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Chinese New Year brings in a day of culture |
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By Kirstie Lee.
Chinese New Year is a celebration of the lunar calendar, which is based on the cycles of the moon phase. Although Chinese New Year falls on a different day each year, Feb. 7 is the date of the new lunar year in 2008. Many people all across America will be celebrating with firecrackers, red envelopes and festive dinners.
Different types of food are eaten as a celebration for the New Year and have a symbolic meaning. Foods include dumplings, representing wealth; fish, representing abundance; shrimp, representing happiness; oysters, representing good things; green vegetables, representing a intimate year with the family; nian gao, a sticky rice cake representing greater prosperity; and long noodles, representing a long life. Many foods are presented as a whole; if chicken is served, the whole chicken will be cooked and served on the table. Cutting it would represent cutting of good luck in the coming year. Decorations add to the festivities for the holiday. A mass of red, the color symbolizing luck, can be seen in homes, plates and clothes, and oval lanterns are hung around the walls. Windows remain open and houses are cleaned from top to bottom to bring in good luck. An extravagant dinner can be served with elaborate dishes that took all day to prepare; a special family activity. Each of the family members also wear traditional Chinese outfits, even in modern American families. These outfits are traditionally bought as new, symbolizing a fresh start in the New Year. Red envelopes, called hong bao, are given to the younger generation by older relatives, such as grandparents and parents. The red envelopes contain money, the amount depending on the age of the recipient. Usually, the older the child is, the more money it contains. The red envelopes have different things on the cover, usually a good luck phrase or a cartoon symbolizing a prosperous life. Celebration also includes making loud noises during the night. As legend says, a ferocious monster named Nian haunted the people in the Chinese village. On the first night of each month, Nian would come into the village and hunt the people to eat. A wise old man living in the village devised a plan for the village people to get rid of the monster. He gathered everyone living in the village and told them to make loud noises at night to scare Nian away. The old man’s plan worked, and thus modern Chinese use firecrackers and loud gongs to keep tradition alive. Modern Americans celebrate Chinese New Year with downtown festivals, school projects, live drama performances and more. The festivities are not only limited to Chinese, as Americans with different ethnicities and backgrounds congregate to celebrate. Find out what your community offers for this special holiday.
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