Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Women Learn About Chinese

The Women of the Church of God (WCG) met January 19 in the home of Rhonda Spruill.

Members present were Thelma Mizell, Rhoda Spruill, Doris Vance, Eulah Wilson, Vivian Spruill, Shirley Smithpeters, Velvet Gonzales and Rhonda Spruill.

Rhonda presented the lesson, entitled 'New Year Joy! A Chinese New year Celebration.' It was written by Ethel Willard, who served 12 years as a Church of God missionary in Hong Kong.

In China, the new year celebration lasts for 15 days. Many of their festivities are similar to those practiced in America, but done for different reasons, e.g. they light fireworks to "ward off evil spirits."

The history of this holiday is very interesting:

Chinese New Year is the grandest and most important festival in the Chinese community. It is filled with much meaning. Since the Chinese follow a lunar calendar, the date varies from late January to mid-February on the Western solar calendar. In 1998 the Chinese year will be 4696. The new year began January 28, and it will be the year of the Tiger.

A cycle of 12 months is followed. According to tradition, in the beginning of time the god that made the world invited the animals to come see him. The first 12 animals that arrived were used to naming the years. They arrived in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram (goat), monkey, cock, dog and pig. Persons are said to have natures to those of the animal in whose year they were born.

Scripture used for the lesson was John 3:16, a familiar one to most Americans. In Chinese it is:

Seuhng Daai Ngoi Sai yahn, Sahm ji jeung ta dik duHk sang ji chi kap ta Muhn, giu yatchai seun ta dik, bat ji miHt mohng, faan dg sang.

The following recipes are shared by WCG.

Egg Tarts (Makes 36 Tarts)

Crust: 8-oz. cream cheese, 3 sticks margarine and 3 cups flour.

Mix crust ingredients, kneading as little as possible. Divide dough into thirds. Mold into 36 ungreased muffin tins. Each third should fill one dozen tins.

Filling: 1 cup sugar, boiling water (approx. 2 cups), 6 eggs and -cup evaporated milk.

Put +-cup sugar into 1 cup measuring cup and fill to the brim with boiling water. Stir to dissolve; put into large bowl. Repeat this procedure and add to the same large bowl. Let mixture cook and add eggs and evaporated milk, beating until smooth. Pour into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-19 minutes, or until egg bubbles up in one spot on tart. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Almond Jelly

Ingredients: 1 can fruit cocktail, preferably drained; 3 cups water; 1+ packages Knox gelatin (unflavored); ,-cup sugar; +-cup evaporated milk; 1 tablespoon almond extract; and toasted almonds (optional).

Chill fruit cocktail. Dissolve gelatin and sugar in hot water. Remove from fire and cool for one minute. Stir in evaporated milk and almond extract. Mold in individual molds or in a flat pan and cut in diamonds. Pour the cocktail over the jelly. Top with almonds if you wish.

Chines Cucumber Salad

Ingredients: 3 cups shredded cucumbers; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon salad oil; 1 tablespoon vinegar; +-cup sugar (more if you wish); +-teaspoon hot sauce; and 1 tablespoon soy sauce.

Peel cucumbers. Remove centers and shred fine. Sprinkle with salt, let stand one hour, then rinse and drain. Mix sauce and marinate cucumbers. Chill and serve.

The next SCG meeting will be February 9 at the Church of God fellowship hall.