Chinese New Year

Written by sounddezine

Chinese New Year is the biggest celebration of the year in many parts of Asia. It’s as important as Thanksgiving and Christmas are in North America. Chinese New Year is a time to get together with family and friends and share food and laughter. It’s a holiday steeped in superstitions and traditions.

New Year’s Eve is traditionally the night to have a special dinner with family. Different foods have different meanings. Eating long noodles is said to bring longevity. Black hair-like fungus brings prosperity and fish signifies abundance for the coming year. In Chinese, the word for mandarin oranges sounds like the word for ‘gold’, which is why mandarin oranges are such a popular gift. Elders or married couples give red envelopes containing ‘lucky’ money to children and younger singles.

Other beliefs have been hammered into my head by my grandparents: never wash your hair or sweep on New Year’s Day or the good luck will be washed/swept away. They told me to wear red to ward off evil spirits and bow before my ancestors so their spirits will protect me. There is a list of protocol for all 15 days of the celebration, which may bring woe upon you and yours if you do not follow them. Maybe I’m being a bit overdramatic, but for a holiday that’s supposed to be a celebration, there sure are a lot of things to worry about!

According to the Chinese Lunar calendar, New Year’s Day 2009 (January 26th) will usher in the year of the Ox. Chinese astrologers suggest that the Ox signifies new beginnings, and predicts that 2009 will bring a period of lasting accomplishments. That’s good news, since I’ll probably end up doing something along the way to scare away the good luck.