With the Chinese New Year just around the corner, and everyone preparing themselves for it - especially those in the Asian continent (ahem...... barely having anyone celebrating here as mostly are Christians here...), I decided to go the extra step of looking up the meaning, the real meaning of Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year nowadays, is in my opinion somewhat "money minded"..... Ok, if you are like younger than the teenage years of.... cap max 15 (even at 15 and bugging people about Ang Pao is embarrasing for me to be honest), I would understand.... but if you are older than 15 and you go round bugging for Ang paos, then hello..... you miss out something terribly much......... You forgotten the real meaning of Chinese New Year!
Before you take the time to read the article from Wikipedia regarding Chinese New Year - Wikipedia (Yea, you can click on that link that says Chinese New Year - Wikipedia highlighted in yellow), take the time to reflect on your ownself on how do you actually see and take Chinese New Year - be it whether as a parent who is giving out these Ang Paos, or some kid or unmarried person still receiving ang paos.
I know for a fact :
1) Some parents actually bring their kid into their room (if visitors visit their home) and check how much is within their angpao that was given to their kid before deciding on the amount to give back to the visitor´s kids.
2) Ang Paos is not a MUST give item from married people. Ang Pao is a traditional gift, and if you look it up, it not necessarily contain money either.
3) If you go down to the definite roots about Chinese New Year, it is celebrated mostly by the Buddhist Chinese and not Christian Chinese or other Chinese.
So to all of you reading this, be it family or friend or complete stranger, before you turn to criticize me for turning against my "traditions" because I´m a chinese, please check your facts. I am a Christian (baptised and all) Chinese and I am not married to a Chinese. I stopped giving such stuff since the separation and divorce from my first marriage, and I will not continue on now either as both my husband and I are Christians. To me the Ang Pao is a curtesy, a tradition. It is not a MUST item during CNY. I will not stop you, if we ever go back visiting during CNY, to give one to my daughter or future children, but I appreciate your end of the respect the decision on whether we do return the gesture or not. Don´t make Chinese New Year - like all other festivals - a marketing gesture. Upkeeping a tradition is good, but not abusing it.
Happy reading :
Chinese New Year
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other traditions of celebrating lunar new year, see
Lunar New Year.
| Chinese New Year |
| Also called |
Lunar New Year, Spring Festival |
| Observed by |
Chinese communities worldwide[1] |
| Type |
Cultural, Religious
(Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian) |
| Significance |
The first day of the Chinese calendar (lunisolar calendar) |
| 2011 date |
February 3 |
| 2012 date |
January 23 |
| 2013 date |
February 10 |
| Celebrations |
Dragon dances/Lion dances, fireworks, family gathering, family meal, visiting friends and relatives (拜年), giving red envelopes, decorating with duilian (對聯). |
| Related to |
Lantern Festival, which concludes the celebration of the New Year.
Mongol New Year (Tsagaan Sar), Tibetan New Year (Losar), Japanese New Year (Shōgatsu), Korean New Year (Seollal), Vietnamese New Year (Tết) |
Chinese New Year is the most important of the
traditional Chinese holidays. In
China, it is known as "
Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (
Pinyin: Chūn Jié), since the
spring season in Chinese calendar starts with
lichun, the first
solar term
in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season,
analogous to the Western carnival. The festival begins on the first day
of the first month (
Chinese:
正月;
pinyin:
Zhēng Yuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with
Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual
reunion dinner, is known as
Chú Xī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the
Chinese calendar is
lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "
Lunar New Year".
Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the
Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old
and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese
New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant
Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong,
[2] Indonesia,
Macau,
Malaysia,
Philippines,
Singapore,
[3] Taiwan,
Thailand, and also in
Chinatowns
elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the
Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its
geographic neighbors. These include
Koreans (
Seollal),
Bhutanese (
Losar), and Vietnamese cultures.
Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the
celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out
their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing.
It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house
to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming
luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour
paper-cuts and
couplets with popular themes of
"good fortune" or "happiness",
"wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a
feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks,
chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with
firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents
by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red
paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget
all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.
Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously
numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the
reign of the
Yellow Emperor.
But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various
scholars, making the year beginning in 2012 AD the "Chinese Year" 4710,
4709, or 4649.
