It's time to say Happy New Year again! According to the traditional Chinese calendar, the new year begins on February 14, 2010. Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days and involves lots of celebrating including family visits, gift giving, reflection on the past year, fireworks and feasts.
Celebrating the Chinese New Year is a fun and beautiful tradition that has become prized and adopted by many other cultures worldwide. It is a great time to reach out to family, friends and clients of any kind of background to wish them prosperity and success in the year ahead. (Especially if you did not get a chance to send out New Year's greeting during the busy December holiday season.) Here are some guidelines below to colors, symbols and themes that work for designing Chinese New Year greeting cards. Colors Ever heard of the phrase a red letter day? You may want to send Chinese New Year greeting cards out in red envelopes, because red is the main color used to decorate for the holiday. Red envelopes are also appropriate because there is a Chinese tradition of giving children red envelopes or gift packets filled with money. Gold is often used with red as an accompanying New Year's color. You can achieve beautiful gold accents on greeting cards by using foil stamping techniques. Symbols When designing a Chinese New Year greeting card, focus the design around one or more of the following symbols. Flowers, such as plum blossoms, narcissus and chrysanthemum are used to symbolize luck, prosperity and longevity, respectively. Fish in general, and more specifically the Koi fish, symbolize surplus or success. You can also take symbols from the celebratory aspects of the new year, such as red oval lanterns, which are hung about the home; dragons, which are used in the dragon dance to chase away evil spirits; and fireworks or firecrackers. Themes In general the language of the greeting card should be auspicious and focus on themes of happiness, wealth and longevity. The Chinese New Year is a time to visit with family, eat a family meal, cleanse the home, buy new clothing, and give and receive small gifts. Any imagery or wording should promote these mainstays of the holiday.
[...] The Chinese New Year begins on February 14 and so far on the PsPrint blog, we’ve given you a rundown on what the holiday entails, and how to create a Chinese New Year calendar and greeting cards! [...]
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