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Chinese New Year
by Frann LeachAll photographs on this page have been provided by Alice Liyun Tan of Nanning, PRC. To see a slideshow with these pictures and others, visit our Chinese New Year slideshow on Flickr.
Although celebrated at a different time of the year, the Chinese New Year (also known as the Spring festival) has a lot of similarities to the Western one, full of ritual, tradition, merrymaking and joyous activities.
Chinese New Year is a festival to celebrate the coming of Spring. The underlying theme of Chinese New Year celebrations is one of happiness, peace and love for family and friends. Traditionally it lasted for 15 days, though this is now much reduced in most places, while in others it can extend for as long as three or even four weeks! In the People's Republic of China the official Chinese New Year public holiday lasts three days.
Traditional Chinese New Year crafts
Chinese New Year is associated with the Lunar Calendar which dates back to around 2600 BCE, when the first cycle of the zodiac was introduced by Emperor Huang Ti, making it the oldest chronological history in the world. The New Year starts with the new moon (called the Black Moon) in January or February, and the Festival of Lanterns (on the fifteenth day of the New Year) marks the full moon. The New Year commencing on 7th February 2008 will be Chinese year 4706: The Year of the Rat.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on cycles of the moon. New Year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. The complete cycle takes 60 years to complete and is made up of 5 cycles of 12 years each.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the years in a cycle after an animal - based upon the legend that Buddha summoned the animals to visit him before he departed from earth. The twelve which did come to visit him were rewarded with a year named after them in the order in which they arrived (the Rat being first on the scene, and the Pig last).
The Chinese (and many others) believe that the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on their personality.
Preparations for New Year start some four weeks beforehand when presents are bought, rather like Christmas in the West. Closer to the start of the actual festival, rooms are decorated with symbols with themes such as long life, wealth and happiness, and large quantities of food are prepared. These decorations are often made by cutting paper into special shapes. This time is also used to clean the house (which is believed to drive out bad luck), and to paint the woodwork (usually red).
Just before New Year, Chinese families check that every room where the family will get together has a vase of flowers and a dish of oranges and tangerines. Another tradition is to have a tray with eight kinds of dried sweet fruit, called 'The Candy Tray'.
If you go into Chinatown in any of the big cities of the world at this time of year, you are bound to hear people saying 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' or 'Hung Hei Fat Choy,' which means 'Happy New Year'.
Many special foods are eaten at New Year to bring different good wishes. It's good luck to wear the colour red, which is meant to keep evil spirits away, but wearing white or black is unlucky, as these are associated with mourning.
The family prepares New Year food
Kids tucking into the festive food
Letting off firecrackers in the street
Noisy firecrackers to scare away evil spirits
Look what I got in my Lisee!
Setting off to visit the relatives
At the temple
Lions ready to roam the streets
Dragons clearing evil spirits from a rural village
One of the most important parts of the Chinese New Year celebration (like Christmas in the West) is a huge dinner which all members of the family attend. Many special kinds of food are served which have been specially prepared for the feast.
Food plays a major part in Chinese culture and New Year is no exception. In fact, this starts immediately after midnight on New Year's Eve, when 'jiaozi' (a kind of dumpling served with garlic-soy sauce) are eaten. Traditionally a coin is hidden in one of the dumplings, and the person who gets the one with the coin in it will be blessed with special luck in the coming year. The dumplings themselves are shaped like gold and silver bars in the hope that they will bring good luck to those eating them.
After the meal it is traditional to play cards or board games, but many people just watch TV programmes or DVDs instead. Traditionally midnight used to signal a fireworks display, as fireworks and firecrackers were believed to help fighten off evil spirits, but in many places this has now been made illegal. On New Year's Day itself another traditional custom is called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet. This involves married couples giving children and unmarried adults money (also sweets) in red envelopes, which are called Lisee or Laisee.
Most people visit their families and neighbours to give greetings along with some oranges, tangerines and Lisees. Tangerines complete with attached leaves are especially welcome, representing fertility.
On the second day of the New Year it is usual to pray to the gods and ancestors of the family. It is also a day to be extra kind to dogs!
The fifth day of the New Year, called 'Po Woo' is one on which people stay at home, as it is bad luck to visit anyone. It is the day on which families honour the God of Wealth.
On the seventh day of the New Year farmers show off their produce. Tradition says that it is the birthday of all humans. Many people enjoy a special drink made of seven different vegetables.
There are many street celebrations, during the festival, including, The Lion Dance and The Dragon Dance which are both very colourful and spectacular.
The 15th day is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations and is called the Festival of Lanterns. It is marked by singing, dancing, lantern shows and plenty of 'Tang Yuan' dumplings made from sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with spicy or sweet filling. Children make lanterns and other decorations for the home as a craft activity in school.
Unfortunately, Chinese New Year is becoming extremely commercialised, even in China itself, just like Christmas in the West. In fact, there are so many common features between Chinese New Year and Christmas that it is quite amazing.
The Lion Dance
Dancers performing the Lion Dance (which is thought to drive away bad luck) need to be extremely fit. Normally two dancers perform the dance, one acting as the head and the other as the body. They dance to music from a drum, cymbals and a gong. The head of the lion is decorated with a mirror to reflect evil spirits' images back at them and frighten them away. The Lion runs along the street visiting different places and at some point comes across the 'Laughing Buddha', who dresses in a Monk's robes and a mask. The Buddha teases the Lion with a fan made of banana leaves, making the lion jump around.
As the Lion goes around, he looks for green vegetables such as lettuce or cabbage, which are hung in the doorways of houses or businesses. Hidden in between the leaves of the vegetables are red packets containing money. The Lion 'eats' the vegetables and scatters the leaves to symbolise a fresh start to the New Year and the spreading of good fortune.
The Dragon Dance
Unlike its Western counterpart (such as the one in St George and the Dragon), the Chinese Dragon is a friendly and loving creature, who is very helpful and kind. It has scales like a fish, horns like a stag and the footpads of a tiger. Dragons in Chinese folklore are linked to good luck, long life and wisdom. They are also associated with storm clouds and rain, and have very special powers, able to fly in the air and swim in the sea as well as walking on land.
The Dragon Dance needs quite a few dancers, one of which is the head and the rest support the body on poles which they raise and lower to make the body move sinuously. The dragon is decorated in many colours, always including gold, green and red. Like the Lion in the Lion Dance, the Dragon weaves its way through the streets, collecting money en route from houses, businesses and bystanders.
Dragons can vary in length from just a few feet up to 100 metres long - the longer the Dragon the more lucky it is. The Dragon Dance can take place during the day or at night, when the route is often lighted with blazing torches.
Sometimes a man leads the dragon with the 'Pearl of Wisdom' on a pole, beating a drum to encourage it to search for wisdom and knowledge.
The Candy Tray
The Candy Tray is sometimes called the Tray of Togetherness and is usually circular or octagonal in shape, generally divided into eight sections around the edge, each containing a different type of sweet delicacy and with a larger central section. After taking pieces of candy from the tray people are expected to place their red packet (Lisee) in the centre compartment.
The traditional Candy Tray contains:
Candied Melon - for growth and good luck
Cumquat - for prosperity
Lychee Nut - for strong family relationships
Coconut - for togetherness
Lotus seed - for many children
Peanuts - for long life
(dyed) Red Melon Seed - for joy, happiness, truth and sincerity
Longnan - for many good sons
In mainland China, including Longnan has become unpopular because families have been limited by law to a single child.
| ©2007 Frann Leach. All rights reserved. | Back to top |
