Having spent the past 18 years celebrating Chinese New Year in such a fashion, my first one at Amherst this past Monday was a letdown not only because of the lack of celebration, but to add salt to the wound, the College chose to mark the holiday with the start of classes. Other than some decorations in Val to remind me of home, the Chinese equivalent of Christmas passed by with only a few cheery greetings and phone calls home, where, of course, everyone was celebrating. Yet many of us who do observe Chinese New Year do not even know the history and the meaning behind many of the symbols and rituals that we see and perform year in and year out. How could we expect anyone else to know? Why is it that we Chinese dress in red for a New Year that is on a different day each year? Read on and maybe next year the College will be able to celebrate this holiday together.
Origins
Though the exact origins of the Lunar New Year are too ancient to be traced, legend has it that the Chinese word for year, Nian, was originally the name of a hideous beast that could swallow a handful of people in one bite. Nian would come out every New Year’s Day, decimating villages and devouring livestock, crops and people. The only way to ward off Nian was to offer food to him on the doorstep, or so the villagers thought, until one day Nian was observed running away from a child wearing red. In this way the tradition of wearing red was born. As an added precaution, people set off firecrackers to scare away Nian in case he was tempted to return.
Regardless of the validity of the myth, most people nowadays believe that firecrackers and red, the color of other Chinese celebrations such as weddings, are part of the New Year’s festivities because they add to the excitement and passion of the holiday.
The Zodiac
The Chinese divide years twelve at a time so that each year correlates with an animal. People born in each year share similar personality traits with their animal. 2009 is the second year of the cycle, the year of the bull, which represents steadiness, loyalty and patience.
Food
Like any party, Lunar New Year celebrations are not complete without food. The exact food eaten varies depending on the region of China, though it is traditional to eat a whole fish. Since the Chinese word for fish, “yu,” shares the same sound as the word “abundance,” eating fish puns the phrase “May there be abundance every year” with “May there be fish every year.” Most people also eat “nian gao,” a sticky cake made out of glutinous rice flour, wheat and sugar, whose name translates to “year cake.” In Northern China, people traditionally eat “jiao zi,” or dumplings, which are symbolic for packaging luck inside the flour shell.
Red Envelopes
Called “hong bao” in Chinese, these red envelopes decorated with gold print wish the receiver luck and prosperity and are the reason behind most Chinese children’s love for the Lunar New Year. The tradition likely originated from a practice during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912) in which coins, the currency of the time, were strung together with red string and were then exchanged between the elderly to ward away sickness and death. As the currency evolved from coins to paper, the red string gave way to red envelopes. Sadly, red envelopes have also become a euphemism for bribery; bribing an official is often known as “slipping him a red envelope.”
Lion dance
No celebration of Chinese New Year is complete without watching or, for those brave who are brave enough, performing the lion dance. These dances vary between northern and southern China but usually consist of two-man teams that wave and dance in an elaborate lion costume. Northern lions tend to be yellow, orange or red and perform acrobatic moves that were used to entertain the Imperial Court, located in Northern China. In the South, however, the lions have horns, large eyes and a mirror on their foreheads and are thought to symbolize Nian, the legendary monster. The lion dance is probably the most well known symbol of Chinese New Year, seen in films ranging from “Mulan” to “Once Upon a Time in China.”
In China
Although the Chinese now use the Western calendar, Chinese New Year is still calculated annually by the lunar calendar and is the most important date in the Chinese year. While Americans organize their winter break around Christmas, the Chinese work through this time but receive nearly a month’s leave around Chinese New Year, typically in late January or February. This time period is referred to as “chun jie,” which literally means “spring festival.” In Mainland China as well as America, many Chinese gather around the television and watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala, which features performances from Chinese celebrities and a countdown a la New York City.
Despite the common misconception that Chinese New Year is solely a Chinese holiday, it is in fact celebrated throughout Asia and is widely known as the Lunar New Year. It is a public holiday in Mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia and is celebrated in many other countries as well. Each of these regions has its own traditions and legends surrounding the holiday. Given the long history of the Lunar New Year, there are many differing stories and explanations behind each of these traditions, but regardless, the Lunar New Year is the time to celebrate and relax for all.