![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/2013-01-08stranger-red-packet-3-1024x768.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Chinese New Year begins on February 10. It\u2019s less than a month away! Chinese in Australia, Canada, the US, Europe and of course, in every corner of Asia are getting ready to celebrate this major festival on the Lunar calendar. Even people in Vietnam and Korea are preparing for their Lunar New Year. One of our Chinese staff members shares the following idea of using this occasion to share the gospel:<\/p>\n
I love Chinese New Year! Greetings and wishes in red and gold adorn many houses while pots of New Year plants and lanterns grace the entrances. Mandarin oranges are carefully arranged in baskets alongside jars and trays of New Year goodies. The air is filled with the aroma of pots of delicacies gently cooking in the kitchen. Occasionally, you would hear the booms and clangs of drums and cymbals of a passing lion dance troupe.<\/p>\n
It is a special occasion for us Chinese regardless of which part of the globe we live in, not in small part because it is a time for family reunions. There would be the all-important reunion dinner, typically held on the eve of Chinese New Year\u2019s Day. Family from far and wide would gather that evening for a time of feasting and catching up. For many families, this would be the only time in the year where the entire clan would be together.<\/p>\n
Chinese New Year\u2019s Day would start with everyone dressing up in brand-new clothes. Children and adults alike, bearing two mandarin oranges in their hands, would greet each other and exchange oranges. Married people would hand out gifts in the form of little red envelopes (called red packets) with money in them, to the children and unmarried family and friends. (In Taiwan, working adults would also hand out red packets to non-working adults.) Friends would visit each other and spend time catching up over plates of New Year snacks.<\/p>\n
So much excitement, so much family time each Chinese New Year!<\/p>\n
Perhaps some of your family and friends are unbelievers. If so and if you are celebrating Chinese New Year this year with people who are dear to you, consider bringing along a few copies of \u201cThe Stranger on the Road to Emmaus\u201d (in traditional or simplified Chinese) or copies of \u201cBy This Name\u201d. You may get an opportunity to hand out a book to a family member or friend who expresses interest in the Bible.<\/p>\n
Even if you\u2019re not Chinese but have Chinese friends, why not consider giving them one of these books as a gift. And remember, it\u2019s polite in Chinese culture to present a gift with both hands. You just may bless them with the best news they would hear in 2013.<\/p>\n
If you are not quite sure what to say when giving away a book, here\u2019s a sample script you might like to adapt:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/btn_english_040001_front-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n