Traditional
Celebration of the Chinese New Year
Of all the traditional Chinese festivals, the
new Year was perhaps the most elaborate, colorful, and important.
This was a time for the Chinese to congratulate each other and
themselves on having passed through another year, a time to
finish out the old, and to welcome in the new year. Common expressions
heard at this time are: GUONIAN to have made it through
the old year, and BAINIAN to congratulate the new year.
Turning Over a New Leaf
The Chinese New year is celebrated on the first day of the First
Moon of the lunar calendar.
The corresponding date in the solar calendar varies from as
early as January 21st to as late as February 19th. Chinese New
Year, as the Western new Year, signified turning over a new
leaf. Socially, it was a time for family reunions, and for visiting
friends and relatives. This holiday, more than any other Chinese
holiday, stressed the importance of family ties. The Chinese
New year's Eve dinner gathering was among the most important
family occasions of the year.
Sweeping of the Grounds
 
Preparations for the Chinese New Year in old China started well
in advance of the New Year's Day. The 20th of the Twelfth Moon
was set aside for the annual housecleaning, or the "sweeping
of the grounds". Every corner of the
house must be swept and cleaned in preparation for the new year.
SpringCouplets,
written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper,
were put on the walls or on the sides of the gate-ways. These
couplets, short poems written in Classical Chinese, were expressions
of good wishes for the family in the coming year. In addition,
symbolic flowers and fruits were used to decorate the house,
and colorful new year pictures (NIAN HUA) were placed
on the walls (for more descriptions of the symbolism of the
flowers and fruits.
Kitchen God
After the house was cleaned it was time to bid farewell to the
Kitchen God, or Zaowang. In traditional China, the Kitchen
God was regarded as the guardian of the family hearth. He was
identified as the inventor of fire, which was necessary for
cooking and was also the censor of household morals. By tradition,
the Kitchen God left the house on the 23rd of the last month
to report to heaven on the behavior of the family. At this time,
the family did everything possible to obtain a favorable report
from the Kitchen God. On the evening of the 23rd, the family
would give the Kitchen God a ritualistic farewell dinner with
sweet foods and honey. Some said this was a bribe, others said
it sealed his mouth from saying bad thins.
Free from the every-watchful eyes of the Kitchen
God, who was supposed to return on the first day of the
New Year, the family now prepared for the upcoming celebrations.
In old China, stores closed shop on the last two or three days
of the year and remained closed for the first week of the New
Year. Consequently, families were busy in the last week of the
old year stocking up on foods and gifts. Chinese New Year presents
are similar in spirit to Christmas presents, although the Chinese
tended more often to give food items, such as fruits and tea.
The last days of the old year was also the time to settle accumulated.
debts.
Family Celebration
On the last day of the old year, everyone was busy either in
preparing food for the next two days, or in going to the barbers
and getting tidied up for the New Year’s Day. Tradition
stipulated that all food be pre-pared before the New Year’s
Day, so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors,
could be put away to avoid cutting the "luck" of the
New Year. The kitchen and well were not to be disturbed on the
first day of the Year.
The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
celebrations were strickly family affairs. All members of the
family would gather for the important family meal on the evening
of the New year’s Eve. Even if a family member could not
attend, an empty seat would be kept to symbolize that person’s
presence at the banquet. At midnight following the banquet,
the younger members of the family would bow and pay their respects
to their parents and elders.
Lai-See
On New Year’s Day, the children were given Red Lai-See
Envelopes , good luck money wrapped in little red
envelopes. On New Year’s day, everyone had on new clothes,
and would put on his best behavior. It was considered improper
to tell a lie, raise one’s voice, use indecent language,
or break anything on the first day of the year.
Starting from the second day, people began going
out to visit friends and relatives, taking with them gifts and
Lai-See for the children. Visitors would be greeted with traditional
New year delicacies, such as melon seeds, flowers,
fruits, tray
of togetherness, and NIANGAO, New Year cakes.
Everybody’s
Birthday
The entire first week was a time for socializing and amusement.
On the streets, the stores were closed and an air of gaiety
prevailed. There were numberous lion dances, acrobats, theatrical
shows, and other diversions. Firecrackers, which symbolized
driving away evil spirits, were heard throughout the first two
weeks of the New year. The Seventh Day of the New Year was called
"everybody’s birthday" as everyone was
considered one year older as of that date. (In traditional China,
individual birthdays were not considered as important as the
New Year’s date. Everyone added a year to his age at New
Year’s time rather than at his birthday.)
Lantern Festival
- 15th Day
The New Year celebrations ended on the 15th of the First Moon
with the Lantern Festival.
On the evening of that day, people carried lanterns into the
streets to take part in a great parade. Young men would highlight
the parade with a dragon dance. The dragon was made of bamboo,
silk, and paper, and might stretch for more than hundred feet
in length. The bobbing and weaving of the dragon was an impressive
sight, and formed a fitting finish to the New Year festival.
Chinese
New Year Festival as Seen in the United States
The Chinse New Year celebration in
San Francisco Chinatown and other Chinese
American communitites should not be interpreted as direct transplants
of Chinese culture. Due to differences in their social environment
and physical limitations, these local celebrations have developed
special characteristics of their own. Along with old customs
imported directly from China, the Chinatown celebrations also
contain adaptations from other cultures in the United States.
