(ARA) by - If you went to China to ring in the new year, you’d be overwhelmed by a frenzy of family, festivities, food and fireworks! On Jan. 22, as the Chinese say goodbye to the Year of the Ram, you can bring a little bit of China into your home by celebrating the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. A vivacious, inquisitive creature, the monkey indicates that the new year will be full of passion, liveliness and prosperity!

Chinese New Year festivities are just as dynamic and spirited as the monkey and are a traditional part of ancient Chinese culture. Bring Chinese New Year joy into the lives of your friends and family with time-honored cooking, colorful decorations and activities for everyone.

Get colorful!

Red and gold are traditional symbols of luck and prosperity. Red also frightens away evil spirits and keeps them from creeping into the new year. Nian is the new year monster known in China for terrorizing children around the new moon and is easily frightened by loud music and bright colors. The Chinese use dancing, firecrackers and red costuming to ring in the new year, and keep out Nian.

Decorate with traditional colors and themes by stacking red plates and cups at one end of a buffet table and allowing guests to serve themselves from the variety of entrées laid out before them. For added flare, dust gold confetti over a black tablecloth. Wrap chopsticks (which can be found at your local Panda Express) in a red napkin and tie them together with shimmering gold ribbon. Grab your wok from the kitchen, fill it with the napkin sets and place it at the other end of your buffet. If your guests -- or any children in the group -- don’t know how to use chopsticks, see below for tips on teaching them how! Family-style dining is a convenient way to make sure your guests enjoy this feasting experience together.

Replace ordinary party gift bags with traditional red couplets. Your guests will love these small red envelopes which are usually inscribed in black with one of four Chinese characters signifying wealth prosperity abundance and long life. It is customary in China to give gifts in monetary form to denote paying off credit or debt. Enclose a small dollar amount in each red couplet, or fill them with gift certificates. Panda Express can provide you with gift certificates for any amount. You can also hang the couplets around your house as decoration and to ward off evil spirits.

Peonies symbolize love, affection and beauty and are known in China as "Flowers of Riches and Honor." Float them in glass bowls or sprinkle them across your buffet table. According to the Chinese, if a peach blossom blooms during the new year celebration it is a sure sign of future good fortune. Try stringing a flower garland to ornament your mantels or doorways.

Adorn your ceilings with red and black balloons tied with long gold ribbons. Line your walkway with traditional Chinese lanterns to draw light and luck -- along with your friends and family -- straight into your home.

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