[4]
| Animal |
Branch |
New Year dates |
| 鼠 Rat |
子 Zǐ |
February 19, 1996 |
February 7, 2008 |
January 25, 2020 |
| 牛 Ox |
丑 Chǒu |
February 7, 1997 |
January 26, 2009 |
February 12, 2021 |
| 虎 Tiger |
寅 Yín |
January 28, 1998 |
February 14, 2010 |
February 1, 2022 |
| 兔 Rabbit |
卯 Mǎo |
February 16, 1999 |
February 3, 2011 |
January 22, 2023 |
| 龍 Dragon |
辰 Chen |
February 5, 2000 |
January 23, 2012 |
February 10, 2024 |
| 蛇 Snake |
巳 Sì |
January 24, 2001 |
February 10, 2013 |
January 29, 2025 |
| 馬 Horse |
午 Wǔ |
February 12, 2002 |
January 31, 2014 |
February 17, 2026 |
| 羊 Goat |
未 Wèi |
February 1, 2003 |
February 19, 2015 |
February 7, 2027 |
| 猴 Monkey |
申 Shēn |
January 22, 2004 |
February 8, 2016 |
January 27, 2028 |
| 雞 Rooster |
酉 Yǒu |
February 9, 2005 |
January 28, 2017 |
February 13, 2029 |
| 狗 Dog |
戌 Xū |
January 29, 2006 |
February 16, 2018 |
February 3, 2030 |
| 豬 Pig |
亥 Hài |
February 18, 2007 |
February 5, 2019 |
January 23, 2031 |
Chinese New Year eve in Meizhou on February 2, 2011.
The
lunisolar
Chinese calendar determines the date of Chinese New Year. The calendar
is also used in countries that have adopted or have been influenced by
Han
culture, notably the Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese, and may have a
common ancestry with the similar New Year festivals outside East Asia,
such as Iran, and historically, the
Bulgars lands.
In the
Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, a date between January 21 and February 20. In the
Chinese calendar,
winter solstice
must occur in the 11th month, which means that Chinese New Year usually
falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice (rarely the
third if an
intercalary month intervenes). In traditional Chinese Culture,
lichun is a solar term marking the start of spring, which occurs about February 4.
The dates for Chinese New Year from 1996 to 2031 (in the Gregorian
calendar) are at the left, along with the year's presiding animal
zodiac and its
earthly branch. The names of the earthly branches have no English counterparts and are
not the Chinese translations of the animals. Alongside the 12-year cycle of the animal zodiac there is a 10-year cycle of
heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the
five elements of
Chinese astrology, namely:
Wood,
Fire,
Earth,
Metal, and
Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a
yin and yang
association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished:
Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined
cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang
Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart.
[5]
Many confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian
birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to
mid-February, the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in
the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian
year. For example, the 1989 year of the snake began on February 6, 1989.
The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the horse.
However, the 1989 year of the snake officially ended on January 26,
1990. This means that anyone born from January 1 to January 25, 1990 was
actually born in the year of the snake rather than the year of the
horse. Many online Chinese Sign calculators do not account for the
non-alignment of the two calendars, using Gregorian-calendar years
rather than official Chinese New Year dates.
One scheme of
continuously numbered Chinese-calendar years
assigns 4708 to the year beginning February 3, 2011, but this is not
universally accepted; the calendar is traditionally cyclical, not
continuously numbered.
[edit] Mythology
Hand-painted Chinese New Year's
poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to people's homes,
Lijiang,
Yunnan
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the
Nian (
Chinese:
年;
pinyin:
nián).
Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops,
and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the
villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of
every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they
prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that
the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers
then understood that the Nian was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every
time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red
lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used
firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to
the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by
Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's mount.
[6]
[edit] Public holiday
Chinese New Year is observed as a public holiday in a number of
countries and territories where a sizable Chinese population resides.
Since Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian
calendar every year on different days of the week, some of these
governments opt to shift working days in order to accommodate a longer
public holiday. Also like many other countries in the world, a statutory
holiday is added on the following work day when the New Year falls on a
weekend.
| Region |
Description |
| Mainland China |
New Year's Eve and the first two days. (Usually, the Saturday before
and the Sunday after Chinese New Year are declared working days, and
the 2 additionally gained holidays are added to the official 3 days of
holiday, so that people have 7 consecutive days, including weekends,
off.) |
| Hong Kong and Macau |
The first three days. If one of the first three days is on a Sunday,
Chinese New Year's Eve is celebrated as a public holiday. In the year
2010, the first day (February 14) is a Sunday and Chinese New Year's Eve
(February 13) is consequently a public holiday. |
| Taiwan |
The New Year's Eve and the first three days. |
| Christmas Island, Malaysia and Singapore |
The first two days. If one of the days falls on a Sunday, the
holiday is extended to three days. In 2010, the first day (February 14)
is on a Sunday so celebration of the holiday is extended through Tuesday
(February 16). Chinese New Year's Eve is usually a half-day holiday in
Singapore. |
| Brunei, Indonesia and Philippines |
The first day. If Sunday, it will be moved to Monday. If Friday (in Brunei), it will be moved to Saturday. |
| Other |
A few countries around the world regularly issue postage stamps
and numismatic coins to commemorate Chinese New Year. Although Chinese
New Year is not institutionalized as public holiday, these countries
recognize the significant number of their citizens who are of Chinese origin. The countries and territories that sometimes do so include Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, the United States, and other countries. |
[edit] Festivities
| “ |
Red couplets and red lanterns are displayed
on the door frames and light up the atmosphere. The air is filled with
strong Chinese emotions. In stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and
other cities, products of traditional Chinese style have started to lead
fashion trend[s]. Buy yourself a Chinese-style coat, get your kids
tiger-head hats and shoes, and decorate your home with some beautiful
red Chinese knots, then you will have an authentic Chinese-style Spring
Festival. |
” |
— Xinwen Lianbo, January 2001, quoted by Li Ren, Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness[7] |
[edit] Preceding days
On the eighth day of the lunar month prior to Chinese New Year, a traditional porridge known as
làbāzhōu (腊八粥) is served in remembrance "of an ancient festival, called Là, that occurred shortly after the winter solstice"
[8].
