Chinese Lunar New Year Traditions

Chinese Lunar New Year Traditions

The Chinese Lunar New Year is a huge, huge celebration here. Some businesses can be closed for up to 7 to 10 days! I like to think of it as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our New Year's all wrapped up into one big event. And just like our holidays, there are foods, decorations, and other traditions that are integral parts of the celebration. So here is my edition of The Chinese Lunar New Year’s Book for Dummies. (I refer to this as a "book" for good reason.)

Introduction: I have been reminded more than once that - especially true during the New Year -that it is important for everything to have a beginning and an end. For example, you must end the year with a feast and begin the year with a feast. You must serve only a whole chicken (complete with head and feet) and a whole fish (complete with head and tail). You get the picture (ugh).

Chapter 1: Food
Like any holiday, food plays a major role. Many of the traditional New Year's dishes are served because their Chinese characters carry a second, auspicious meaning. For example, the New Year's cake is called nin goh, with goh meaning cake – but also rise - as in stature or promotion. The character for lettuce means "food for life," fish is the same as abundance, and a popular black seaweed, "fat choy," is served because it sounds like the "fat choy" that means prosperity. (When put in water, it expands and eating it implies your fortunes will as well.) Other treats, such as lotus seeds, bear auspicious associations, in this case, fertility. The most important types of fruit for the Chinese New Year are oranges and tangerines, which both symbolize happiness.



Chapter 2: Numbers
Of course numbers are also critical, as discussed in an earlier blog entry. Flowers should be purchased in 5, 8, or 9's. The number five is lucky because in the old days, when people married at a young age, they hoped to live five generations. Nine represents longevity and of course 8 is lucky because the Cantonese word for eight "bat" rhymes with the one for prosperous, "fat". Do not do anything in fours– very bad luck.

Chapter 3: Flowers and Plants
Flowers and plants are VERY important symbols of the New Year. Traditional flowers for the Chinese New Year are plum blossoms, peach blossoms, narcissus, azaleas, peonies, orchids and water lilies. Flowers symbolize good health and wealth. It’s particularly good luck if a flower opens its bloom on New Year’s Day.

As for plants, orange or mandarin trees and peach trees are important. One of the balconies in our housing complex has two large orange trees flanking their door. They are just beautiful. I have seen them at the flower market and would just love to have one of them, but they are expensive. For those who do not have a green thumb, you can buy artificial ones, some even have lights. ( RL is highly suspicious that those two trees I mentioned earlier are in that category. He says they are just too perfect.)


Chapter 4: Clothes and colors
Red is the color for luck and to ward off evil spirits. Red also symbolizes happiness. People will paint their doors red and decorate the house with red and gold ornaments. Gold is another important color since it symbolizes wealth. People often wear red for the New Year. Black and white are not usually worn, since they’re considered colors of mourning. You should also wear new clothes. Children will dress up in traditional red Chinese clothing when they visit family.

Chapter 5: Lysee (or Lai see)
Lai see are red envelopes filled with money, which can also now be referred to as "red packets". These are given out to single people, children, people who work for you, and those that provide you a service (your building attendant, the janitorial staff, the guy at Starbucks, etc). Children receive HK$20 ("Just a gesture") and apartment staff HK$ 50. For married couples, you hand out one envelope with two bills in it, like two $10 or two envelopes with one bill in it, such as a $20 bill. (You can’t put two $20 bills in one envelope as that adds up to $40 and we all know "4" is bad luck!)

The proper way to give a packet is to wish the recipient a "Kung hei fat choi" or prosperous New Year in Cantonese and hand the envelope over using two hands. The recipient puts his hands together and shakes them while wishing you a "Kung hei fat choi" in return as he accepts the envelope with both hands.

The paper money must be fresh and crisp. This requires a trip to the bank to wait in a special "Lai see line" where bank tellers give out only the newest bills. If you hand them out before the Lunar New Year, your receipents will hand them back. In offices, such as RL's, a party is held prior to everyone leaving for the holiday (ending the year). When the offices reopen after the holiday, red packets are handed out to the staff (beginning of the year).

We have figured that we will spend thousands of Hong Kong dollars on lai see as we celebrate Chinese New Year. RL says it feels like playing Santa to all of Hong Kong, because even as foreigners, we are expected to give them out.

Chapter 6: New Year's Eve (February 17)
This is the last day you have to pay off all debts so you can maintain your honor. It is also the last day for making sure your house is clean and organized. This gets rid of traces of bad luck. Red decorations such as banners, firecrackers and fish should be hung throughout the house.
In the evening, there is a family gathering, and the meal will be comprised of chicken (boiled not roasted), fish, pork, abalone, Chinese lettuce, oysters, mushrooms, dried scallops and turnip, among other things. The New Year is also a celebration of ancestors – sometimes places will be laid at the table for them. (Family members make great effort to be at home during this time, just like Christmas for us.)

This is now the time to begin passing out lysee, to children and single people in the family. You should stay up till midnight to welcome the new year with fireworks to ward off evil spirits and welcome back the Kitchen God. (The Kitchen God has been in heaven for the last week reporting on your family. Hopefully, he reported good things so that you will have good luck in the new year.)

Chapter 7: Day 1 of the New Year (February 18)
Today is the second new moon after the winter solstice, when Chinese celebrate the first day of the New Year. Kung hei fat choi! Your house had better be clean because today you cannot sweep or vacuum lest you "sweep away all of your good luck or prosperity." You can’t use sharp objects either, as they might cut out the good luck.

