|
Chinese New Year
By the end of January all those New Year resolutions that were made on December 31st have often be discarded and left for another time. However, all hope is not lost, as there is a second chance to start afresh with the celebration of the Chinese New Year on 18th February 2007. |  |
|
The Chinese New Year is swathed in traditions and rituals. The date for the beginning of the New Year falls on the 24th day of the 12th month of the lunar year, so each year it is different. This date is auspicious because it is believed to be the date that various Gods ascend to heaven to pay their respects to the Jade Emperor, the supreme Taoist Deity.
|
The Gregorian calendar was adopted in China in 1912 but Chinese people still use the lunar calendar for recognising birthdays and religious festivals. The Chinese calendar is actually lunisolar: the years are reckoned according to the sun and the months according to the moon. The year has 12 months, alternately 29 and 30 days long totalling 354 days. In order to make the months correspond with the solar year (Gregorian), a 13th month is inserted every two or three years. The New Year begins on the new moon and may occur at any time from January 1 to February 19, inclusive.
2007 marks the year of the pig. Chinese year signs repeat every 12 years. According to legend, Buddha summoned all the animals to visit him before he died. Only twelve animals came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named each year after the animals in the order they arrived. According to a legend, the animals were quarrelling about who should head the cycle of years. When asked to decide, the Gods suggested a contest. Whoever reached the bank of a certain river first would head the cycle and the rest of the animals would be listed accordingly. All the animals lined up and the ox jumped in. Unknown to him, the rat was on his back and stepped ashore first. The Chinese people believe you will have many of the characteristics of the animal of the year you were born.
|
Chinese New Year's Day
2006 Jan. 29
2007 Feb. 18
2008 Feb. 7
2009 Jan. 26
2010 Feb. 14
2011 Feb. 3
2012 Jan. 23
2013 Feb. 10
2014 Jan. 31
|  |
Chinese Year Signs and their meanings
DOG 2006 - Dogs make loyal, dutiful friends, but can be self-centred and stubborn. Generous and loyal, you have the ability to work well with others. Compatible with the Horse and Tiger, your opposite is the Tiger.
PIG 2007 - Pigs or boars are honest, courageous and proud. They love learning and hate fighting. Gallant and noble, your friends will remain at your side. Compatible with the Rabbit and Sheep; your opposite is the Snake.
RAT 2008 - Rats are hard working and thrifty, but also love to gossip. Ambitious & sincere you can be generous with your financial resources. Compatible with the Dragon and Monkey; your opposite is the Horse.
OX 2009 - Oxen are strong and determined (stubborn), and artistic. A leader, you are bright and cheerful. Compatible with the Snake and Cock. Your opposite is the Sheep.
TIGER 2010 - Tigers are brave and kind, but not trusting. Forthright and sensitive, you possess great courage. Compatible with the Horse & Dog; your opposite is the Monkey.
RABBIT 2011 - Sometimes know as the hare, rabbits are intelligent and calm and like stability. Talented and affectionate, you are a seeker of tranquillity. Compatible with the Sheep and Boar; your opposite is the Cock.
DRAGON 2012 - Dragons are often politicians. They are show-offs, loud and proud. Robust and passionate, your life is filled with complexity. Compatible with the Monkey; your opposite is the Dog.
SNAKE 2013 - Serpents are successful and wise, and sharp dressers. Strong willed and intense, you display great wisdom. Compatible with the Cock and Ox; your opposite is the Boar.
HORSE 2014 - Horses are hard workers, patient, popular and very good to friends. Physically attractive and popular you like the company of others. Compatible with the Tiger and Dog; your opposite is the Rat.
RAM 2015 - Rams are talented, artistic and usually successful. Aesthetic and stylish you enjoy being a private person. Compatible with the Boar and Rabbit; your opposite is the Ox.
MONKEY 2016 - Monkeys are funny, playful tricksters who love receiving new gifts. Persuasive and intelligent, you strive to excel. Compatible with the Dragon and Rat; your opposite is the Tiger.
ROOSTER (COCK) 2017 - Roosters like to be right. They are often dreamy, but seldom angry. Seeking wisdom and truth you have pioneering spirit. Compatible with the Snake and Ox; your opposite is the Rabbit.
|
| The origin of the Chinese New Year is itself centuries old - in fact, too old to actually be traced. It is popularly recognised as the Spring Festival and celebrations last for 15 days. Other names for this festival are Lunar New Year, Chun Jie and Yuan Tan. Like Christmas the preparations tend to begin a month earlier, when people start buying presents, decoration materials, food and clothing. Although celebrations of the Chinese New Year vary, the underlying message is one of peace and happiness for family members and friends. A huge clean-up gets underway days before the New Year, when Chinese houses are cleaned from top to bottom, to sweep away any traces of bad luck. Doors and windowpanes are given a new coat of paint, usually in red. |
The freshly painted doors and windows are then decorated with paper scrolls and squares, inscribed with blessings and auspicious words such as happiness, wealth and longevity. 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. These messages sound better than the typical fortune cookie messages. 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".