Là
(腊) is a term often associated with Chinese New Year as it refers to
the sacrifices held in honor of the gods in the twelfth lunar month,
hence the cured meats of Chinese New Year are known as
làròu
(腊肉). The porridge was prepared by the women of the household at first
light, with the first bowl offered to the family's ancestors and the
household deities. Every member of the family was then served a bowl,
with leftovers distributed to relatives and friends.
[9] It's still served as a special breakfast on this day in some Chinese homes.
On the days immediately before the New Year celebration, Chinese
families give their home a thorough cleaning. There is a Cantonese
saying "Wash away the dirt on
ninya
baat" (年廿八，洗邋遢), but the practice is not restricted to
nin'ya'baat
(年廿八, the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps
away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for
good luck. Brooms and dust pans are put away on the first day so that
the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their
homes, doors and window-frames a new coat of red paint; decorators and
paper-hangers do a year-end rush of business prior to Chinese New Year
[10]. Homes are often decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and
couplets. Purchasing new clothing, shoes, and receiving a hair-cut also symbolize a fresh start.
In many households where Buddhism or Taoism is prevalent, home altars
and statues are cleaned thoroughly, and altars that were adorned with
decorations from the previous year are taken down and burned a week
before the new year starts, to be replaced with new decorations. Taoists
(and Buddhists to a lesser extent) will also "send gods" (送神), an
example would be burning a paper effigy of
Zao Jun the Kitchen God, the recorder of family functions. This is done so that the Kitchen God can report to the
Jade Emperor
of the family household's transgressions and good deeds. Families often
offer sweet foods (such as candy) in order to "bribe" the deities into
reporting good things about the family.
The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the dinner. A dish
consisting of fish will appear on the tables of Chinese families. It is
for display for the New Year's Eve dinner. This meal is comparable to
Christmas dinner in the West. In northern China, it is customary to make
dumplings (
jiaozi 餃子) after dinner to eat around midnight. Dumplings symbolize wealth because their shape resembles a Chinese
tael. By contrast, in the South, it is customary to make a glutinous new year cake (
Niangao,
年糕) and send pieces of it as gifts to relatives and friends in the
coming days of the new year. Niángāo [Pinyin] literally means "new year
cake" with a homophonous meaning of "increasingly prosperous year in
year out".
[11]
After dinner, some families go to local temples hours before the new
year begins to pray for a prosperous new year by lighting the first
incense of the year; however in modern practice, many households hold
parties and even hold a countdown to the new year. Traditionally,
firecrackers were once lit to scare away evil spirits with the household
doors sealed, not to be reopened until the new morning in a ritual
called "opening the door of fortune" (
kāicáimén, 開財門).
[12] Beginning in 1982, the
CCTV New Year's Gala was broadcast four hours before the start of the New Year.
[edit] First day
The first day is for the welcoming of the deities of the heavens and
earth, officially beginning at midnight. Many people, especially
Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure
longevity
for them. Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad luck
on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the days before.
On this day, it is considered bad luck to clean.
Most importantly, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time to
honor one's elders and families visit the oldest and most senior members
of their extended families, usually their parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents.
For Buddhists, the first day is also the birthday of
Maitreya Bodhisattva (better known as the more familiar
Budai Luohan), the Buddha-to-be. People also abstain from killing animals.
Some families may invite a
lion dance
troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Chinese New Year as well as
to evict bad spirits from the premises. Members of the family who are
married also give red envelopes containing cash to junior members of the
family, mostly children and teenagers. Business managers also give
bonuses through red envelopes to employees for good luck and wealth.
While fireworks and firecrackers are traditionally very popular, some
regions have banned them due to concerns over fire hazards, which have
resulted in increased number of fires around New Years and challenged
municipal fire departments' work capacity. For this reason, various city
governments (e.g., Hong Kong, and Beijing, for a number of years)
issued bans over fireworks and firecrackers in certain premises of the
city. As a substitute, large-scale fireworks have been launched by
governments in such cities as Hong Kong.
[edit] Second day
Incense is burned at the graves of ancestors as part of the offering and prayer ritual.
The second day of the Chinese New Year, known as
kāinián (开年, "beginning of the year")
[13],
was when married daughters visited their birth parents, relatives and
close friends. (Traditionally, married daughters often didn't have the
opportunity to visit their birth families frequently.)
