Happy Easter, everyone!

We all know that coloring eggs is one of the most traditional children’s activities during Easter. But want to dye your own eggs, but afraid that the chemicals in the dye might be dangerous to your children’s health? The safest way to color eggs is to make your own, natural dyes! You can actually have a lot more fun using the things you can find in your fridge or in your garden then buying ready-made dyes in stores.

Using natural dyes instead of chemical ones might make the process of coloring the eggs a bit longer, but with some patience, the final result will be just as good – if not better.

There are two main ways of dyeing the eggs. You can either add the dyes when you are boiling the eggs, or dye the eggs after they are already done. The second way takes longer but is more practical and you won’t need as many pans if you want to make different colors.

Here is a list of some common foods or flowers that you can use to make the different colored dyes:

– Green: Spinach or grass
– Brown: Coffee (strong or instant), black walnut shells or black tea
– Pink: Beet juice, cranberry juice or raspberries
– Red: Raspberries, lots of red onion skins or pomegranate juice
– Violet blue: Red wine, hibiscus tea or violet blossoms
– Blue: Purple grape juice, red cabbage leaves or canned blueberries
– Lavender: Blueberries, a red herbal tea or some purple grape juice
– Yellow: Ground turmeric, orange or lemon peels, green tea or chamomile tea
– Orange: Yellow onion skins, chili powder, paprika (with a lot of paprika the color will become a  brick red)

The quantity of each ingredient varies; the more you put in and the longer you dye the eggs for, the more intense the color will be.

Here’s how to actually color the eggs:

1. First, wash the eggs and pat them dry.
2. Place a single layer of eggs in a pan and cover them with water.
3. Add one spoonful of vinegar.
4. Add the natural dye ingredient that you want to use.
5. Bring the water to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the eggs from the water. If you are not satisfied with the color and you want it to be more intense, strain the dye through a coffee filter, cover the eggs with the filtered dye and leave them overnight the refrigerator.
8. Natural dyes are usually less shiny than chemical ones. If you want to make the eggs shinier, rub them with olive oil or another kind of cooking oil once they are dry and you will get a glossy effect.

Now it’s your turn to make your own dyes and color eggs with your entire family. Happy Easter!

Note: This post was originally published in March 2013.
Photo: Couleur via Pixabay

This year, Qingming falls on April 4. We’re all happy for the extra holidays, but do you actually know the story behind this festival? Also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, Qingming Festival is a combination of happiness and sadness. It’s a time for Chinese families to commemorate their dead and, at the same time, welcome the arrival of spring.

The festival traditionally signifies the beginning of spring, when temperatures start to rise and rainfall increases. This helped farmers know the right time to start plowing their fields and sowing their crops.

On Qingming, it’s customary to sweep the tombs of relatives, ancestors, and national heroes who have passed on. Families also make offer food, and burn incense and paper money to help the dead in the other world. The process has been simplified with the rise of cremation. Often, only flowers are offered at the memorial stone.

Qingming Festival has a long history. It was first celebrated in the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907) as a memorial day for Jie Zitui. As legend goes, there was much fighting for the throne during the period of the Warring States (771-476 BC). The prince, Chong’er, managed to escape and went on a long exile with his followers.

One day, Chong’er was starving to death when Jie Zitui, one of his followers, saved him by cutting off a piece of own flesh to prepare a soup with. After 19 years, Chong’er returned to his kingdom and became Duke Wen of Jin.

He wanted to reward all his followers, but Jie Zitui chose to lead a hermit’s life in the mountains instead.

The Duke traveled to the mountains to reward Jie Zitui personally, but couldn’t find him. To force him out, he rather drastically set fire to the mountain. When Jie Zitui was found dead a few days later, the Duke decided to commemorate his death by establishing the Hanshi (or Cold Food) Festival, during which only cold food can be eaten.

One year later, the Duke returned to the mountain and found that all the burnt willows had revived. He was reminded of Jie Zitui’s nobleness and swept his tomb in respect. He then declared the day after Hanshi Festival to be Qingming Festival. The two festivals were later combined; this is where the tradition of not cooking and eating cold food comes from in the modern version of Qingming.

