It’s a New Year Again…Grrr

It is February 14, 2010, and millions (or even billions) of people from around the world are celebrating this glorious day. However, they are not celebrating the heart-shaped, candy-filled Valentine’s Day; they are welcoming the year of the tiger on the Chinese lunar calendar with warm food, parades, and fireworks (where it is allowed). Possibly the most important holiday of the Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is celebrated every year with grandeur. Some important traditions to follow on this day are:

• Good food. The beginning of a new year calls for a full and delicious meal. Common dishes include fish and dumplings. Eating fish on New Year signifies surpluses for the next year as the Chinese word for fish is 鱼 (pronounced yǘ), which is a homophone for surplus (鱼) in Chinese. While various places in China have different traditional meals, the most important part is just to have good food with one’s family.

• Spending the day with family is a must. Younger generations generally visit their elders and wish them a happy new year. Elders often give children New Year money in red envelopes to begin the year.

• One usually receives new clothes. This is especially important in the past, when people do not have many clothes to wear.

• Some traditions that are not seen frequently anymore are 对联 (dui lian) and firecrackers. Dui lian are Chinese sayings written on red papers that people paste on their door frames. Firecrackers have, unfortunately, led to many injuries over the year, causing many places to ban them.

• A more recent tradition, especially in mainland China, is watching CCTV’s New Year Gala. Running for approximately six hours, this program has become a central feature on New Year Eve. It features dances, songs, comedy skits, and many other performances that entertains families all night.

With old and new traditions in mind, hopefully everyone had a great start to the year of the tiger.

Here is a link to a clip of a song and the countdown from CCTV's New Year Gala: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtFlx0m1IWk&feature=channel