It is also the God of Wealth's birthday. During the days of imperial
China, "beggars and other unemployed people circulate[d] from family to
family, carrying a picture [of the God of Wealth] shouting, "
Cai Shen dao!" [The God of Wealth has come!]."
[14]
Householders would respond with "lucky money" to reward the messengers.
Business people of the Cantonese dialect group will hold a 'Hoi Nin'
prayer to start their business on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year so
they will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in their business for
the year.
Some believe that the second day is also the birthday of all dogs and remember them with special treats.
[edit] Third day
The third day is known as
chì kǒu (赤口), directly translated as "red mouth".
chì kǒu is also called
chì gǒu rì (赤狗日).
chì gǒu
means "the God of Blazing Wrath" (熛怒之神). It is generally accepted that
it is not a good day to socialize or visit your relatives and friends.
[15][16]. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at home.
[17] This is also considered a propitious day to visit the temple of the God of Wealth and have one's future told.
[edit] Fourth day
In those communities that celebrate Chinese New Year for only two or
three days, the fourth day is when corporate "spring dinners" kick off
and business returns to normal.
[edit] Fifth day
In northern Mainland China, people eat
jiǎo zi (
simplified Chinese:
饺子;
traditional Chinese:
餃子), or dumplings on the morning of
Po Wu (
破五). In Taiwan, businesses traditionally re-open on the next day (the sixth day), accompanied by firecrackers.
It is also common in China that on the 5th day people will shoot off
firecrackers in the attempt to get Guan Yu's attention, thus ensuring
his favor and good fortune for the new year.
[citation needed]
[edit] Seventh day
The seventh day, traditionally known as
rénrì (人日, the common man's birthday), the day when everyone grows one year older. In some
overseas Chinese communities in
Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore, it is also the day when tossed raw fish salad,
yusheng, is eaten for continued wealth and prosperity.
For many Chinese Buddhists, this is another day to avoid meat, the seventh day commemorating the birth of
Sakra, lord of the devas in Buddhist cosmology who is analogous to the Jade Emperor.
[edit] Eighth day
Another family dinner is held to celebrate the eve of the birth of
the Jade Emperor. However, everybody should be back to work by the
eighth day. All government agencies and business will stop celebrating
by the eighth day. Store owners will host a lunch/dinner with their
employees, thanking their employees for the work they have done for the
whole year.
[edit] Ninth day
The ninth day of the New Year is a day for Chinese to offer prayers to the
Jade Emperor of Heaven (天公) in the
Taoist Pantheon. The ninth day is traditionally the birthday of the Jade Emperor. This day is especially important to
Hokkiens.
Come midnight of the eighth day of the new year, Hokkiens will offer
thanks giving prayers to the Emperor of Heaven. Offerings will include
sugarcane as it was the sugarcane that had protected the Hokkiens from
certain extermination generations ago. Incense, tea, fruit, vegetarian
food or roast pig, and gold paper is served as a customary protocol for
paying respect to an honored person.
[edit] Tenth day
The Jade Emperor's party is also celebrated on this day.
[edit] Eleventh through twelfth day
On these days, friends and family are invited for dinners.
[edit] Thirteenth day
On the 13th day people will eat pure vegetarian food to clean out
their stomach due to consuming too much food over the last two weeks.
This day is dedicated to the General
Guan Yu,
also known as the Chinese God of War. Guan Yu was born in the Han
dynasty and is considered the greatest general in Chinese history. He
represents loyalty, strength, truth, and justice. According to history,
he was tricked by the enemy and was beheaded.
Almost every organization and business in China will pray to Guan Yu
on this day. Before his life ended, Guan Yu had won over one hundred
battles and that is a goal that all businesses in China want to
accomplish. In a way, people look at him as the God of Wealth or the God
of Success.
[edit] Fifteenth day
The fifteenth day of the new year is celebrated as
Yuan Xiao Festival/Yuánxiāojié (元宵节), aka
Shang Yuan Festival/Shàngyuánjié (上元节) or the
Lantern Festival (otherwise known as
Chap Goh Mei Chinese: 十五暝; pinyin: shí wǔ míng; literally "the fifteen night" in
Fujian dialect). Rice dumplings
tangyuan (
simplified Chinese:
汤圆;
traditional Chinese:
湯圓;
pinyin:
tāngyuán), a sweet
glutinous rice
ball brewed in a soup, are eaten this day. Candles are lit outside
houses as a way to guide wayward spirits home. This day is celebrated as
the
Lantern Festival, and families walk the street carrying lighted lanterns.
In Malaysia and Singapore, this day is celebrated by individuals seeking for a love partner, a different version of
Valentine's Day.
[18]
Normally, single women would write their contact number on mandarin
oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect
them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible
love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.
This day often marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.
[edit] Cuisine
A
reunion dinner is held on
New Year's Eve
where members of the family gather for the celebration. The venue will
usually be in or near the home of the most senior member of the family.
