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Happy New Year! by Ray Salveson
What Christmas and Thanksgiving is to Westerners, Spring Festival is to Chinese. It's the most colorful, sensational and joyous of all festivals is the Lunar New Year. Everywhere in China and overseas, Chinese communities and families prepare for a series of celebratory events that can last anywhere from one day to two weeks. During festival time, marketplaces are bursting with color, plum blossoms, red azaleas, oranges, and tangerines fill streetside stalls. Sidewalk tables are covered with bright red paper couplets expressing good fortune, window decorations, lunar calendars and almanacs. As the New Year festivities progress, people inside giant colorful lion and dragon masks dance through the streets to the sound of exploding firecrackers, the rhythmic beat of drums, and the loud crashing of cymbals. At this time of year more than any other, the primary concerns of family, friends, and relatives are to ensure good luck, pay respects to the gods and spirits, and wish good fortune for the coming year. Traditional New Year celebrations, continue to follow the lunar calendar, beginning with the new moon, which marks the first day of the first lunar month, and ending on the 15th day with the brilliant lights of the lantern festival. What You Can See: Yangge--The most popular folksong and dance production, meaning "rice-sprout songs". The name suggests that this tradition originated with farmers, who sang songs as they transplanted young rice sprouts in the fields. The invigorating performances of dynamic and lusty gangge song and dance acts were directed to the dead to show fertility, fortune, and reproductive energy, and by this means receive their assistance to ensure prosperous times ahead. Spring Festival Calendar: Feb. 4: New year's Eve. Offerings to gods and ancestors. A big family reunion meal is the most important. Jiaozi is a must. Elders distribute "money of the passing year" (ya sui qian). Everyone stays awake to safeguard the year (shou ye). Playing majiong is a popular game since decades ago. Watching CCTV evening party has also become a Spring Festival routine. Family members paste spring scrolls on doorways and gates. Feb. 5: First day of Spring Festival. Pay respects to elders. Set off firecrackers (please refer to page for fireworks information). Burn incense and worship deities. Call on friends and relatives. Feb. 5-10: Beginning of new spring. Worship the God of Wealth. Married women should visit natal homes. Sweep houses to send off poverty on Feb. 10. Keep on open house for visiting friends and relatives. Temple astrologers predict fortunes. Feb. 19: Lantern Festival day. Hang lanterns outside the door. The city tends to hang lanterns and bright everywhere. Eat sweet glutinous rice dumplings (yuan xiao). Traditionally Taboo: Old Beijingers are sensitive to sensitive to say or do certain things. 1. Ominous words such as "death" or "finished". Children are not allowed to cry or quarrel. 2. Cracking the basin or bowl or other cooking utensils are regarded as the ominous sign of bankruptcy. If it happens, the person present should say "sui sui ping an" (peace every year) right away to drive away the misfortune. 3. Sweeping the floor before the fifth day of lunar new year, as it is believed to sweep away the wealth. 4. Using of knives and scissors. In countryside especially, sewing works are stopped in every house during the first five days of Spring Festival. A large quantity of meat and vegetables for one week are prepared on the eve of Spring Festival. 5. Going to the see the doctors. Getting sick during this time is regarded bad luck. 6. In some families, it is not allowed to say "spend money" on the first day of Spring Festival, because this means the family will spend money all through the year. 7.In some families NEVER say "spend money" on the first day of Spring Festival, as this means the family will spend money all through the year.
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