Although the majority of the world measures time by the Gregorian calendar, many eastern Asian countries, including China, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, still use the Lunar calendar. In 2014, these countries will be celebrating the Year of the Horse and the 4712th Lunar New Year on January 31st. The Lunar New Year is a food and family-centered holiday celebrated for a total of fifteen days leading up to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day. On each of these days, a different custom is carried out to ensure good fortune and happiness for the coming year.
Being a second generation American-born Chinese, I was raised with a basic understanding of the history of Chinese traditions and practices associated with the New Year. According to an ancient Chinese legend, the animal zodiac cycle was determined by a race officiated by the Jade Emperor. The Emperor awarded zodiac years to the first twelve animals that successfully crossed a fast flowing river. Each using its own skill and method, the rat finished first followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
The traditional Lunar New Year celebration came about from an ancient myth in which a wild beast, Nian (年, Chinese for “year”), attacked a village at the end of each year. The villagers learned that bright colors and loud noises frightened the beast and protected the village from Nian. Ever since, the Chinese hang red and gold lanterns and wear bright red clothing as a symbol of good luck and prosperity. They also set off firecrackers to scare away the bad spirits.
One of the most well known Chinese New Year customs is the giving of money in red envelopes (紅包, hong bao). Traditionally, adults give these to younger friends and family with hopes that the money inside will suppress evil and give promise of long and healthy living. Additionally, to keep with the vibrant colors of the holiday, oranges are often seen in Chinese houses. The Chinese word for orange, 橘 (ju), is a homonym for good fortune, 福 (fu), and has become associated with good luck.
Since the Lunar New Year is celebrated so widely around the world, there are several different ways in which people are accustomed to celebrating the New Year. In China, the diverse cultures of the northern and southern provinces are enough for each respective celebration to be sufficiently different. Even neighboring villages in the same province can hold different celebrations. For example, although both my paternal and maternal grandparents are from the southern province of Guangdong, neither celebrates the Chinese New Year in the same way. In many cases, there are customs that my mother grew up with that my father had never even heard of.
In America, the Chinese culture and traditions for the New Year have blended together such that in addition to the customs I typically follow, I’ve also learned of the various other ways that people celebrate. Particularly in Chinatown and other cities with a large Asian population, and even here at BC, people of differing backgrounds come together to create a culture unique from the traditional celebrations of the individual villages. This year, I look forward to celebrating and sharing my culture with my classmates on campus with events hosted by several culture organizations and in Boston with the annual Lion Dance Parade on February 9th.
Although I consider myself to be more “Americanized” than some of my other Asian friends, I take pride in maintaining a connection to my Chinese roots. It’s also a great time to showcase my limited knowledge of the Chinese language: 新年快樂 (xi nian kuai le)! Happy New Year! 恭喜發財 (gong xi fa cai)! May you have a prosperous New Year!
Photo Sources:
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/132/0/a/the_chinese_zodiac_by_inkheart7-d4zh9ao.png
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/132/0/a/the_chinese_zodiac_by_inkheart7-d4zh9ao.png
http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2014/01/lunar-and-chinese-new-year-recipes.html
http://www.cantonteaco.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/shutterstock_948318-SMALL.jpg