The New Year's Eve dinner is very sumptuous and traditionally includes
chicken and
fish. In some areas, fish (
simplified Chinese:
鱼;
traditional Chinese:
魚;
pinyin:
yú) is included, but not eaten completely (and the remainder is stored overnight), as the Chinese phrase "may there be
surpluses every year" (
simplified Chinese:
年年有余;
traditional Chinese:
年年有餘;
pinyin:
nián nián yǒu yú) sounds the same as "may there be
fish every year."
In mainland China, many families will banter whilst watching the
CCTV New Year's Gala in the hours before midnight.
Red packets
for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion
dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that
reflect good luck and honorability. Several foods are consumed to usher
in wealth, happiness, and good fortune. Several of the
Chinese food names are homophones for words that also mean good things.
| Food items |
| Name |
Description |
Buddha's delight
(simplified Chinese: 罗汉斋; traditional Chinese: 羅漢齋; pinyin: luó hàn zhāi) |
An elaborate vegetarian dish served by Chinese families on the eve and the first day of the New Year. A type of black hair-like algae, pronounced "fat choy" in Cantonese, is also featured in the dish for its name, which sounds like "prosperity". Hakkas usually serve kiu nyuk (Chinese: 扣肉; pinyin: kòu ròu) and ngiong teu fu. |
| Fish |
Is usually eaten or merely displayed on the eve of Chinese New Year.
The pronunciation of fish (魚yú) makes it a homophone for
"surpluses"(餘yú). |
| Jau gok (Chinese: 油角; pinyin: yóu jiăo) |
The main Chinese new year dumpling. It is believed to resemble ancient Chinese gold ingots (simplified Chinese: 金元宝; traditional Chinese: 金元寶; pinyin: jīn yuán bǎo) |
| jiao zi (dumplings) (Chinese: 餃子) |
Eaten traditionally in northern China because the preparation is
similar to packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten. |
| Mandarin oranges |
Mandarin oranges are the most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year – jin ju (Chinese: 金橘子; pinyin: jīn júzi) translation: golden tangerine/orange or kam (Chinese: 柑; pinyin: gān) in Cantonese. Also, the name gik (橘 jú) in Teochew dialect is a homophone of "luck" or "fortune" (吉 jí).[19] |
Melon seed/Kwatji
(Chinese: 瓜子; pinyin: guāzi) |
Other variations include sunflower, pumpkin and other seeds. |
| Nian gao (Chinese: 年糕) |
Most popular in eastern China (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai)
because its pronunciation is a homophone for "a more prosperous year
(年高 lit. year high)". Nian gao is also popular in the Philippines
because of its large Chinese population and is known as "tikoy" (Chinese: 甜粿, from Min Nan)
there. Known as Chinese New Year pudding, nian gao is made up of
glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. The colour
of the sugar used determines the colour of the pudding (white or brown). |
| Noodles |
Families may serve uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, though this practice is not limited to the new year. |
| Sweets |
Sweets and similar dried fruit goods are stored in a red or black Chinese candy box. |
Bakkwa
(Chinese: 肉干; pinyin: ròu gān) |
Chinese salty-sweet dried meat, akin to jerky, which is trimmed of
the fat, sliced, marinated and then smoked for later consumption or as a
gift. |
| Taro cakes (Chinese: 芋頭糕) |
Made from the vegetable taro, the cakes are cut into squares and often fried. |
| Turnip cakes (Chinese: 蘿蔔糕) |
A dish made of shredded radish and rice flour, usually fried and cut into small squares. |
| Yusheng or Yee sang (simplified Chinese: 鱼生; traditional Chinese: 魚生; pinyin: yú shēng) |
Raw fish salad. Eating this salad is said to bring good luck. This
dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also
be eaten throughout the period. |
[edit] Practices
[edit] Red envelopes
Traditionally,
Red envelopes or red packets (
Cantonese:
lai sze or
lai see) (利是, 利市 or 利事); (
Mandarin: 'hóng bāo' (红包);
Hokkien: 'ang pow' (
POJ: âng-pau);
Hakka:
'fung bao'; are passed out during the Chinese New Year's celebrations,
from married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors. It is also
common for adults or young couples to give red packets to children. Red
packets are also known as 壓歲錢/压岁钱 (Ya Sui Qian, which was evolved from
壓祟錢/压祟钱, literally,
the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit ) during this period.
[20]
Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying from a
couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in
the red packets should be of
even numbers,
as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals (帛金: Bai
Jin). The number 8 is considered lucky (for its homophone for "wealth"),
and $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes in the US. The number six
(六, liù) is also very lucky as it sounds like 'smooth' (流, liú), in the
sense of having a smooth year. Sometimes chocolate coins are found in
the red packets.
Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than
the last. Thirty and fifty, for example, are odd numbers, and are thus
appropriate as funeral cash gifts. However, it is common and quite
acceptable to have cash gifts in a red packet using a single bank note –
with ten or fifty
yuan bills used frequently.
