What do horses, fireworks, and dancing dragons all have in common? They were all featured in the spectacular event this past weekend: the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year! All over the globe, people gathered with friends and family to kiss the snake goodbye and welcome the year of the horse. This celebration will last for a 15 day period kicking off this past Friday, January 31st with a spectacular crowd-pleasing celebration and ending with the beautiful Lantern Festival. This year marked the beginning of the year 4712 in the Chinese calendar!
Yes, that sounds like a really futuristic number to me as well. Actually, the Lunar New Year is one of their oldest celebrations, dating back to the 14th century B.C. The typical firework explosions and bright colors were conceived from a legend that tells of a wild beast known as “Nian” (the Chinese word for “year”) who would appear at the end of the year, tormenting and killing villagers. They found that the only way to stop this monster from attacking the innocent people was through loud noises and bright colors, especially red – and so the traditions were born. Who knew sensitive eyes and ears could ward off a wild beast?
Galloping into this New Year, the horse is said to bring health and prosperity. Along with that, it is said to be an excellent year for traveling. Not too shabby, huh?
If you’re confused as to why a horse and not, say, a Flamingo, the answer is due to the fact that the Chinese New Year is directly connected to the Chinese Zodiac. This is a 12-year calendar system that assigns a specific animal to each year: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.These animals were chosen because they interacted with the five elements that make up the universe – earth, water, fire, wood, and metal.
Enough about history, let’s talk about how this huge party is typically celebrated! The traditions first begin at home. A deep cleansing of the home from top to bottom takes place to get rid of any negative energy lurking around; think of this as an intense spring cleaning session. It is also common for some families to decorate their living space with scrolls expressing words of good fortune such as “happiness” or “wealth.” Apart from the cleansing, all doors and windows are kept open at the stroke of midnight on the 31st of January to receive the prosperity and great tidings of the New Year. Another sweet tradition takes the shape of red envelopes, which in Mandarin are known as “Hung bao.” These little guys are filled with money and placed under children’s pillows, along with candy, on New Year’s Day.
So what about the food? The eve’s dinner is probably the most important dinner of the year! Depending on the family, they either host a party at their house – wherein hiring a chef has gained popularity – or go out to a restaurant, which is reserved many months in advance. Some dishes you may find on your table during this celebration include “Tang Yuan” which is a black sesame rice ball soup, or “Eight Treasures Rice” made with rice (clearly), walnuts, almonds, dried fruits, raisins, and sweet bean paste.
The festivities wrap up with the Lantern Festival. Embellished red paper lanterns dot the streets and homes of China. Seriously, they are hung anywhere that will hold them up, including tree branches, inside stores, and around the home among other places. If you read closely, some people choose to write wishes on their lanterns. Some translations of these wishes are “Pass entrance exam and get enrolled in school,” or “Quickly find Mr. Right.” Out of the ones I came across, my favorite was “Onward and Upward.”
This entire celebration truly and artistically allows a person to clean their slate from all the negative aspects of the old year, ultimately opening themselves up to receive the freshness and positivity of the new year.
Photo credit: Jamie Han