A typical activity on Qingming Festival is the flying of kites – not regular kites, but so-called “god lanterns.” These have a string of little lanterns tied to the kite to resemble shining stars in the night sky. What’s more, the string should be cut to bring good luck and even cure diseases.

If you can’t make it out of Beijing for Qingming, take advantage of the mild weather to visit one of the city’s numerous parks and join the locals in celebration.  

Photo from flickr user Runa B

Who doesn’t enjoy a good magic trick? The following trick is very easy to do, but it never fails to surprise the audience. You will make ribbons or silk handkerchiefs magically appear from an apparently empty tube.

Materials:

• Two sheets of paper
• Scissors
• Clear adhesive tape
• Some small flat objects, such as ribbons or silk handkerchiefs

Instructions

• Roll one of the sheets of paper into a cylinder and secure it with some adhesive tape. Take the other piece of paper and roll it into a cone, with one end measuring the same diameter as the cylinder and the other end a bit smaller.
• Insert the cone into the cylinder and cut off the excess from around the edges, so that the cone ends up looking like a regular cylinder.
• From the side, you can see a “secret compartment” where you can hide and take out objects from. Try putting in a few ribbons or silk handkerchiefs, wrap them around the cone, and then get yourself an audience for the trick.
• When you show the cylinder to the audience, face the larger part of the cone towards them so that it will look just like a normal cone from their perspective. From your side, you’ll be able to see the ribbon hidden inside.
• After showing them the empty cylinder, pull out the ribbons by shaking the cylinder. Enjoy their surprised expressions.
• You can also customize the cylinder by drawing on it or adding some stickers to make it look more magical!

This post first appeared on April 7, 2013 written by the same author.

Do you hate those one yuan notes that always take up space in your wallet? Use them to create an origami heart! They’re fun to make and very cute. Just follow the steps after the jump and you’ll have an adorable origami heart in a matter of minutes.

I know it might be a bit hard, but try to find a relatively new and uncrumpled note. The results won’t be as good if you use an old and wrinkled one (not to mention significantly grosser).

1. First, fold the top right corner down to meet the bottom of the note.

2. Unfold, and reverse the process by folding up the bottom right corner of the note.

3. Now you can see an "X" shape when you unfold both corners. Pinch the middle creases (like in the first picture) and push down the resulting triangular tip. You’ll send up with something that looks like the photo above.

4. Now do the same thing for the left side of the note.

5. Fold the diamond in half, bringing the edges of the triangles together. Flatten the spine, then unfold the diamond again so that the back looks like the above photo.

6. Turn the diamond over again. Fold the corners of both triangles to the middle.The result will look like the above photo.

7. Then flatten each of the four small triangles to create four small squares.

8. Fold the sides of each square towards the middle crease. (The resulting points should face outwards, not inwards.)

9. Then, unfold each of the creases you just created and flatten into even smaller points.

10. Flip the note over and fold the left and right corners back. Don’t fold them in too much, or you’ll end up with a square backing to the heart instead of a, well, heart-shaped one.

11. Now fold down the top to create the heart shape.

11. If there is a small flap in the back as in the picture, flatten it to the side.

And it’s done!

If you want you can also add a one mao coin in the middle. Just pop it between the four points of the smaller hearts.

Adapted from How to Fold a Dollar Into a Heart

Photos by Laura Ibba

Dragon Boat Festival (龙船节), also known Duanwu Jie (端午节) falls on the fifth day on fifth lunar month of every year. This year, it corresponds to June 20. Since 2008, it has been considered a public holiday. Main activities during this time include eating zongzi (粽子 or steamed glutinous rice with various fillings wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves), drinking xionghuang jiu (雄黄酒, a kind of alcohol made from realgar) and watching dragon boat races.

There are many legends about the origins of the festival, but the most popular one tells that the festival was established to commemorate the death of the poet, Qu Yuan.

Qu Yuan, lived between 340 and 278 BC. He was a poet in the State of Chu. The State of Qin was trying to take control of Chu during that period, so Qu Yuan tried to strengthen Chu’s military forces.

