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About the Chinese New Year


Charlotte

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Hi everyone,

I would like to wish you Happy Chinese New Year. The following is based on my personal experience and knowledge without extensive research (no time for that). Over the years many Americans ask me about Chinese New Year, so here is a very simplied description:

 

What is Chinese New Year?

 

Chinese New Year is literally called Spring Holiday in Chinese, a.k.a. Spring festival. But more accurately, it should be called Lunar New Year, for it designates the first lunar calendar day in a year as formal starting day of celebrating.

 

The Origin of the Chinese New Year

 

There must be a lot of studies on this. It has to go back thousands of years (another topic). To put it briefly: China has been for thousands of years basically a country of agriculture. So a lunar calendar, also known as agriculture calendar (Nong Li), is mainly focusing on the agricultural timing for preparing, sowing and harvesting, The very first day of a lunar calendar year usually designates the beginning of a new farming year; the entire year has 24 farming seasons that are reliable enough to tell farmers when to plant, to sow and to harvest. Hence, the expectation for a better year ahead is only natural and worth celebrating. Remember, agriculture depends largely on nature's mercy. It is a kind of worship, religious or not. For farmers, they pray for a better year, workers for better pay, better jobs, businesses for better profits and seniors for better health, youngsters for better schools and careers. In a word, everyone has a bright new year to look forward to, hoping their lives will take a turn for the better. The well-known Chinese Zodiac also rotates according to the lunar years; anyone born in Jan 2003 would still be a horse and on Feb 1, will be a sheep (another topic).

 

Different from the solar calendar system, the lunar year revolves around the moon's movement. In a lunar calendar, there are also 12 months, which instead of 30/31 days/month as it is in a solar calendar, it has 29/30 days. Because of being short of one day in a lunar month, there will be 13 lunar months in a leap year, in which one of twelve months will have a double month (could be 2 Mays or 2 Junes, etc.) to make up for shorter months in order to catch up with the solar calendar. That's why every year the first lunar day falls on a different day on a solar calendar, between the end of Jan and middle of Feb. Every 19 years, the lunar and solar calendars would coincide again, i.e. in 2022, Feb1 will again be Chinese New Year. If you check your calendar of 1984, the CNY was on Feb 1st. also.

 

The traditional ways of celebration of the Chinese New Year (CNY)

 

The way people celebrate varies from region to region, city to rural areas. I can only describe what it is like where I grew up - Shanghai - and would likely happen in our family.

 

With all the preparations, the final stage has to come at NYE. Food preparation is the biggest deal - the main focus in the entire celebration. There are certain types of food that symbolize prosperity, happiness and health, which people like to have, at least once a year. For example, egg-rolls in Shanghai are called spring-rolls, for we used to have them only around spring festival. Now, of course, we can afford them every day. Nian Gao (literally, year cake - made from rice flour) in pronunciation sounds like "getting better year to year." In the North, most people would like to have homemade Jiao Zi (Chinese dumpling) for the New Year.

 

Most families would cook up a storm and prepare the food at least a week before the holiday since most items take time to make: rice flour balls with all kinds of fillings, egg dumplings, meatballs, etc. We did not have as much ready-to-cook food as we do now. People like to marinate poultry and meats so that they preserve a little longer during the entire holiday. Today people would still prepare something on their own, saying "it tastes better, and you know what's in the ingredients," etc. It also adds much more atmosphere to the whole celebration. Needless to say, restaurants are not too busy during those days.

 

The biggest dinner of all year is at the New Year's Eve. This is usually a dinner for families only. Normally you don't visit or invite friends on that night. Everyone is trying to make it home by New Year's Eve. Railroad traffic is the busiest around that time. Hard to get a train ticket during those days. By the NYE, all unmarried children would be back home. Married children - sons' families usually join their parents. A very common term in Chinese - Going home to pass the year (Hui Jia Guo Nian) - is meant for that moment; a moment you would share with your closest family members to cross from the old year into the new one with plenty of good food and the joy of family reunion.

 

After the last dinner in the old year, everyone is supposed to grow one year older (a very crazy way to count age by western standard). Any children still in school or college would get cash gifts from their elders, parents, aunts and uncles and grandparents - Ya Sui Qian - i.e. money "to retain youth." The amount varies; usually older kids receive more than the younger ones. The real young ones' cash gifts usually end up in their parents' pocket.

 

The Chinese Central TV station would host a 5-6 hour long non-commercial telethon-type of stage shows that are broadcast worldwide with famous celebrities of all kinds. At midnight, a lot of people would shoot some firecrackers to bring in the New Year and they can get disturbingly loud. There is some superstition in shooting firecrackers: the louder it gets, the better fortune is ahead for you. If you hit a silent one - did not crack - not so good L!

 

On New Year's Day, the actual Bai-Nian (Wish happy new year in Chinese) ritual starts. You would see everyone wearing something new; for most children, the new clothes are from head to toe. Streets are full of people going around visiting friends and relatives. Elders are greeted and well-wished during those days. The people greeting one another, "wish you prosperous, long life to 100" especially to older folks. Starting this day, people are trying to "Bai Nian" to their elders if they don't live together. In our family, grandma's place has the most traffic on the first day. The older generation is also more superstitious too. My grandmother (91) still to this day makes her very first New Year Dinner for her late husband (died 50 years ago) and ancestors. We are not allowed to eat until we all kowtow to our ancestors with a table full of food (15-20 courses) sitting there getting cold, for this is to worship our ancestors to bless us for another new year.

