Happy Chinese New Year

Red paper posted on main entrance

      On February 19, more than a quarter of the world's population will celebrate the Chinese New Year. The New Year's Day celebration is on a different date each year because it is based on the lunar calendar that has been followed in China since ancient times. Chinese use the Zodiac to represent a cycle of twelve years. This year, it is the Year of the Sheep.

       Why do we celebrate the New Year? Each culture has its own legend for the reason. The one that belongs to Chinese is spookily interesting.

       It was said that the Year had been a monstrous beast. It had appeared on every New Year's Eve to create havoc, eating people and wrecking houses, at which time everyone locked up windows and doors and hid breathlessly at home. Later on, people realized that the Year was fearful of noises and any color in red, so that on one New Year's Eve when the Year showed up as usual, people began to fire firecrackers and pounded the chop knife against the chop board to make deafening noises in every household. Meanwhile, they were all dressed in shiny red and gave each other money contained in red bags for good luck, while they pasted on top and both sides of the main entrance of buildings poems of auspices written on pieces of brightly red paper. Needless to say, the Year scurried off and never returned. At dawn of the New Year's Day, people emerged safely to cheerfully congratulate each other by saying "good luck for the coming year".

     Traditionally, on New Year's Eve, all family members gather around a table, some grinding pork and some kneading dough, to make dumplings. The dumplings, pretty much round in shape, symbolize fullness. The firecrackers start to blast exactly at midnight of the New Year's Eve nonstop till the New Year's Day. Everyone puts on new clothes and new shoes and says good wishes to every family member. The older generations hand out money in red bags to the younger, much like opening Christmas gifts on the Christmas Day. The grownups who have earned money are to present money in red bags to their parents to show their appreciation. Later that day, friends visit each others homes to wish each other good things to happen in the coming year.

Paper cuttings of lambs

       The New Year's Eve and the New Year's Day are the most important days of the year to Chinese. They represent a time for reunion and new outlook. In Asia, the Chinese New Year is celebrated concurrently in China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The Chinese celebration usually lasts for half a month until the Lantern Festival held in the evening of lunar January 15.

             Even though my husband and I have lived in the States for thirty years, on New Year's Day we have been handing out money in red bags to our two sons, who are very pleased (who wouldn’t be?) to have been able to receive gifts on both the Christmas and Chinese New Year's Days, which are not far apart. We also celebrate by eating dumplings, oranges (also symbolizing fullness), and special sweets. On top of all these, we have always remembered to call our parents in Taiwan to send greetings and regards.

          The Year of the Sheep symbolizes purity and innocence, auspices and satisfaction, and perspiration and perseverance. Best wishes to every one for a fulfilling new year!

Sumei Chi, LAMP Mandarin interpreter and author