However, he was opposed by some aristocrats, deposed and exiled by King Huai. In 278 BC, when Qin finally conquered Chu, Qu Yuan killed himself. On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, he drowned himself in the Miluo River.

The people of Chu admired the poet’s actions, and threw zongzi and xionghuang jiu in the water to keep fish away from Qu Yuan’s body. Fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river, looking for him. And from this, the customs of dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking xionghuang jiu came about.

Zongzi
Zongzi (粽子) are made of glutinous rice stuffed with fillings, then wrapped in bamboo or reed, leaves and tied with colored thread. The fillings vary region by region. In the north, the fillings are usually sweet: red bean paste, tapioca, or taro. In the south, they tend to be more savory. Fillings include duck egg, pork, chicken, or mushrooms.

Xionghuang Jiu
Xionghuang jiu (雄黃酒), also known as realgar wine, is a Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar. The tradition of drinking xionghuang jiu  is also related to the fact that Dragon Boat Festival marked the beginning of summer and the appearance of dangerous animals and evil spirits. Since xionghuang jiu contains arsenic sulfide (considered to be an antidote for poison), drinking it was meant to protect people from these animals and evil spirits.

Dragon Boats
The reason why dragon boats (龙舟) are dragon-shaped is that dragons in Chinese culture are considered rulers of rivers, lakes and seas. The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is when the sun is at its strongest. Depictions of the sun and the dragon are often used together to represent male energy, whereas female energy is linked with the moon and the phoenix.

This post first appeared on June 10, 2013 and has been slightly modified.

Photo: english.gov.taipei

The weather is getting warmer and warmer in Beijing and while it’s nice to go out in summer dresses and t-shirts, the heat can be annoying and even dangerous, especially for children and elderly. To prevent the risk of dehydration and heat illness always remember to take these simple precautions:

Drink that H2O
It may sound banal, but it’s important to drink a lot of water during summer in order to compensate for the loss of water due to sweating. Avoid drinking coffee and alcohol as they promote dehydration.

Keep it light
Wear comfortable and thin clothes. Choose light colors, especially white, as light colors absorb less heat than darker colors and can keep you cooler.

Take another shower
Showering is refreshing and helps to cool down the temperature of your body. If you are having problems falling asleep because of the heat, try to take a cool shower before going to bed.

Go for the fruit bowl
Avoid eating heavy food, fried food, and protein-rich meals as these take longer to digest and will keep your body temperature higher. Instead, try eating sandwiches, salads, lots of fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits will not only refresh you, but also give you a lot of nutrients and water content.

Avoid the sun
Especially between 12pm and 4pm, when the day is at his hottest, avoid spending too much time in the sun. If you are outside, try to walk in the shade or rest at regular intervals. If there’s not much shade to be found, try going a bit more local and carrying an umbrella or parasol to shield yourself from the sun’s direct rays.

Wear sunscreen and sunglasses
Always remember to protect your skin and eyes by putting sunscreen on your skin and wearing sunglasses. Even if it’s a cloudy (or smoggy) day, your skin can be damaged by the sun’s UV rays, and damage can occur even if you don’t get burned. Remember to reapply sunscreen frequently (every two hours) and liberally. When the family goes out for a day outside, it’s also a good idea to have your children (and even yourself) wear a hat.

This post first appeared on May 24, 2013.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Source: Tips to combat summer heat and Humidity

South of East Third Ring Road lies an area that is most famous for the bustling Panjiayuan Antique Market. While it is open all days of the week, this market is busiest, in terms of both vendors and visitors, on the weekends. Whatever you’re looking for, this market has it: from antiques, arts and crafts, and jade bracelets to golden Buddha’s statues. If you look hard enough, you can find some real treasures, too. Outside the market, there are more small unofficial vendors and furniture shops.

But first: to make the most of your day in this area, start at Panjiayuan Glasses City (Yanjing Cheng). From exit A of Panjiayuan Qiao subway station, turn left and walk up East Third Ring Road until you see the market on your left. There are a collection of shops with a wide variety of frames. If you forgot to bring your prescription, they can do an eye exam or use your old glasses to make new ones, a process that typically takes less than an hour. Prices vary widely depending on what you want, how many frames you are buying, and your bargaining skills, but RMB 150 is an average price for one pair.