The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin):
讨紅包, 要利是. (Cantonese): 逗利是. A married person would not turn down such a
request as it would mean that he or she would be "out of luck" in the
new year.
The Japanese has a similar tradition of giving money during the New Year called
Otoshidama.
[edit] Gift exchange
In addition to red envelopes, which are usually given from elder to
younger, small gifts (usually of food or sweets) are also exchanged
between friends or relatives (of different households) during Chinese
New Year. Gifts are usually brought when visiting friends or relatives
at their homes. Common gifts include fruits (typically oranges, and
never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small
gift.
[21]
[edit] Markets
Markets or village fairs are set up as the New Year is approaching.
These usually open-air markets feature new year related products such as
flowers, toys, clothing, and even fireworks. It is convenient for
people to buy gifts for their new year visits as well as their home
decoration. In some places, the practice of shopping for the perfect
plum tree is not dissimilar to the Western tradition of buying a
Christmas tree.
[edit] Fireworks
A Chinese man setting off fireworks during Chinese New Year in
Shanghai.
Bamboo stems filled with gunpowder that were burnt to create small
explosions were once used in ancient China to drive away evil spirits.
In modern times, this method has eventually evolved into the use of
firecrackers
during the festive season. Firecrackers are usually strung on a long
fused string so it can be hung down. Each firecracker is rolled up in
red papers, as red is auspicious, with gunpowder in its core. Once
ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are
usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for
their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits.
See also
Myths
above. The burning of firecrackers also signifies a joyful time of year
and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.
[22]
[edit] Firecracker ban
The use of
firecrackers,
although a traditional part of celebration, has over the years led to
many unfortunate outcomes. There have been reported incidents every year
of users of fireworks being blinded, losing body parts, or suffering
other grievous injuries, especially during the Chinese New Year season.
Hence, many governments and authorities eventually enacted laws
completely banning the use of firecrackers privately, primarily because
of safety issues.
- Taiwan – Beginning 2008, firecrackers are banned in urban areas, but still allowed in rural areas.
- Mainland China
– As of 2008, most urban areas in mainland China permit firecrackers.
In the first three days of the traditional New Year, it is a tradition
that people compete with each other by playing with firecrackers.
However, many urban areas banned them in the 1990s. For example, they
were banned in Beijing's urban districts from 1993 to 2005.[23] In 2004, 37 people were killed in a stampede when four million[24] people gathered for a rumoured Lantern Festival firework display in nearby Miyun.[25]
Since the ban was lifted, the firecracker barrage has been tremendous.
In Beijing, firecrackers are typically not allowed inside the 5th ring
road. But this is overlooked by authorities for the holiday, provided
there are no government buildings nearby; some residents in major cities
look down on street-level fireworks from their tower blocks. Bans are
rare in rural areas.
- Vietnam – 1996, fireworks were banned across the country because of its dangers.
- Hong Kong – Fireworks are banned for security reasons – some speculate a connection between firework use and the 1967 Leftist Riot. However, the government would put on a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour
on the second day of the Chinese New Year for the public. Similar
displays are also held in many other cities in and outside China.
- Singapore – a partial ban on firecrackers was imposed in March 1970 after a fire killed six people and injured 68.[26] This was extended to a total ban in August 1972, after an explosion that killed two people[27] and an attack on two police officers attempting to stop a group from letting off firecrackers in February 1972.[28] However, in 2003, the government allowed firecrackers to be set off during the festive season. At the Chinese New Year light-up in Chinatown,
at the stroke of midnight on the first day of the Chinese New Year,
firecrackers are set off under controlled conditions by the Singapore Tourism Board with assistance from demolition experts from the Singapore Armed Forces. Other occasions where firecrackers are allowed to be set off are determined by the tourism board or other government organizations. However, they are not allowed to be commercially sold.
- Malaysia
– firecrackers are banned for the similar reasons as in Singapore.
However, many Malaysians manage to smuggle them from Thailand to meet
their private needs.
- Indonesia
– Firecrackers and fireworks are forbidden in public during the Chinese
New Year, especially in areas with significant non-Chinese population
in order to avoid any conflict between the two. However, there were some
exceptions. The usage of firecrackers is legal in some metropolitan
areas such as Jakarta and Medan, where the degree of racial and cultural tolerance is higher.
- United States – In 2007, New York City lifted its decade-old ban on firecrackers, allowing a display of 300,000 firecrackers to be set off in Chinatown's Chatham Square.[29] Under the supervision of the fire and police departments, Los Angeles regularly lights firecrackers every New Year's Eve, mostly at temples and the shrines of benevolent associations. The San Francisco
Chinese New Year Parade, the largest outside China, is accompanied by
numerous firecrackers, both officially sanctioned and illicit.
- Australia
– Australia, with the exception of the Northern Territory, does not
permit the use of fireworks at all, except when used by a licensed
pyrotechnician. These rules also require a permit to be sought from
local government, as well as any relevant local bodies such as maritime
or aviation authorities (as relevant to the types of fireworks being
used) and hospitals, schools, etc., within a certain range.
