The preparation for the Chinese New Year begins on January 24 and culminates on February 1 this year, when the New Year dawns. According to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the Year of the Tiger. Family is the basis of Chinese society, which is seen through the significance placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner or reunion dinner.
The Chinese New Year is laden with its significant traditions. According to oral tradition, in ancient times, there was a monster named Nian. It lived at the bottom of the sea and came up once a year to feast on animals. On this day, the villagers would all escape into the mountains. One year, a beggar came to seek shelter, but everyone was hurrying away. Only an old woman took him in and he promised to chase Nian away. He busied himself with decorating the homes. At midnight, Nian lumbered in but stopped short when it saw the red paper on the doors.
As it roared in anger, firecrackers suddenly sounded and it trembled with fear. When it saw the beggar, dressed in red, laughing at it, it decided to run away. The villagers came back the next day and were pleasantly surprised that their homes were all still standing. They realised that loud noise and the colour red had scared the dragon away. This is why, on New Year’s Eve, families have dinner in their homes adorned with red decorations. At midnight, firecrackers are joyfully lit. In addition, people dress up in festive red clothing to celebrate.
Each year is also assigned one of five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water. Each element is associated with certain traits and behavioural patterns, adding a dimension of richness to the matrix of personality in Chinese astrology. The year 2022 is the Year of the Tiger, but it is also the Year of Water. A Tiger born in 2022 won’t resemble other Tigers born in 1998 or 2010, previous Years of the Tiger. That is because, when the 12 zodiac signs are overlaid with the five elements, each complete cycle in the Chinese calendar consists of 60 years. The previous Year of the Water Tiger was all the way back in 1962.
Another Chinese decoration is calligraphy. The most common word is fú, meaning happiness or fortune. But you will rarely see it upright. It is said that in the Ming Dynasty, the Emperor ordered every household to decorate by pasting fú on their doors. On New Year’s Day, he sent soldiers to check. They found that one illiterate family had pasted the word upside down.
The Emperor ordered the family to be punished. Thankfully, the Empress was there and came up with an explanation: “Upside down” (dào) is a homophone of “here”. When it is upside down, it means that “fú is here’. The explanation made sense to the Emperor and he set the family free. From then on, people would hang the word upside down, both for fortune and in remembrance of the kind Empress.
Spring festive wine is another element of the celebrations. There are some drinks specific to the Chinese New Year. One of them is Tusu wine. In one oral tradition, there was a plague going through villages. A man put some herbs, leaves and grains into bags. He brought one to each of his neighbours, telling them to soak the bag in water. They were to drink the water on New Year’s Day. Gladly, they found that this portion saved them from the plague. It became known as Tusu wine, named after the Tusu-structured home of the man.
Food is one of the things that the Chinese take the most pride in. A lot of care and thought is put into the menu for the most important holiday of the year. As with Chinese New Year activities and decorations, the dishes are created to give blessings for the next year. Both the names and looks are symbols of wishes for prosperity, happiness and auspiciousness. Though every region has different customs, there are some common dishes seen on every table. Eggrolls are probably the most well-known of Chinese cuisine. However, they’re actually “spring rolls.” They are eaten during the Spring Festival in Southern China to celebrate the coming of Spring. More specifically, they are eaten on the first day of Spring. Nian Gao, also known as “rice cake” or “New Year cake” in English, are a must for Chinese New Year. They are typically made savoury in the South. Store purchased Nian Gao are hard and must be boiled first. They are then steamed or cooked with vegetables and meat.
Another popular dish, dumplings are the northern equivalent of spring rolls. They are eaten during every special occasion, but are most significant during the Chinese New Year. Typically, they include Chinese cabbage, green onion, pork and shrimp. Though the origin of noodles is often disputed, there is no doubt that noodles are a staple in Chinese cuisine. In the beginning, they were called “soup pancakes” (tang miàn). People would tear the dough into little pieces and throw them into the pot. It was not until the Tang Dynasty when people began rolling them into the noodle shape we know today. During the Chinese New Year, people like to eat long noodles.
Fish is a must for the Chinese New Year meal. In Chinese, yú has the same pronunciation for the word which means “surplus” or “extra.” The typical blessing is Nián nián youyú wishing you to have a surplus of food and money every year. Some would cook a bigheaded carp. But only the middle would be eaten, while the head and tail are left intact.
Hot pot is another food that has a long culinary history. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty was the most avid fan. When he held feasts for old and retired officials, hot pot with meat was always on the menu. During his New Year’s Eve dinner, there were 120 dishes for lunch and even more for hot pot. It is simply a bubbling pot and plates of uncooked meat and vegetables. You can choose whatever you like to throw into the pot, wait until it is cooked, take it out and eat. A whole chicken is another symbol of family. It represents reunion and rebirth. To express this auspicious meaning, people keep their heads and claws. After cooking, Chinese people will first offer the chicken to their ancestors. Praying to the ancestors for blessings and protection is still a significant part of the Spring Festival and Chinese culture.
The Chinese zodiac order was chosen by the Jade Emperor through a race. The Chinese zodiac symbols are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Lantern Festival is held 15 days after the Spring Festival. It marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. As you may guess from the name, everyone lights lanterns for this festival. As the story goes, a heavenly swan was killed by a hunter when it visited the human world. To avenge its death, the Jade Emperor planned to send his knights and burn the Earth down. The lesser gods were horrified at this plan and secretly went to warn the humans. On that night, the humans lit firecrackers and each household hung lanterns. From the heavens, it seemed like the Earth was in flames. It tricked the Jade Emperor and humanity was saved from his anger. The Chinese New Year is laden with a rich cultural heritage. It remains a festival of unity.
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