Good Luck and Good Fortune with a Chinese Baby Shower

A Chinese baby shower is something totally different! However, be warned if you are throwing a baby shower for a person of Chinese descent. It is considered bad luck to celebrate the baby before the birth as it is like tempting the gods. You may want to throw the baby shower after the birth and make it a baby-viewing party, too. Also, remove any clocks from the party area. In Chinese tradition, a clock represents the seconds left before someone's death – not exactly what you'd want around when celebrating a new life. A Chinese baby shower is also perfect if the new mommy is waiting for an adopted child from China.

The invitation always announces the theme of the baby shower. Look for some traditional Chinese landscapes printed on cards or hire someone to write the invitations in calligraphy. The invitations also can be in red and gold, which represents good luck and good fortune in Chinese tradition.

There are many decorating ideas that you can use for the Chinese baby shower; use red, orange, and gold to decorate aside from other bright, happy colors. Don't use black or white in any part of the room, these are colors of mourning in Chinese tradition. The Chinese paper lanterns found in every party store are perfect. Hang them from the ceiling all over the party room. Chinese ceramics, dolls, paper fans, parasols, and good-luck streamers are great inexpensive decorations. Giant paper flowers are wonderful accents for the tables. Vases can be filled with branches of cut bamboo.

The tables can be decorated with bowls of miniature oranges, clementines, and pineapples – all symbols of good fortune. Accent the bowls of fruit with more giant paper flowers or with gardenias or dahlias. Surround the arrangement with red candles in clear glass votives. Red tablecloths with gold runners are the best base for this Chinese baby shower. Use blue and white plates and cups to serve the food.

As for food, dim sum is a great choice for this Chinese baby shower. Dumplings, steamed buns, egg rolls, and pot stickers are some of the dim sum selections that you can order from your local Chinese restaurant for your Chinese baby shower. Sweets are also available, like sesame balls, dried fruits, and almond jelly with fruit cocktail are delicious desserts. All of these are perfect with Jasmine or Oolong tea.

A cake is not traditional at all in Chinese culture. A good substitute would be a pile of fortune cookies, each with a special fortune inside regarding parenting.

A great Chinese-themed game is Pacifier and Chopsticks. A variation on the classic game of Pass the Pacifier, it involves passing the pacifier from person to person using a pair of chopsticks. If someone drops the pacifier, it must go back to the beginning of the line.

Favors can be packed in Chinese take-out boxes or in little silk pouches. They can be filled with Chinese beaded bracelets, magnets or key chains with Chinese symbols, candles with Chinese symbols, Asian sweetmeats, Chinese tea bags, and tiny Chinese dolls.