- Philippines
- Despite the rise in firecracker-related injuries in 2009, the
Department of Health has acknowledged that a total ban on firecrackers
in the country will be hard to implement.
[edit] Clothing
Clothing mainly featuring the colour red or bright colours is
commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it was once
believed that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In
addition, people typically wear new clothes from head to toe to
symbolize a new beginning in the new year. Wearing new clothes also
symbolizes having more than enough things to use and wear in the new
year.
[edit] Symbolism
An inverted character "福" is a sign of arriving blessings.
As with all cultures, Chinese New Year traditions incorporate
elements that are symbolic of deeper meaning. One common example of
Chinese New Year symbolism is the red diamond-shaped
fú characters (
Chinese:
福,
Cantonese and
Hakka:
Fook, literally "blessings, happiness"), which are displayed on the
entrances of Chinese homes. This sign is usually seen hanging upside
down, since the Chinese word 倒 "upside down", is
homophonous or nearly homophonous with 到 "arrive" in all
varieties of Chinese. Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity.
Red is the predominant colour used in New Year celebrations. Red is
the emblem of joy, and this colour also symbolizes virtue, truth and
sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually
denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor.
Candies, cakes, decorations and many things associated with the New Year
and its ceremonies are coloured red. The sound of the Chinese word for
“red” ( 紅) is “hong” in
Mandarin (
Hakka: Fung;
Cantonese: Hoong) which also means “prosperous.” Therefore, red is an auspicious colour and has an auspicious sound.
[edit] Nianhua
Nianhua can be a form of Chinese coloured
woodblock printing, for decoration during Chinese New Year.
[30]
[edit] Flowers
The following are popular floral decorations for the New Year and are available at new year markets.
-
[edit] Icons and ornaments
| Icons |
Meaning |
Illustrations |
| Fish |
The Koi fish is usually seen in paintings. Decorated food depicting the fish can also be found. It symbolizes surplus or success. |
|
| Lanterns |
These lanterns differ from those of Mid Autumn Festival
in general. They will be red in colour and tend to be oval in shape.
These are the traditional Chinese paper lanterns. Those lanterns, used
on the fifteenth day of the Chinese New Year for the Lantern Festival,
are bright, colourful, and in many different sizes and shapes. |
|
| Decorations |
Decorations generally convey a New Year greeting. They are not advertisements. Chinese calligraphy posters show Chinese idioms. Other decorations include a New year picture, Chinese knots, and papercutting and couplets. |
|
| Dragon dance and Lion dance |
Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is
believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the
cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing
aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dances are also popular
for opening of businesses in Hong Kong. |
|
| Fortune gods |
Cai Shen Ye, Che Kung,etc. |
|
[edit] Spring travel
Traditionally, families gather during the Chinese New Year. In modern China, migrant workers in China travel home to have
reunion dinners
with their families on Chinese New Year's Eve. Owing to the large
number of interprovincial travellers, special arrangements were made by
railways, buses and airlines starting from 15 days before the new year's day. This 40-day period is called "
chunyun" (
simplified Chinese:
春运;
traditional Chinese:
春運;
pinyin:
chūn yùn; literally "transportation during Spring Festival"), known as the world's largest annual migration.
[31] More interurban trips are taken in mainland China in this period than the total population of China.
[edit] Festivities outside China
[edit] Origins
In 1849, with the discovery of gold and the ensuing
California Gold Rush,
over 50,000 people had come to San Francisco to seek their fortune or
just a better way of life. Among those were many Chinese, who had come
to work in the gold mines and on the railroad. By the 1860s, the
residents of
San Francisco's Chinatown
were eager to share their culture with their fellow San Francisco
residents who may have been unfamiliar with (or hostile towards) it. The
organizers chose to showcase their culture by using a favorite American
tradition – the
parade. Nothing like it had ever been done in their native China.
[citation needed] They invited a variety of other groups from the city to participate, and they marched down what today are
Grant Avenue and
Kearny Street carrying colourful flags, banners, lanterns, and drums and firecrackers to drive away evil spirits. The current
San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade
traces its lineage back to those early parades, and still incorporates
Grant and Kearny Streets into its street festival and parade route,
respectively.
[edit] South East Asia
In
Southeast Asia, Chinese New Year is considered to be one of the most important holidays of the year. The biggest celebrations take place in
Penang and Singapore.
[32]
Chinese New Year in Singapore
is accompanied by various festive activities. One of the main
highlights is the Chinatown celebrations. In 2010, this included a
Festive Street Bazaar, nightly staged shows at
Kreta Ayer Square and a
lion dance competition.
[33] The
Chingay Parade
also features prominently in the celebrations. It is an annual street
parade in Singapore, well known for its colourful floats and wide
variety of cultural performances.
[34]
The highlights of the Parade for 2011 include a Fire Party,
multi-ethnic performances and an unprecedented travelling dance
competition.