Every traditional Chinese household should have live blooming plants to symbolise 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. 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. In more elaborate settings, plum blossoms just starting to bloom are arranged with bamboo and pine sprigs; the grouping symbolising friends. Other highly prized flowers are the pussy willow, azalea, peony and water lily and narcissus.
|
Plants and Flowers
• Plum blossom signifies reliability and perseverance
• Bamboo is known for its compatibility, utility and flexible stems used for furniture
• Evergreen pine evokes longevity and steadiness.
| |
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honour of Heaven and Earth, the Gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family. The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast is called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. This feast symbolises family unity and honours the past and present generations.
Chinese New Year is a time when gifts, flowers and sweets are exchanged and all debts are paid before the new year begins. The festival celebrates the earth coming back to life and the beginning of ploughing and sowing. The travelling Gods are honoured on earth by the ritualistic burning of money that is believed to fund their travel expenses. Families smear the lips of Tsao Chun (kitchen god) with malt sugar so that he may present a 'sweetened' report of their deeds or misdeeds to the Jade Emperor. Temples become crowded with worshippers burning incense, making offerings and praying for fortune and happiness in the coming year.
|
|
The eve of the New Year is perhaps the most exciting part of the event, as anticipation creeps in. Here traditions and rituals are very carefully observed in everything from food to clothing. Houses are brightly lit and a family meal is prepared. Doors and windows are sealed to keep in good luck. A long bath is taken, as washing on New Year's Day will wash away good fortune. Dinner is usually a feast of seafood and dumplings, signifying different good wishes. Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations than any other time of the year.
|
Vast amounts of traditional food are prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to them, who have died. It is usual to wear something red as this colour is meant to ward off evil spirits. Black and white are never worn, as these are associated with mourning. After dinner, the family sit up for the night playing cards, board games or watching TV programmes dedicated to the occasion. At midnight, fireworks light up the sky. Fireworks and firecrackers are set off to scare away evil spirits and to welcome back the travelling kitchen God.
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. In south China, the favourite and most typical dishes are nian gao, sweet steamed glutinous rice pudding and zong zi (glutinous rice wrapped up in reed leaves). In the north, steamed-wheat bread (man tou) and small meat dumplings are the preferred food. The tremendous amount of food prepared at this time was meant to symbolise abundance and wealth for the household.
|
The significance of New Year foods.
• Prawns - for liveliness and happiness
• Dried oysters (or ho xi) - for all things good
• Raw fish salad or yu sheng - to bring good luck and prosperity
• Fai-hai (Angel Hair), an edible hair-like seaweed - to bring prosperity
• Dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) - signifying a long-lost good wish
• Whole fish - to represent togetherness and abundance
• A chicken - for prosperity. The chicken must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolise completeness.
• Noodles (uncut) - represent long life
| |
Ingredients in Jai
• Lotus seed - signify having many male offspring
• Ginkgo nut - represents silver ingots
• Black moss seaweed - for exceeding in wealth
• Dried bean curd - for fulfilment of wealth and happiness
• Bamboo shoots - is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be well"
• Fresh bean curd or tofu is not included, as it is white and unlucky for New Year as the colour signifies death and misfortune.
Candy Tray - "The Tray of Togetherness"
• Candied melon - growth and good health
• Red melon seed - dyed red to symbolise 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
|
|
On New Year's Day families break the seals around the doors and windows, wear new clothes and visit family and friends. An ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then the family begins to say greetings from door to door, first to their relatives and then their neighbours. Like the Western saying, "let bygones be bygones," at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily cast aside.
|
The New Year celebration takes place over fifteen days. Specific traditions occur on each of these days. Etiquette dictates that you must bring a bag of oranges and tangerines and enclose a lai see 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.
|
The New Year celebrations are drawn to an end on the 15th night with the Lantern Festival. People carry lanterns into the streets to take part in a great parade. Young men highlight the parade with a dragon dance. The dragon is made of bamboo, silk, and paper, and might stretch for more than a hundred feet in length. The bobbing and weaving of the dragon is an impressive sight, leaving a spectacular finish to all the New Year celebrations.
The Lantern Festival is a wonderful end to fifteen days of celebration. If you have broken all your New Year’s resolutions, perhaps you want to start again at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, instead of waiting until the end of the year.
| |
The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year
• 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 bad luck to both parties.
• On the sixth to the tenth 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 tenth through the twelfth are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the thirteenth day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.
|
• The fourteenth day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival, which is to be held on the fifteenth night. This marks the end of the New Year with a celebration of singing, dancing and lantern shows.
• The fifteenth night a Lantern Festival is held. This marks the end of the New Year with a celebration of singing, dancing and lantern shows. The highlight of the parade is a dragon dance. | 
|
|
|
