Happy Year of the Ox!
Yinong Chong, January 2009
Happy Chinese New Year! Or better yet, let us borrow a most popular Chinese phrase right now: 祝您牛年更“牛”! (A literal translation would be: “wishing you more bullish in the year of Ox!) If “bullish” is not your style, TCCII wishes you a great year filled with the spirit of the Ox: diligence, determination, and sure-footed progress!
The 2009 New Year began Monday, January 26. This is 4706th year on the Chinese Lunar/Solar calendar, the year of the Ox. The Ox followed the year of the Rat, and will be succeeded by Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar in the following years.
The Chinese people usually take a whole month to celebrate the New Year season in rich traditions, with different regions having their own unique customs and ceremonies. One time-honored tradition is to give the house a thorough cleaning on the New Year’s Eve, hoping to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for the in-coming good luck. Doors and windows are also decorated with paper-cuts and couplets, with popular themes of "happiness", “prosperity", “longevity“, or ”family harmony” expressed in a poetic fashion. In the old days, freshly prepared foods would be offered at the altars honoring Chinese deities and ancestors.
The Eve of the Chinese New Year is very carefully observed. Dinner is always served as a multi-course feast, with all family members sitting at a round table. The New Year’s dishes are carefully selected for their symbolic meanings. For instance, Lotus seed to bring more male offspring, Ginkgo nuts to represent silver ingots, Black Moss Seaweed for plentiful wealth, Dried Bean Curd for fulfillment and happiness, and Bamboo Shoots for creativity and growth. In the South, fish is a “must have” dish, as it represents “abundance”. In the North, the most popular dish is “Jiaozi”, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi" symbolizes Yin-Yang copulation and many off-springs, a long-last wish for Chinese families. However, fresh tofu is usually avoided because its white color signifies death and misfortune. After days of feasts, people would start eating simple meals like Rice Congee or dumpling soup to give the digestive system a break.
After dinner on the New Year’s Eve, the whole family would gather together for games or story telling, nowadays often substituted by watching the New Year’s Gala on TV. The point is to stay up until the midnight comes so they can greet the first hour of the New Year with fireworks and firecrackers. Very early the next morning, children first greet their parents and receive their Hongbao, a red paper envelop with brand new bills in them. Then, the family starts out to offer greetings and well-wishes door to door, first to their relatives and then to their neighbors. This Chinese New Year tradition is called “Bai Nian” (New Year respects and wishes), which is also a great way to bring reconciliation to people with old grudges. In such a warm and friendly atmosphere, it is absolute a taboo to use foul language, tell any jokes or stories related to death or other horrible events, and to quarrel or cry.
During the several days following the first day of the year, people are visiting each other with a great deal of exchange of gifts. The New Year atmosphere is brought to its climax at the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the year. Decorative lanterns and folk dances are shown everywhere. The signature food is Tang Yuan, a rice ball made with sweet rice and stuffed with sweet fillings. The Lantern Festival also marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration. Afterwards, life resumes its normal pace and rhythm.
From this article you could see that, even though the New Year traditions many vary from region to region, there is one over-riding common theme and spirit: it is the time to send off the old and welcome the new, and the time to share a sincere wish of peace and happiness for all around us!