[35]
Chinese New Year is also considered to be the most important festival
for the Filipino-Chinese community in the Philippines and a special
non-working holiday throughout the country.
[edit] Other parts of the world
Chinese New Year is also celebrated annually in many western cities
with significant Chinese populations. Among the cities with such parades
are
San Francisco,
[36] Los Angeles,
[37] New York City,
Wellington,
[38] Toronto, and
Vancouver.
[39] However, even smaller cities that are historically connected to Chinese immigration, such as
Butte, Montana,
[40] have recently hosted parades. Both
London[41] and San Francisco
[42] claim to host the largest New Year celebration outside of
Asia.
With one of the largest Chinese populations outside of Asia,
Sydney
also claims to have the largest Chinese New Year Celebrations outside
of Asia with over 600,000 people attending the celebrations in Chinatown
annually. The events there span over three weeks including the launch
celebration, outdoor markets, evening street food stalls, Chinese top
opera performances, dragon boat races, a film festival and multiple
parades that incorporate Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese performers. The
festival also attracts international media coverage, reaching millions
of viewers in Asia.
[43][44] The festival in Sydney is also unique in that it is organised in partnership with a different Chinese province each year.
In
Mauritius,
home to a long standing Chinese population, Chinese New Year is
celebrated and is a public holiday although Mauritians of Chinese origin
represents only 2-3% of the population.
[45]
[edit] Greetings
The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 (
jíxiánghùa) , loosely translated as
auspicious words or phrases.
New Year couplets, printed in gold letters on bright red paper, are
another way of expressing auspicious new year wishes. They probably
predate the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but didn't become widespread until then.
[46] Today, they are ubiquitous with Chinese New Year.
Some of the most common greetings include:
Kung Hei Fat Choi at Lee Theatre Plaza, Hong Kong
- simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财; traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: gōng xǐ fā cái; Hokkien: Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi); Cantonese: Gung1 hei2 faat3 coi4; Hakka: Kung Hii Fatt Choi, which loosely
translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly
assumed to be synonymous with "Happy New Year", its usage dates back
several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much
longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory
messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian,
in practical terms it may also have meant surviving the harsh winter
conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world. The saying is now commonly heard in English
speaking communities for greetings during Chinese New Year in parts of
the world where there is a sizable Chinese-speaking community, including
overseas Chinese communities that have been resident for several generations, relatively recent immigrants from Greater China, and those who are transit migrants (particularly students).
Numerous other greetings exist, some of which may be exclaimed out
loud to no one in particular in specific situations. For example, as
breaking objects during the new year is considered inauspicious, one may
then say 歲歲平安 (
suì suì píng ān) immediately, which means "everlasting peace year after year".
Suì
(歲), meaning "age" is homophonous with 碎 (meaning "shatter"), in
demonstration of the Chinese love for wordplay in auspicious phrases.
Similarly, 年年有餘 (
nián nián yǒu yú), a wish for surpluses and bountiful harvests every year, plays on the word
yú
that can also refer to 魚 (meaning fish), making it a catch phrase for
fish-based Chinese new year dishes and for paintings or graphics of fish
that are hung on walls or presented as gifts.
The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four characters, such as the following:
- 金玉滿堂Jinyu mangtang - "May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall"
- 大展鴻圖Dazhan hongtu - "May you realize your ambitions"
- 迎春接福Yingchun jiefu - "Greet the New Year and encounter happiness"
- 萬事如意Wanshi ruyi - "May all your wishes be fulfilled"
- 吉慶有餘Jiqing youyu - "May your happiness be without limit"
- 竹報平安Zhubao pingan - "May you hear [in a letter] that all is well"
- 一本萬利Yiban wanli = "May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits"
- 福壽雙全Fushou shuangquan - "May your happiness and longevity be complete"
- 招財進寶Zhaocai jinbao - "When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow"[47]
These greetings or phrases may also be used just before children
receive their red packets, when gifts are exchanged, when visiting
temples, or even when tossing the shredded ingredients of
yusheng particularly popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
Children and teenagers sometimes jokingly use the phrase (Traditional
Chinese:恭喜發財,紅包拿來, Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财，红包拿来) (Mandarin PinYin:
gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái) (Cantonese: 恭喜發財,利是逗來) roughly
translated as "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red
envelope!". In the
Hakka
dialect the saying is more commonly said as 'Gung hee fatt choi, fung
bao diu loi' which would be written as 恭喜發財,紅包逗來 – a mixture of the
Cantonese and Mandarin variants of the saying.
Back in the 1970s, children in Hong Kong used the saying:
恭喜發財,利是逗來,伍毫嫌少,壹蚊唔愛 (Cantonese), roughly translated as, "Congratulations
and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too
little, don't want a dollar either." It basically meant that they
disliked small change – coins which were called "hard substance"
(Cantonese: 硬嘢). Instead, they wanted "soft substance" (Cantonese: 軟嘢),
which was either a ten dollar or a twenty dollar bill.