 

Since it is a holiday for everyone, the remaining days friends and families take turns to entertain one another. We would have 4-5 days seeing almost the same people, but in different households, like my brother's, sister's etc. All shops are open for business; they are usually more crowded, too. We also use this time of year to visit our former schoolteachers, professors, or people who used to help us in our career, etc.

 

Although we don't exchange gifts, children who have income would give some cash gifts to their parents or grandparents for them to spend on holidays (this usually happens before the holiday). Quite different from the western culture: both the young and the old are the receivers; the middle generation with employment income is the sender/giver. There is a rule of thumb: no matter whom you visit, you do not go empty-handed - always bring some food gifts along, like wine, fruit baskets, gift cakes, etc. All families have plenty of special snack food to treat their visitors if they don't stay for dinners. Unlike other times of the year, you will treat your guests to more than a cup of tea during this holiday season. The only problem during those days is your eyes are bigger than your stomach!

 

In summery, like Xmas here, the holiday is about lots of food and drinks. Unlike Xmas here, parties everyday for at least a week! For country folks, on lunar Jan 15th, the first full moon the year, there is a Yuan Xiao Day (Full Moon Day) - that signals the end of the New Year celebration: back to farming, back to labor, back to school; back to the salt mines!

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Enight,

 

Why don't you write one in Chinese.  You know, some Chinese fiance can read Chinese better. :lol:  :D

oh Tony... tell Chinese what is CNY? their fiancees are going to ... me! :D

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enight I have been talking with Al the last couple of days.  I also met Sandy's fiance Friday, night.  Both Al and Rob, seem very nice.  I think you are both very lucky women!!!!

yes Bob... I am the most lucky one !! lol :D :lol:

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. . . . .With all the preparations, the final stage has to come at NYE.  Food preparation is the biggest deal – the main focus in the entire celebration. 

 

. . . . . Most families would cook up a storm and prepare the food at least a week before the holiday since most items take time to make:  rice flour balls with all kinds of fillings, egg dumplings, meatballs, etc. 

 

. . . . .The biggest dinner of all year is at the New Year’s Eve. 

 

.  . .  . a table full of food (15-20 courses)

 

.. . . . . . always bring some food gifts along, like wine, fruit baskets, gift cakes, etc. 

 

. . . . . The only problem during those days is your eyes are bigger than your stomach!

 

Charlotte,

 

I am so hungry after reading these descriptions of the food and of how important the food is for this celebration!!!

 

I so much enjoyed your article, saved a copy for future reference. Thank you very much.

 

- Robert

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Great piece Charlotte! :D

 

I particularly liked how you tied the origin of the holiday to the beginning of not only the lunar year, but also to the agricultural cycle. And yes, it is a form of worship. Your article helps me understand and apprecite the holiday even more this year.

 

The one thing that always confuses me though is how people count their age. For example, my wife's brother had a baby boy about five weeks ago. On February 2, the day after the new year, he will be considered as 2 years old. :blink: :blink: :huh:

 

I have tried to figure this out many times since I have come over here but it still baffles me. Also, in those thirteen month years you mentioned, it is possible for a person to have two birthdays. Last year, for example, Li had three birthdays. Two in the thirteen month Lunar calendar, and then one on the solar calendar for good measure! I think she enjoyed it though. More gifts. :P

 

I told her at the rate she was going, she would soon be older than me. B)

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My wife managed three birthdays last year also. It started with 5-April, which is what is listed on her family register and her passport. After the gifts, she told me that was a mistake by the police and that it was really "eight month, five day". OK, on 5-August I "surprised" her with more gifts. Then she tells me that she really meant the eighth month on the Chinese calendar. Hence, a third birthday! I'm wise to this now, though!

 

For those interested her is the Agricultural Calendar:

 

Besides the two calendrical systems, a Chinese calendar will not be complete without a twenty-four solar terms closely related to the changes of Nature -- a very useful tool for farmers, providing information on the proper time for planting and harvesting.

 

The Twenty-Four Terms:

 

The first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar month makes the first term, namely:

 

Beginning of Spring: usually starting from the fourth or fifth of Febrary. And the first day is the Chinese New Year's Day or the onset of the Spring Festival.

 

The second fifteen days are named:

Rain Water: from the nineteeth or twentieth of Febrary, a time when rainy seasons are setting in.

 

In order come the following terms:

 

Waking of Insects: from the fifth or sixth of March, as the earth awakes from hibernation;

 

Spring Equinox: from the twentieth or twenty-first of March;

 

Pure Brightness: from the fourth or fifth of April;

 

Grain Rain: from the twentieth or twenty-first of April;

 

Beginning of Summer: from the fifth or sixth of May;

 

Grain Full: from the twentieth or twenty-first of May;

 

Grain in Ear: from the fifth or sixth of June;

 

Summer Solstice: from the twenty-first or second of June;

 

Slight Heat: from the sixth or seventh of July;

 

Great Heat: from the twenty-second or third of July;

 

Beginning of Autumn: from the seventh or eighth of August;

 

Limit of Heat: from the twenty-third or fourth of August;

 

White Dew: from the seventh or eighth of September;

 

Autumnal Equinox: from the twenty-third or fourth of September;

 

Cold Dew: from the eighth or nineth of October;

 

Frost's Descent: from the twentieth-three or fourth of October;

 

Beginning of Winter: from the seventh or eighth of November;

 

Slight Snow: from the twenty-second or third of November;

 

Great Snow: from the seventh or eighth of December;

 

Winter Solstice: from the twenty-second or third of December;

 

Slight Cold: from the fifth or sixth of January; and lastly

 

Great Cold: from the twentieth or twenty-first of January which brings the 24-term cycle to an end.

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