Ever since last Monday, there has been a buzz about how the party went. Those who were there are still talking about what a success it was, and those who missed it are wondering when the next one will be held.
Some of the pictures from the festivities will be made available on poster boards this weekend in the parish where I am assigned, but unfortunately, there's not enough room for all of them. Instead, I'll try to post at least a few of them here, in a series of posts, so that others can get a glimpse of what it was like.
Thanks to some very talented decorators, our parish hall was transformed. Many elements of oriental design were incorporated into this evening's décor:
Each place setting included elements of both Western and Oriental design and functionality. We also provided lucky money envelopes for each of our guests. Although these are traditionally used to give gifts to children within the household, we chose to use them as an option for people to consider donating to our parish's Building Fund. Thanks to all those who used them.
A few strategically placed fans helped to add another element to the décor. Hand-held fans are an integral part of life in China. Almost everyone, from the poorest peasant to the most afluent 'woman of leisure' can afford to carry a fan for practical and not so practical reasons.
Paper lanterns and even dragons are often used in the décor for the Spring Festival. Especially since this is the Year of the Dragon, we needed to incorporate these images in our décor as well, even though the version of our dragon looked as though he had only recently been hatched:
Flowers are also typically used to symbolize the coming of Spring. Since the New Year celebration also is known as the Spring Festival, it was fitting that we should use orchids to adorn the space used for this festival as well.
Red sheets of paper are commonly used to decorate homes in China for this Festival, and it is customary to write words of greeting and prosperity on the sheets as well. These words were spread throughout the room, complete with their English-language equivalents printed for all to see.
Table cards providing the details of the menu for the evening's meal, and centre pieces based on the concepts of Feng Shui (incorporating elements of earth, water, wind and fire) were also added to enhance the experience of our diners.
As an added bonus, even the washrooms were decorated to fit the theme of the evening.
One of the local mercants even donated packages of soap leaves which were incorporated into this design for the benefit of our guests.
Having set the scene, we were ready to welcome our guests.
Some of the pictures from the festivities will be made available on poster boards this weekend in the parish where I am assigned, but unfortunately, there's not enough room for all of them. Instead, I'll try to post at least a few of them here, in a series of posts, so that others can get a glimpse of what it was like.
Thanks to some very talented decorators, our parish hall was transformed. Many elements of oriental design were incorporated into this evening's décor:
Each place setting included elements of both Western and Oriental design and functionality. We also provided lucky money envelopes for each of our guests. Although these are traditionally used to give gifts to children within the household, we chose to use them as an option for people to consider donating to our parish's Building Fund. Thanks to all those who used them.
A few strategically placed fans helped to add another element to the décor. Hand-held fans are an integral part of life in China. Almost everyone, from the poorest peasant to the most afluent 'woman of leisure' can afford to carry a fan for practical and not so practical reasons.
Paper lanterns and even dragons are often used in the décor for the Spring Festival. Especially since this is the Year of the Dragon, we needed to incorporate these images in our décor as well, even though the version of our dragon looked as though he had only recently been hatched:
Flowers are also typically used to symbolize the coming of Spring. Since the New Year celebration also is known as the Spring Festival, it was fitting that we should use orchids to adorn the space used for this festival as well.
Red sheets of paper are commonly used to decorate homes in China for this Festival, and it is customary to write words of greeting and prosperity on the sheets as well. These words were spread throughout the room, complete with their English-language equivalents printed for all to see.
Table cards providing the details of the menu for the evening's meal, and centre pieces based on the concepts of Feng Shui (incorporating elements of earth, water, wind and fire) were also added to enhance the experience of our diners.
As an added bonus, even the washrooms were decorated to fit the theme of the evening.
One of the local mercants even donated packages of soap leaves which were incorporated into this design for the benefit of our guests.
Having set the scene, we were ready to welcome our guests.
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