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Origins of Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival
because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the
twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature).
Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are
hanging around. Some agree, however, that the word Nian,
which in modern Chinese solely means "year", was originally the
name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night
before the beginning of a new year (Do not lose track here: we are
talking about the new year in terms of the Chinese calendar).
One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that
would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were
very scared. One day, an old man came to their rescue,
offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said, "I hear say that
you are very capable, but can you swallow the other beasts of prey
on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy
opponents?" So, swallow it did many of the beasts of prey on
earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from
time to time.
After that, the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian.
He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone
and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests, people
begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left,
he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their
windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it
sneaked back again, because red is the color the beast feared the
most.
From then on, the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is
carried on from generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian",
which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebrate the
(New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning
of "pass-over" and"observe". The custom of putting up red
paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a
chance to run loose is still around. However, people today
have long forgotten why they are doing all this, except that they
feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the
celebration. (More about fire crackers and Nian in part two
of this article).
Traditions of Chinese New Year
Even though the climax of the Chinese New Year, Nian, lasts only
two or three days including the New Year's Eve, the New Year
season extends from the mid-twelfth month of the previous year to
the middle of the first month of the new year. A month from
the New Year, it is a good time for business. People will
pour out their money to buy presents, decoration material, food
and clothing.
Days before the New Year, every family is busy giving its house a
thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there
may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming
good luck. In the old villages, people also give their doors
and window-panes a new paint, usually in red color. They
decorate the doors and windows with paper-cuts and couplets with
the very popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "longevity" and
"satisfactory marriage with more children". Paintings of the
same theme are put up in the house on top of the newly mounted
wall paper. In the old days, various kinds of food are
tributed at the Alta of ancestors.
The Eve of the New Year is very carefully observed. Supper
is a feast, with all members coming together. One of the
most popular course is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi"
in Chinese literally mean "sleep together and have sons", a
long-lost good wish for a family. After dinner, it is time
for the whole family to sit up for the night while having fun
playing cards or board games or watching TV programs dedicated to
the occasion. Every light is supposed to be kept on the
whole night. At midnight, the whole sky will be lit up by
fireworks and firecrackers make everywhere seem like a war zone.
People's excitement reach its zenith.
Very early the next morning, children greet their parents and
receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up in red paper
packages from them. Then, the family start out to say
greetings from door to door, first their relatives and then their
neighbors. It is a great time for reconciliation. Old
grudges are very easily cast away during the greetings. The
air is permeated with warmth and friendliness. During and
several days following the New Year's day, people are visiting
each other, with a great deal of exchange of gifts. The New
Year atmosphere is brought to an anti-climax fifteen days away
where the Festival of Lanterns sets in. It is an occasion of
lantern shows and folk dances everywhere. One typical food
is the Tang Yuan, another kind of dumplings made of sweet rice
rolled into balls and stuffed with sweet fillings.
Customs of observing the New Year vary from place to place,
considering that China is a big country not only geographically,
but also demographically and ethnically. Yet, the spirit
underlying the diverse celebrations of the Chinese New Year is the
same: a sincere wish of peace and happiness for the family members
and friends.
When is Chinese New Year?
It may sound weird, but it is true. Except for a very few
number of people who can keep track of when the Chinese New Year
should be, the majority of the Chinese today have to rely on a
typical Chinese calendar to tell it. Therefore, we cannot
talk of the Chinese New Year without mentioning the Chinese
calendar at first.
A Chinese calendar consists of both the Gregorian and a
lunar-solar calendrical systems, with the latter dividing a year
into twelve month each of which is in turn equally divided into
thirty-nine and a half days. The well-coordinated dual
system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity.
Besides the two calendrical systems, a Chinese calendar will not
be complete without a twenty-four solar terms closely related to
the changes of Nature - a very useful tool for farmers, providing
information on the proper time for planting and harvesting.
The first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar month makes the first
term.
Beginning of Spring usually starting from the fourth or fifth of
February. And the first day is the Chinese New Year's Day or
the onset of the Spring Festival. Incidentally, the New
Year's Day of 2003 is 1st February.
The 15-Day Celebration
The first day of the Lunar New Year is "the welcoming of the gods
of the heavens and earth. “Many people abstain from meat on the
first day of the New Year because it is believed that this will
ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as
to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as
it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect
to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to
welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on
the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.
On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives
and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good
fortune and health.
The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display
their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of
vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also
considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to
promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion
dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.
The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives
should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th
day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi
sum) to cleanse the system.
The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern
Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.
Facts About Chinese New Year
On the Chinese Year's Day, people will go out and visit their
friends and say "Gong Xi Fa Cai" in Mandarin or "Gueng Huei Fa
Zuai" in Cantonese, which means "Congratulations! You will be
rich." The reason that people visit their friends is because the
Nian story we mentioned previously. People wanted to make sure that
their friends made it and the beast "Year" or Nian didn't get them.
During the Chinese New Year time, especially before the shops open
for the new year, which usually is the fourth or fifth day of the
new year, there are several thing that you should do or not do. After the dinner at the Chinese New Year's Eve, you are not
supposed to sweep anything out. (More in the next page). The key word here is sweep out. If
you have to sweep, sweep things inward your house. So you are not
sweeping your luck away. Also, you can't take the trash out on the
first day of the New Year. If you break some glass or mug, you
have to say "Suei Suei Pien An", which means "peace every year,"
because "to break" sounds like one of the ways to say the word
"Year."
