In the Chinese calendar, 2005 is the Year of the Rooster. The Eastern Breeze at InterContinental Malta will be celebrating the Chinese New Year between February 11 and 19. The restaurant will be bringing over from China, especially for this occasion, top chef Rao Wei. Reservations (dinner only) can be made on 2137-7600.
The Chinese calendar is centuries older than the Julian calendar that we use today in Europe, and it is very accurate. The date of the New Year is set with the second new moon after the winter solstice – the shortest day of the year, 21 December. The period of celebrations ends with the full moon 15 days later, with a night-time lantern festival, with displays of lights and lanterns.
The Chinese New Year is, like ours, a family affair and a time of reunion and of remembrance of events and of people, with thanksgiving. There is a religious ceremony in honour of heaven and earth, the household gods and the family ancestors. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect, and places are set for them at the communal meal – though this will not be possible at the Eastern Breeze! This feast is called “surrounding the stove”, which is a literal description of what actually took place once.
There are several superstitions and traditions associated in China with the New Year, and they continue to be upheld even though the ancient fears no longer hold true. One is that the entire home must be cleaned thoroughly before New Year’s Day, and then all brooms and brushes firmly put away. Firecrackers are set off to send out the old year and to welcome the new, and on the stroke of midnight, all doors and windows are opened to let the old year go. Red is worn because it is thought to bring good fortune; children and unmarried friends are given small red envelopes of money for good luck.
InterContinental general manager Christophe Laure said that oriental food continues to be very popular in Malta, and the cuisine of the Eastern Breeze has been no exception. “Rao Wei is a highly regarded Chinese chef, and we are very pleased to have secured his services for the period of the Chinese New Year festival,” he remarked.