Traditional
vs Modern
The first point to be noticed in comparing the Chinatown celebrations
of today to that described in the preceeding section is that
they have been shortened or simplified. Chinese American stores
in this country do not close for a week to celebrate, nor is
is likely that a Chinese American could take two weeks off from
work. Therefore, many of the festivities have been adapted for
the evenings or the weekends. This includes the social visits,
the family dinners, and even the Chinatown parade, which is
always held on a Saturday. In many Chinese American homes, the
annual housecleaning is still done at New Year’s time.
Spring Couplets
can be seen in Chinatwon stores everywhere, but these are now
bought from the Chinse Hospital as a fundraising effort - an
interesting variation on an old Chinese custom.
In addition to the Spring Couplets, the Chinatown
lion dances have also been promoted as a fundraising event for
the Chinese Hospital. In the earlier days of Chinatown, lion
dances were relatively rare. In the 1920’s, a fundraising
program was started whereby lion dancers would go from store
to store to dance and wish them luck. In return, storekeepers
would give Lai-see packets which were donated to the Chinese
Hospital.
Chinatown Festival & Parade
The Chinatown parade is a bend of typical American marching
parades and the traditional Lantern Festival. Although the dragon
dance is adopted from the Chinese celebration, the rest of the
Chinatown parade, including the beauty pageant,
floats, and marching bands, was obviously inspired by non-Chinese
models. The parade was first started in 1953 by the
Chinese Chamber of Commerce and has since
attracted thousands of spectators each year.
Family Associations
Some Chinatown festivities also reflect the earlier history
of Chinese Americans. Prior to the present generation, the Chinese
American community was essentially a bachelor society. Restrictive
immigration laws had made it extremely difficult for Chinese
families to emigrate to the United States. As a result, most
Chinese Americans in the past were not able to hold family dinners
at New Years’s time. In place of the family banquets, Chinatown
developed a unique tradition of Spring Banquets hosted by the
" family associations"
in certain Chinese restaurants. These Spring Banquets, originally
developed to take the place of family dinners, are still held
today, even though Chinatown is no longer a society of single
men.
Terminology & Symbolism
Chinese Lunar
Calendar:  The Chinese calendar will often
show the dates of both the Gregorian (Western) calendar and
the Chinese Lunar Calendar. The Gregorian dates are printed
in Arabic numerals, and the Chinese dates in Chinese numerals.
Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and
is constructed in a different fashion than the Western solar
calendar.
Family Associations:
organized according to family surnames, such as the Wong Family
Association, etc., are social clubs or lodges which were first
set up in Chinatown to serve the social and personal needs of
Chinese workers.
Flowers: Flowers
are an important part of the New year decorations. In old China,
much use was made of natural products in celebrations as well
as in daily life. The two flowers most associated with the New
Year are the plum blossom
and the water narcissus
Lai-See Envelopes:
(Also called Hong-Bao) Money is placed in these envelopes and
given to children and young adults at New Year’s time,
much in the spirit as Christmas presents. Presents are also
often exchanged between families.
Lucky Character: The single word " FOOK
", or fortune, is often displayed in many homes and stores.
They are usually written by brush on a diamond-shaped piece
of red paper.
Plum Blossoms:
stand for courage and hope. The blossoms burst forth at the
end of winter on a seemingly lifeless branch. In Chinese art,
plum blossoms are associated with the entire season of winter
and not just the New Year.
  Spring Couplets:
Spring couplets are traditionally written with black ink on
red paper. They are hung in storefronts in the month before
the New Year’s Day, and often stay up for two months. They
express best wishes and fortune for the coming year. There is
a great variety in the writing of these poetic couplets to fit
the situation. A store would generally use couplets hat make
references to their line of trade. Couplets that say "Happy
New Year" and " Continuing Advancement in Education"
are apprpriate for a school.
SweepingOut
the Old: Welcoming in the New: Old business from the
past year is cleared up
Tangerines, Oranges, Pomelos:
Tangerines and oranges are frequently displayed in homes and
stores. Tangerines are symbolic of good luck, and oranges are
symbolic of wealth. These symbols have developed through a language
pun, the word for tangerine having the same sound as "luck"
in Chinese, and the word for orange having the same sound as
"wealth". Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits.
Tray of Togetherness:
Many families keep a tray full of dried fruits, sweets, and
candies to welcome guests and relatives who drop by. This tray
is called a chuen-hop, or "tray of togetherness".
Traditionally, it was made up of eight compartments, each of
which was filled with a special food item of significance to
the New Year season.
Water Narcissus:
Flower that blossoms at New Year’s time. If the white flowers
blossom exactly on the day of the New Year, it is believed to
indicate good fortune for the ensuing twelve months.
Chinese Zodiac: The rotating cycle of twelve
animal signs was a fok method for naming the years in traditional
China. The animal signs for one another in an established order,
and are repeated every twelve years. 1976 was the Year of the
Dragon, 1977 was the year of the Snake.
A Different New Year Book:
Learn about about Chinese New Year!
This teacher’s guide, produced as part of the Ethnic Heritage
Studies Project of the Chinese Culture Foundation, is an effort
to develop teaching materials on the Chinese New Year festival
suitable for use in secondary schools. This teacher’s guide
was written by Joe Huang. Requests for information concerning
this manual or the Ethnic Heritage Studies Project should be
addressed to the Chinese Culture Foundation, 750 Kearny Street,
San Francisco, CA 94108. |