We usually have sweet rice cake. It's made of sweet rice with
sugar, sometimes red beans, date or sesame seeds. We also buy some
"Fa Gao," which is kind of pound cake but not as soft and puffy. We have
it just for the meaning of it. The word "cake" sounds like the
word "high." The meaning of the cake is that you have the cake and
you'll be more and more wealthy, or your position will get higher
and higher.
More About Chinese New Year
Celebrated on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, this is
the most important annual festival for the Chinese community. Each
year is named after one of the 12 animals according to the Chinese
Zodiac. Houses are cleaned and decorated to prepare for the big
day. Debts are settled, prayers and offerings are made. New
clothes are bought and plenty of food is prepared.
Family members from far come back for the gathering. New Year
cards are sent between family and friends and reunion dinner for
the family is held on the eve of the new year. Bad language and
unpleasant topics are discouraged.
There are lion dances and small fireworks. Red paper showing
Chinese characters of prosperity and wealth are pasted either in
front or inside the house. Ang-Pow or red packet containing money
is given out to children and elderly. Open house is practiced for
visiting relatives and friends with various ethnic races. The New
Year lasts for fifteen days where the concentration is on the
first three days. The celebration ends with the Chap Goh Mei on
the fifteenth day.
The most vibrant and colourful festival in the Chinese calendar is
the Lunar New Year, when the whole Chinatown is ablaze with lights
from ceremonial red lanterns, and the streets are bedecked with
traditional decorations mainly in red, the colour of good luck. The celebration starts with family reunion dinner on New Year's
Eve, followed by open-house over the next few days. It is a time
for forgiveness and for settling old debts. The festival lasts for
15 days and concludes with a big celebration called Chap Goh Mei.
Traditional New Year's Foods
Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations
than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional food
is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to us
who have died.
On New Year’s Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish
called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root
vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various
superstitious aspects to them:
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Lotus seed - signify
having many male offspring
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Ginkgo nut -
represents silver ingots
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Black moss seaweed -
is a homonym for exceeding in wealth
-
Dried bean curd is
another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and happiness
-
Bamboo shoots - is a
term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well"
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Fresh bean curd or
tofu is not included as it is white and unlucky for New Year as
the color signifies death and misfortune.
Other foods include a
whole fish, to represent togetherness and abundance, and a chicken
for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail
and feet to symbolize completeness. Noodles should be uncut, as
they represent long life. In south China, the favorite and most
typical dishes were nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding
and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves), another
popular delicacy. In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and
small meat dumplings were the preferred food. The tremendous
amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolize
abundance and wealth for the household.
Chinese New Year's Decorations
Prior to New Year Day, Chinese families decorate their living
rooms with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and
tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet
fruit. On walls and doors are poetic couplets, happy wishes
written on red paper. For instance, "May you enjoy continuous
good health" and "May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth
and the Star of Longevity shine on you" are especially positive
couplets.
Plants and Flowers: Every traditional Chinese household should
also have live blooming plants to symbolize rebirth and new
growth. Flowers are believed to be symbolic of wealth and high
positions in one’s career. Lucky is the home with a plant that
blooms on New Year’s Day, for that foretells a year of prosperity. In more elaborate settings, plum blossoms just starting to bloom
are arranged with bamboo and pine sprigs, the grouping symbolizing
friends - the plum blossom also signifies reliability and
perseverance; the bamboo is known for its compatibility, its
utility and its flexible stems for furniture and other articles;
the evergreen pine evokes longevity and steadiness. Other highly
prized flowers are the pussy willow, azalea, peony and water lily
or narcissus.
The Chinese firmly believe that without flowers, there would be no
formation of any fruits. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance
to have flowers and floral decorations.
They are the emblems of reawakening of nature, they are also
intimately connected with superstition and with the wish for
happiness during the ensuing year.
Oranges and Tangerines: Etiquette dictates that you must bring a
bag of oranges and tangerines and enclose an Ang Bao when visiting
family or friends anytime during the two-week long Chinese New
Year celebration. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one’s
relationship with the other remains secure. For newlyweds, this
represents the branching of the couple into a family with many
children. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant
happiness.
Candy Tray: The candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon
is called "The Tray of Togetherness" and has a dazzling array of
candy to start the New Year sweetly. After taking several pieces
of candy from the tray, adults places a red envelope (Ang Bao) on
the center compartment of the tray. Each item represents some kind
of good fortune.
-
Candied melon - growth and good health
-
Red melon seed - dyed red to symbolize joy, happiness, truth and
sincerity
-
Lychee nut - strong family relationships
-
Cumquat - prosperity (gold)
-
Coconut - togetherness
-
Peanuts - long life
-
Longnan - many good sons
-
Lotus seed - many children
Customs of observing the New Year vary from place to place,
considering that Chinese live in all parts of the world, not only geographically,
but also demographically and ethnically. Yet, the spirit
underlying the diverse celebrations of the Chinese New Year is the
same: a sincere wish of peace and happiness for the family members
and friends.
Traditional celebrations of Chinese New Year may vary in our
modern day, but the most important message is one of peace and
happiness for family and friends. |
