Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is coming up soon for the year of the snake. Traditionally, the holiday is celebrated for 15 days, but now it is usually only celebrated on the first day, which is on February 10^th this year. Every year the date for the New Year changes according to the solar calendar (the standard) because Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar, one that has fewer months. In many Asiatic countries, Chinese New Year is one of the most important holidays. There are countless customs and traditions that go along with Chinese New Year; however, I will only talk about the ones most familiar to my family and me. Every story is somewhat different, but this is my version of how the holiday got started.

Legend has it that the holiday started long ago because of a horrible monster called, "Nian." Nian has been described as many different creatures, sometimes as a dragon, a unicorn, or just a beast. All say that Nian was a ferocious and very ugly creature though. On the first 15th of the lunar year, the monster would come down from the mountain to wreck havoc and eat people from the villages. Everyone was terrified of the monster and didn't know what to do, until an old wise man came to the village one day nearing the time of Nian's return.

The old wise man was questioned as to why he was not fearful of the monster's return. The old man said he knew Nian's weakness and told the villagers that the monster hated loud noises and the color red. The villagers were instructed to beat drums and gongs, set off fireworks, and wear red clothing.

The day Nian came down to eat the villagers, they set off fireworks and made as much noise as possible to scare off the monster. When he tried to eat people, he saw the color red and could not eat them. He was chased out of the village and the villagers were saved. To celebrate the survival of the village, everyone wore their newest and best clothes to remember the moment. Now every year around the New Year time, the villagers would do the same thing to keep Nian away from the village. 

The word "nian" also means "year." A common greeting around new year is, "Xin Nian Kuai Le" which means Happy New Year or literally "let the new year be joyful."

Customs: It is tradition for parents/married couples to give red envelopes ("hong bao") to children. Inside these red envelopes is money. The red, like many of the various decorations used during the New Year, signifies good luck and wards off bad spirits. Some more silly children (perhaps rude in some cases) like to say teasingly, "Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hong Bao Na Lai." Which means, "Happy new year, give me money." The reason why they say this is because it rhymes. When receiving red envelopes it is very important to thank the giver and to avoid opening the envelopes in front of them. There are also customs where you aren't supposed to open them at all and keep it under your pillow for one night then open it for good luck.


Fu Sign: No it is not "f...u" it is the character for, "Luck." The sign is intentionally posted outside one's door upside down. This is something my family still does.

Lion dance: The lion dance is a type of ritual/performance of 2 “lions” though more akin to dogs. The lion is controlled by 2 people. One person plays the head and the other, the tail. The lion dance is performed with a loud drum, gongs, and cymbals and is believed to ward off evil spirits. The lion dance is also a symbolic ritual to invite in the New Year. Many people hire/request lion dancers to come and perform for festivities in the street, temples, or events.

While fireworks and firecrackers are very popular, some countries have banned them due to fire hazards and public safety. I know in Taiwan, that in urban settings they’re banned but in rural settings they’re still permitted. 

This is just to give background on the origins or Chinese New Year and some typical traditions. There are a ton more traditions, especially concerning New Year foods! More to come on Chinese New Year Cuisine.