LUNAR NEW YEAR’S BLESSING FROM THE MISSIONARY DIOCESE OF EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

LUNAR NEW YEAR (JAN 22ND) 

(Ancient Church of the West)

Happy Lunar New Year from the Missionary Diocese of East and Southeast Asia! May God bless you, keep you, and cause His Face to SHINE upon you, and give you peace in the New Year! 

新年快乐！愿主耶稣基督在新的一年里赐福于您，保守您，让祂脸上的光显在您的生命中，和赐您及全家人平安！

COLLECT

As the year is about to begin anew for the men and women in the Far East, grant Thy people protection, O Lord. In this season of rejoicing and merrymaking, may Thy Spirit safeguard the hearts of all Christians. May the Son continually intercede on our behalf, and may the Father continue to delight in all of our works. For we know it is by Thy will that we are given this year to better ourselves and serve Thee again. Through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, who livest and reignest with Thee in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen. 

主啊，华人新年即将来临。我们恳求祢庇护我们的弟兄姐妹。让我们众基督徒在欢喜快乐的期间心灵受圣灵保护。求圣子常常为我们祷告，愿圣父喜悦我们的善工。我们知道有这新的一年是因为祢的旨意，让我们能每日精进服侍祢。借着我们的主耶稣基督，祂在圣灵的合一中与祢同生并作王，永远独一之神，世世无尽。 阿门.

所有教区里的兄弟姐妹祝您新年快乐！幸福安康，主恩蒙福，心想事成，兴旺如兔，福杯满溢，万事如意！
Happy New Year from all the brothers and sisters in our diocese!  May you have happiness and well-being, May you have blessing by the grace of the Lord, May all your wishes come true, May your success reproduce like rabbits, May your cup of blessing always overflow, and May everything go well for you!

THE MAKING OF “YU SHENG” FOR CELEBRATION 

The Yu Sheng is a popular Malaysia-Singapore Chinese New Year tradition that is typically ‘ritually-eaten’ on the 7th day of Lunar New Year but often eaten throughout the festive season due to its overwhelming popularity!

The Yu Sheng is a salad of shredded carrots, cucumber and various spices, crackers and plum sauce, topped with generous servings of raw fish (Toman or Salmon but may include Abalone and other exotic seafood). 

No, the Yu Sheng isn’t eaten because a salad is in good order after all the feasting. It is eaten for what it symbolises.

An acclamation of ‘auspicious words’ are made at as each ingredient is added to the dish. For example, when the server pours in the sweet plum sauce, he says, “甜甜密密” (sweet and intimate); when he pours out the crispy crackers, he says, "财源滚滚" (wealth rolls down). These acclamations often match the characteristic of the ingredient. 

After every auspicious ingredient is on the plate, every one at the table takes his chopsticks and tosses the salad, the higher the better, symbolizing “步步高升” better things to come.

Very often, the insane emphasize on unbridled wealth and prosperity makes the faithful God-fearing Orthodox-Christian uncomfortable. We do not embrace materialism and we certainly do not idolize any material!

Below is a list of usual phrases Christians in the previous years have used in place of 金银满屋、满地黄金、大吉大利、恭喜发财.

主恩满溢: Abundant grace

万事神意: Everything in God's will

年年蒙恩: Blessed by God yearly

福杯满溢 : Abundant blessings

龙马精神: Good health

主内平安: Peace in Christ

年年有余: Abundance

年年快乐 : Happiness

原主带领: God's guidance

Our community in Singapore decided to develop an Orthodox Yu Sheng by retaining the traditional acclamations but understanding them from a biblical perspective. The Aaronic Blessing from the Old Testament was used as the biblical source text. Thereafter the Christian acclamation from the list above - along with other wishes and aspirations - are used during the toss!

THE BLESSING OF MANDARINS 

Our Mediterranean Orthodox brothers and sisters make the blessing of fruits at the Feast of Transfiguration into an amazing holiday. They celebrate with many special foods, wine, and roast lamb in the summer, just as we celebrate New Year in East Asia. Because the grapes are blessed, along with apples, olives and other fruits, they are considered medicinal and curative for both soul and body. These “First Fruits” are kept very fastidiously and preserved throughout the year for use in the family by the sick and suffering. These, along with blessed salt, oil and water, are considered elements of Orthodox exorcism, and are considered a gift from God. We now do the same thing with the traditional mandarin oranges of Lunar New Year! 

我们地中海东正教兄弟姐妹们将变身节上的水果祝福变成了一个美妙的节日。 他们在夏天用许多特殊的食物、葡萄酒和烤羊肉来庆祝，就像我们在东亚庆祝新年一样。 因为葡萄是有福的，连同苹果、橄榄和其他水果，它们被认为对灵魂和身体都有治疗的作用。 这些“初熟的果实”被精心保管并全年保存，供生病和受苦的家庭使用。 这些，连同受祝福的盐、油和水，被认为是东正教驱魔的元素，被认为是来自上帝的好礼物。

BLESSING PRAYER

Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.

People: Lord, have mercy.

Priest: Bless, O Lord, these fruits of the earth, which You have graciously been pleased to bring to maturity through temperate seasons, gentle rains, and favorable weather. Let it be for joy to those of us who shall partake of this fruit for the purification of those who offer it as a gift, through the sacred and holy Body and Blood of Your Christ, with whom You art blessed, together with Your all holy, good, and life giving Spirit, now and forever and to ages of ages.

People: Amen.

神父：让我们向主祈祷。

众人：求主怜悯。

神父：主啊，保佑这些大地的果实，你仁慈地乐意通过温和的季节、微雨和有利的天气使它们成熟。愿我们这些将分享这果子的人感到高兴 ，善良，赐予生命的精神。借着我们的主耶稣基督，祂在圣灵的合一中与祢同生并作王，永远独一之神，世世无尽。

众人：阿门。