With a fresh pair of glasses in your pocket, walk back towards the subway station, past exit A, and turn right onto Panjiayuan Lu. On your left is the north entrance to Panjiayuan Antique Market. Get lost among the stalls and shops, and admire calligraphy, paintings and jade jewelry. Remember to bargain and never settle on the opening price. Find
Chinese-style furnishings and home décor, or just pick up trinkets and souvenirs, like kites and wind-up toys. If you are interested in Tibetan art, check out Linfeng Tibetan Artistic Firm for authentic Tibetan furniture, beautiful carpets and antique handicrafts. From the north entrance, head right, look for Row B, and they will be at the beginning of the street.

Next, leave the market from the southwest exit; you’ll find yourself at Huawei Lu. Walk along the road for a few minutes and turn left onto Huawei Nanlu. On your left is the Chang’an Grand Hotel’s Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant. Spoil yourself with a luxurious Cantonese-style lunch of seafood and dim sum.

After lunch, burn some calories with a stroll through Beijing Antique City, just next door. Like Panjiayuan Market, this four-story building is another great source for Chinese antiques. If you didn’t find what you were looking for at the antique market, you may find it here, among the large collection of art, carpets, jade sculptures, furniture, porcelain and pottery.

Give your legs (and wallet) a rest at Capital Library, just across East Third Ring Road. Grab a book and relax on one of the many sofas scattered around the library. The seventh floor is a floor dedicated to an assortment of English books. For the children’s English reading room, located on the first floor, turn left at the entrance of Block A.

Hungry again? Head back towards the entrance of the library on Songyu Nanlu and walk east. Then turn right onto Nanxinyuan Xilu until you hit Freshness on your left. This small Japanese supermarket carries fresh seafood and imported Japanese food products. If you’re looking for a sit-down meal, Matsuko is just down the road. They offer a wide range of typical Japanese food: noodles, sushi, sashimi and tempura. If you get a chance to return, try their lunch buffet. To head back home, walk down Nanxinyuan Lu, turn right onto Hongyan Lu. When you reach East Third Ring Road, you will see Shilihe subway station on your left.

Panjiayuan Glasses City 潘家园眼镜城
Daily 9am-6pm. 43 Huaweibeili Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (8773 0786, 8773 0848) 朝阳区东三环南路华威北里43号楼名镜苑眼镜城

Panjiayuan Antique Market 潘家园市场
Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 4.30am-6pm. West of Panjiayuan Qiao, Chaoyang District (6775 2405) 朝阳区潘家园桥西边

Linfeng Tibetan Artistic Firm 灵峰藏艺古典家具店
Daily 8.30am-8.30 pm. Stall 1, Row B, Panjiayuan Market, Chaoyang District (139 1173 9981) www.lftibetanart.cn
朝阳区潘家园市场乙排1号

Regal Palace Chinese Restaurant 秦乐宫中餐厅
Daily 10am-10pm. 1/F, Chang’an Grand Hotel, 27 Huaweili, Chaoyang District (8778 9888 ext 262) 朝阳区华威里27号长安戴斯大饭店1层

Beijing Antique City 北京古玩城
Daily 10am-7pm. 21 Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (5960 9999)朝阳区东三环南路21号

Capital Library 首都图书馆
Daily 9am-7.30pm. 88 Dongsanhuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6735 8114)朝阳区东三环南路88号

Freshness 生鲜馆
Daily 9am-10pm. Inside Longtou Gongyu, 8 Nanxinyuan Xilu, Chaoyang District (8732 8650) 朝阳区南新园西路8号龙头公寓内

Matsuko 松子
Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5-10.30pm. 1/F, 8 Nanxinyuan Xilu, South of Longtou Gongyu, Chaoyang District (8731 9890) 朝阳区南新园西路8号龙头公寓南栋一层

This article originally appeared on p30-31 of the beijingkids June 2013 issue and online on June 20, 2013.

Photo by Judy Zhou and courtesy of West Zest (Flickr)