The Legend and Traditions of Chinese New Year
The Spring Festival is as important to Chinese as Christmas to westerners. The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar.The celebration of Chinese New Year is known as “Guonian”. According to legend, in ancient China, Nian, a man-eating predatory beast from the mountains, could infiltrate houses silently. The Chinese were always very scared of this monster. Later, they learned that Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, and so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red.
Chinese New Year Eve is called “Chuxi”. “Chu” means “get rid of ” and “Xi” is the day of the legendary man-eating beast, Nian, which preys once a year on New Year Eve. When Nian arrived, people used firecrackers to scare him away. Once Nian ran away, people joined together to celebrate for another year of safe life.The New Year season lasts for fifteen days. The first week is the most important and most often celebrated with visits to friends and family as well as greetings of good luck. The celebrations end on the important and colorful Lantern Festival on the evening of the 15th day of the month.
Preparing for the New Year: Cleaning and Decorations for Good Luck
On the days before the New Year celebration, Chinese families give their home a thorough cleaning. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck and makes their homes ready for good luck to arrive. All brooms and dust pans are put away on New Year’s Eve so that good luck cannot be swept away. Some people give their homes, doors and windowpanes a new coat of red paint. Homes are decorated with paper cutouts of Chinese auspicious phrases and couplets (short phrases) that speak of “happiness, wealth and longevity”.
A reunion dinner is held on New Year’s Eve where members of the family, near and far, get together for celebration. The New Year’s Eve dinner is very large and traditionally includes chicken. Fish is included, but not eaten up completely (and the remainder is stored), as the Chinese phrase , which means “may there be surpluses every year”, sounds the same as “may there be fish every year”, since “yu” is also the pronunciation for leftover or surplus in Chinese.Most Northerners serve dumplings as the main dish in this festive season because it is believed that dumplings are wrapped in the semblance of Chinese gold nuggets used in ancient China. This gold nugget is called .
Reunion Dinner and the Tradition of "Ya Sui Qian"
On the night of Chuxi, parents or grandparents usually put “ya sui qian” (gift money) or “lucky money” under children’s pillows. The most common story of the origin of this tradition is as below:
There once was a monster called Sui that would come on the night of Chuxi and touch the forehead of sleeping children. Once touched, normal children turned insane, and smart children were then mentally retarded. To avoid this, parents usually stayed up the whole night to watch out for Sui . One couple loved their bright son very much, and decided one year to keep the son awake by having him playing with coins wrapped in red paper. However, both the parents and the boy eventually fell asleep, with the paper wrapped coins fallen beside the boy’s pillow. At night, Sui came in looking for the boy. The parents woke up, but it was too late for them to stop Sui. As Sui got close to the boy, a light flashed from the paper wrapped coins scared Sui away.The next day, the story was known throughout the village, and people believed that having coins wrapped in red paper would keep Sui away on Chuxi. Therefore it became a tradition to put money by the pillows of children on the night of Chuxi, and the money is then called Ya Sui Qian , or Sui suppressing money. And since (Sui) sounds similar to the word which means year, it is then called , for people believed this money would keep their children safe for the rest of the year.
Celebrating New Year’s Day: Family Gatherings and Traditions
New Year’s Day is celebrated within the family. Usually family members gather on the morning of New Year’s Day. It is at this gathering that red envelopes are given by senior members of the family, usually married, to unmarried junior members of the family.
The first day of Chinese New Year is a time where family members, in order of their seniority, will pay a visit to the oldest and most senior member of their family, usually their parents or grandparents, or even great grandparents. The venue of the aforementioned reunion dinner is usually, if not always, at the eldest and most respected family member’s residence. This has been in practice for many centuries.Red banners with the word “Xi” (happiness) written on them are hung around the house and on the fronts of doors. This sign is usually seen hung upside down, since the Chinese word “dao”(upside down), sounds similar as “dao”(arrive). Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck and happiness.The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as “lucky words”.
