior Sisters attend an Institute class. This year's teacher has been Elder Gibbons, a former Seminary and Institute Teacher. What a spiritual treat that has been.

As a couple, we have the privilege of reading the scriptures daily and praying to our Heavenly Father for the welfare of the Asian people, for our families back home, and for the missionaries around the world, including our two grandchildren. We feel the protection of a loving Heavenly Father as we carry out our various assignments. It will be hard to leave this part of the world to return to Utah in June.

The following pictures are primarily of some of the people who have so profoundly touched our lives for good. It is hard to capture the spiritual strength of these people with a camera but perhaps you can see in their eyes and in their smiles how happy they are to be involved with Christ's work. We feel blessed to have met them, and look forward to further associations in this life and beyond the grave. These truly have become eternal friendships. The same can be said for the couples and members we met in the nine visited countries. For you our friends who read this blog, we hope you will include in your plans time to volunteer for a Church mission. You will never regret it.

The Asia Area Administration Building was our home for our welfare duties and our Sunday spiritual callings. Seven branches meet in this building. Floors 1 to 7 include three chapels, three kitchens, 3 relief society rooms, many classrooms, a cultural hall, high council room and many priesthood leader offices. Floors 8-10 house the Asia Area offices including the Area Presidency, and the 11th and 12th floors provide housing for the Area Presidency. The building was completed in 2005 and is a very functional building.


In the foyer of the building this beautiful painting of the Savior with children greets all who enter. It is a reminder to us all of Christ's love for all mankind, especially the children of all colors and races.

The Asia Area Presidency are our ecclesiastical leaders. They are also general authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When we arrived, Elder Hallstrom was the President with Elders Perkins and Watson as the counselors. When Elder Hallstrom was called to the be in the Presidency of the Seventies Quorums, Elder Perkins was called to be President and Elder Pratt joined Elder Watson as the counselors. It is wonderful to "sit at the feet" of these wonderful men.

This picture was taken just before Elder Hallstrom returned to Utah. The three Welfare couples, Woolsey, Gibbons, and Smith are supervised by Elder Wan (standing) and Terry Oakes (on left sitting). Jaymi Wong is our very efficient secretary.

The Hong Kong Temple is the Temple for all of Southeast Asia. The building not only houses the temple on floors 3-5 and in the basement, but the Hong Kong mission office and the residence for the Mission and Temple Presidents and a ward chapel. In July 2010, a new chapel and mission office will be completed across from the Temple, and the temple will expand to fill the empty spaces.

The Temple President and Matron are President and Sister Goo. They are from Hawaii. President Goo had served as the Hong Kong Mission President prior to his present call.

Elder and Sister Heaton serve as First Counselor and Assistant to the matron. They are serving as missionaries from the United States. Elder Heaton served as a Chinese missionary. Sister Heaton is of Chinese ancestry. They are very helpful to President Goo. The other counseler is President Yip, a local Hong Kong member. The Recorder is Brother Lee.



Elder and Siste Elia serve as a couple in the mission office supervising missionary apartments. They are from Hawaii. Elder Elia was born in Molika. They also serve in the Temple on a regular basis. Sister Elia dances a beautiful hula as she demonstrated at the Christmas Temple Party.

One of our very favorite couples is Elder and Sister Gibbons. They are housed on our floor and serve in the Welfare Department as Asia Area Employment Resource Specialists. Elder Gibbons also teaches Institute classes on Tuesday nights to the young adults and on Friday mornings to the Sister Senior Missionaries. He is a retired Seminary and Institute teacher and has a great knowledge of the Gospel. Sister Gibbons works with the Filipino sisters who need help in finding a job after termination or ending of contracts. She also is our hair dresser and barber. We are so blessed to have them here. They live in Farmington, Utah and are parents of 11 children. They serve in the Temple one session each week.

Elder and Sister Pierce were serving as Temple missionaries when we arrived. They are from the Provo Temple District and worked in the Temple before their mission. They were a great assistance to us as we became acquainted with the Hong Kong Temple.

Elder and Sister Wong serve as temple coordinators on our shift. They are from Hong Kong and can speak Cantonese and English. We use English to perform our duties, but most of the workers use Cantonese. Visitors from other countries use their native languages and we accommodate them with audio tapes and cards in their own language.

Elder and Sister Kau are a Mission Office couple with Temple assignments. Their current home is in Mapleton, Utah, our prior Utah home. They know many of the same people we do.

Elder and Sister Woolsey with Sister Wanda Wong served on Thursday nights with us. We rode the bus to and from Hong Kong Island each week to serve. The Woolseys had their office in the same open space with us and between us, we served as the Area Welfare Specialists to our Asia Area Welfare Manager, Stanley Wan.


The endowed Filipino sisters came to the temple as often as they could. On national holidays, their employers usually gave them the day off. To accommodate them, the Temple was left open in the mornings on holidays, and the missionary couples came to assist in the temple. Sister Cecilia Chamos to the right of Sister Smith went through the Temple for the first time today. Several branch members supported her with their attendance. Sister Trinidad(on right) is also an ordinance worker with us on Thursday night. She is in our home teaching group as well.

The beautiful front facade of Kom Tong Hall.

As the plaque on the building explain, this beautiful private mansion served as a chapel for the Church and as the Asia Area administrative offices prior to the new building. The building is now preserved as a national museum. The hand belongs to our boss, Stanley Wan. He took the senior couples on a tour of the building. His father was the custodian years ago, and Stanley grew up living in the building.

Missionary work is very important in our branch. Elder Bowen and Lewis were some of our great US missionaries. We have 10-15 conversions each year of Philippine sisters. The branch is English speaking, and thus we can be useful in all phases of church activity. Elder Smith was responsible as a member of the branch presidency for Missionary Work the first year of our mission. The last six months both of us worked with Family History as the new Family Search program was introduced to Hong Kong in December 2009.

The baptism of two Filippino sisters. We have two sets of missionaries in our branch. The sister on the right, Sister Baker, is 70 years old. She is currently paired with a younger Filippino Sister. The baptismal fount in our building is on the ground floor. These new converts demonstrate great faith as they gain testimonies of the Church and its teachings and covenant with the Lord to keep His commandments.

We have become the grandparents of many sisters. These are members of our home teaching and family home evening groups as they prepare a supper for the branch. These sisters are great cooks as they serve as domestic workers to Chinese employers here in Hong Kong.

The Mission sponsored a "Preach my Gospel" Bowl with the 9 branches of the International District of Hong Kong. These four sisters did very well in answering the questions.

These sisters are studying the new Family Search program in Sunday School each week. The Sister dressed in white in the center, Sister Florinda, is the teacher. Most of these sisters are now registered in the new family search program, and are entering their family information into the data base. We serve as shadow leaders in this program.

Elder Gibbons is a master teacher of the Gospel and of the scriptures. He has extensive knowledge of Church History, and makes the Doctrine and Covenants come alive for the Missionary Senior Sisters each Friday morning. Sister Gibbons is a fun support to everything he does.

Four of the sisters sitting around the high council room table as they meet for Institute. Sister Arnold, Erickson, Steele, and Gibbons.

These daily and weekly spiritual activities have indeed added much to our service as welfare missionaries throughout Asia.