After last night's feast, you should eat light; vegetarian is preferred ("You don't want to kill something this day") or congee (rice porridge).

You continue to visit relatives and must be prepared to greet guests in your own home with refreshments. These are served in a red, round (round=perfection) dishes and there must be eight treats in each dish. Here are some things preferred in Hong Kong: specially prepared roasted black watermelon seeds, watermelon seeds dyed red for luck, lotus seeds, fried dumplings shaped like old Chinese wallets, water chestnuts, coconut, kumquats, melons, and carrots.

Nowadays people also buy plastic gold colored pigs, coins and Gods of fortune filled with sweets, as well as nuts and chocolate.

This is the day you begin passing out lysee to your building staff and others that provide services to you. As you hand out different amounts, depending on their levels of service, you must have your pockets organized, packets of $20's in one and $50s in another.


Hong Kong has a fantastic parade that is held each year on the first day of Chinese New Year. It includes illuminated floats, dragon and lion dancers, clowns and marching bands.


Chapter 8: Day 2
More visiting! Children don their traditional Chinese dress, and some say this is the day for the daughter-in-law to visit her parents. This is also the day to welcome the New Year with - you guessed it – a feast! This meal, called a "pun choi," is comprised of many of the same things you find on New Year's Eve, but layered in one large and very deep pan. You can make a "pun choi" or order one from a restaurant (one for 3-4 people goes for about HK$1,200). You also eat nin goh, a glutinous rice cake. It is sticky, and everyone in the family must have some so that the family will "stick together" in the New Year.

Chapter 9: Day 3
Tired of visiting? It's okay because on this day everyone stays home as people are "prone to quarrel."

Chapter 10: Day 7
This is considered everyone's birthday, but as far as I can tell, it is not a big celebration.

Chapter 11: Day 15 Lantern Festival
The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. In ancient days, when women were required to stay home, this was the day they could go out and stroll or "visit boyfriends." For this reason, it is now recognized as Chinese Valentines' Day, too.

This day is the second full moon after the winter solstice, the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. Time to pack up all your decorations until next year and hope that the "Year of the Golden Pig" is a happy and lucky year for your family.

Index:
$1 US = $7.8 Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)

2007 "Year of the Golden Pig"

The Year of the Golden Pig

Chinese New Year is THE most important festival for the Chinese. It is so important that I can't describe it in one post. So, here goes my first entry---

The Chinese New Year is also know as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year. Chinese New Year is usually celebrated on the 2nd new moon after the winter solstice and ends with the full moon 15 days later. This year the Chinese New Year starts on February 18th. The year will be 4704.

In Chinese folklore, dreaming of a pig means wealth or luck. Knowing that, it is of little surprise that the "Pig" is considered to be the the most prosperous year among the 12 years of the Chinese Zodiac. This year is a "Year of the Pig," but it is not an ordinary pig year, which comes every 12 years. According to fortunetellers, this is believed to be the "Year of the Golden Pig", which comes every 600 years, so it is VERY special and lucky. And we get to be here for this! Now that IS good luck!

A person born in a normal pig year will likely be a good parent. He/she may be easy to anger, but they are usually intelligent, honest, courageous, complete projects, gallant, and sincere. People born in these years are honest and straightforward. They can be relied on to see things through. They tend to be popular and make lasting friendship and are good neighbors. It is not a particuarly sought after birth year, meaning people don't plan their babies to be born during this period like they do for a Year of the Dragon, but it is not shunned, either.

BUT children born under the "Year of the Golden Pig" are expected to be very lucky. Those that believe in the Chinese Zodiac say that babies born in the golden pig year will have comfortable and wealthy lives. In line with the myth, signs point to a baby boom this year. Obstetrics and gynecology clinics are counseling more about pregnancy and related industries are eagerly promoting baby products.

It is questionable, however, if this "golden" thing is true at all. Those believing in the "golden pig year" say the special year comes every 600 years and is calculated by using a combination of the Chinese zodiac and yin and yang theory. Other fortunetellers or folklorists say they cannot find any grounding for the year of the golden pig. Similar records should have been written in the 'Taejong Sillok,'" annals for King Taejong who ruled the Choson Kingdom 600 years ago. But there aren't any, so who knows.

It is believed by some that the myth is a ploy to boost the ever-decreasing birthrate. In China, the "one child" policy still exists. In Hong Kong, however, our Chief Executive (head honcho of Hong Kong SAR) is encouraging couples to have at least 3 children. The difference is amazing, isn't it, especially in light of the fact that Beiing controls both. I expect a huge baby boom here in Hong Kong, especially since procreation is so encouraged by the local government.

Industries related to childbirth throughout Asia have launched golden pig year promotions. A baby product firm has recently introduced goods on which a pig illustration is printed, while toy companies are making toy pigs.

Other businesses, including banks, insurance firms, theaters, gas stations and restaurants, are trying to attract people by presenting golden piggy banks, or gold bars as lottery gifts. RL and I recently purchased some items at Wing On. Wing On is a department store chain that is much more frequented by Asians than Westerners. I really like it. Anyway, we got to draw for a lucky gift and then put our name into another box for a later drawing. I can tell you that it is quite fun.

Basically, every where you look there is a pig. I think we were really meant to be here, as RL's family made a successful living raising pigs. This is a picture of RL's family. Pigs have been very special us, so I hope that "the Year of the Golden Pig" will continue the tradition. (Dillon, the "photo hound" managed to get into the act, too.)

Live long and prosper (that sounds familiar, where did I hear that?).. ...Mart