by Aleicia Zhu and Annie Zhang
Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC): The Chinese Calendar Year (Nian) first appears, and the meaning of the New Year expands to encompass the worship of nature, in order to bless harvests in the coming year.
Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD): The first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar becomes the fixed date for the New Year’s Festival. Certain celebration activities, like burning bamboo for the signature firework-crackle sound, popularize.
Wei and Jin Dynasty (220 - 420): New customs form, like gathering as a family to clean the house, eating a big, celebratory dinner at a round table, and staying up late on New Year’s Eve to wish in the New Year [4].
Lunar Calendar
The majority of countries, including modern China, use the Gregorian calendar. However, traditional Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar, and Chinese New Year is no exception [1]. According to legend, usage of the lunar calendar began in the Xia dynasty (21st-16th centuries BCE) and it followed agricultural seasons. So, peasants could keep time by tracking the phases of the moon. To account for the 29.5-day moon cycle, half of the months have 29 days, while the other half have 30. This would later evolve into a 19-year-period, where 12 years have 12 months while 7 years have 13 months. During the Han dynasty, the system was changed so the year began on the first new moon after the sun enters the 11th sign of the solar zodiac or the second new moon after the winter solstice. This date is also marked as the beginning of spring [5].
People also clean up their household and business finances before the New Year. Often, people will pay off old debts or collect on debts due. Moreover, it is even traditional for creditors to pursue their debtors up until the last minutes of New Year’s Eve as it is considered rude to collect on debts during new Year’s day [5].
Gift-giving on New Years’ is a chief tradition in the PRC, the world’s largest consumer market. This is done to maintain relations, save face, and above all, contribute to the happiness of others [6]. The economic boon is high and the “holiday effect” is clear. Returns on the Chinese stock market are abnormally high in the days preceding the New Year [7]. Naturally, these gifts are often expensive, though that is dependent on the income of the giver. Such presents can include flowers (wax plum, fragrant white jonquils, narcissus, etc.) and ripe fruit (oranges, mandarins, etc.). Certain gifts are avoided due to their connotations in Chinese culture (ex. green hats, clocks), but sharp objects like scissors are avoided altogether. Even homonyms to negative words like death are avoided!
On the 15th day of the first month, the celebrations conclude with the Lantern Festival. This is also known as yuanxiaojie because yuanxiao (small rice balls) are the featured dish. There, paper lanterns are made and released so the gods can find their way. It marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations, and normal activities can resume.
Fish: Typically, fish comes steamed, lying mouth-agape, body sliced finely in long vertical cuts, in a shallow bowl of fish sauce. There might be ginger or scallions spread across its belly. To eat the fish (which in Chinese, is a homonym for “surplus”), families use chopsticks to peck slowly away at the meat on one side of the belly until the bones begin to appear. When the first side is bare, the fish is flipped over and pecked at again until gone. The gooey eyes and head are treats saved for last.
Sweet Rice Balls: More commonly known as tangyuan (literally “group round,” symbolizing reunion and togetherness), sweet rice balls are lumps of red bean paste, wrapped smoothly in white glutinous rice, and boiled in a big vat of water, until they float up heavily to the surface. Sometimes, a coin is folded into the filling, and the lucky eater who bites down on metal will have a year of good fortune.
Noodles: Symbolizing long life, noodles are typically eaten on the first day of the New Year, after the New Year’s Eve dinner. The stock from last night’s meat portion, usually chicken, is thickened with starch, vegetables, and meat, and used as a base for the plain noodles.
Whole Chicken: A whole chicken, symbolizing togetherness, is often cooked, and left white and flavorless, except for the grease of its plucked, yellow skin. The eldest in the house then butchers the chicken with a broad knife, into proportionate chunks, and lays out the body parts on a wide plate. On the side, little bowls of soy sauce, red pepper, sesame oil, and scallions are prepared as sauce.
Still, even with Chinese New Year being a celebration, even with it being distinctly family-oriented, it’s easy as a Chinese-American to feel isolated, or at least detached, from the festivities. When parents are WeChatting their brothers and sisters’ families, when people are knocking on friends’ doors to bai nian, there is an expectation of a strong, perfect community, as well as all the secure feelings of belonging, comfort, and acceptance that come along with it. The reality, not only of this specific New Year’s holiday, but generally, of the larger Chinese-American experience overall, is not this, and in fact, often the opposite of this. Since childhood, all Chinese-Americans have inevitably, to some degree, felt confused, displaced, and alien in their surrounding American context. Often, and for obvious reasons, this disconnect is most apparent when external to the child’s family: for example, in school, in friend groups, online, and in shopping malls.
Sometimes, however, there’s an alienness in one’s own Chinese-American family as well. There is no way, especially for first-generation Chinese-Americans, for parents to fully reconcile their children’s experiences with their own. Left to develop an identity for themselves, Chinese-Americans, particularly Chinese-American teenagers, often end up a little bit Asian, a little bit American, and a whole lot of nebulous and misguided. And this ambiguous, inherently isolated identity is a source of insecurity, a source of discomfort, especially in celebratory times like Chinese New Year. The expectations don’t line up with reality. The strength and bond of community and family, amplified in the history, culture, and tradition of these centuries-old holidays, are incongruous with the misplaced feeling of identity.
So this is the secret guilt and doubt of Chinese-Americans celebrating Chinese New Year. It in no way diminishes Chinese culture, but it certainly comes at a steep price to the celebrators residing in the liminal space.
New Year Celebrations Across the World is a series of articles describing the different New Years’ histories, traditions, and changes throughout different countries and cultures. Do note that a country, region, or larger culture can have many subcultures that may celebrate differently.
Chinese NewYear (also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year) is the most important holiday in China, and each year revolves around one of 12 zodiac animals. This includes the: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The 2021 New Year celebrates the bull, a stubborn but hardworking creature ready to persevere through the year [1]. It is a holiday celebrated by the Asian diaspora across the world, and Google acquiesces to the fun; when you Google terms related to Chinese New Year, fireworks crackle across the screen [2]!
The famous firework-filled celebrations are a hallmark of Chinese culture, but what are the specifics behind celebrating the New Year in mainland China (the PRC)?
It was not until one year, when a white-haired elder visited the village, that things finally changed. The elder was brave. He refused to run to the mountains and fold himself away. Instead, he chose to scare away the monster. Knowing Nian was afraid of the color red (symbolic of luck and good fortune), the elder dressed in all red, and pasted red papers on front doors throughout the village. Knowing Nian hated loud noises, the elder burned bamboo, a precursor to fireworks, and let it crack and split loudly into the night. And finally, knowing Nian feared light, the elder lit candles and kept the village glowing as the new year dawned. When the sun rose the next morning, and the villagers rushed down from the mountains, back into the village, they were surprised to see the old man alive, and their village undestroyed. Since that day, people have celebrated the arrival of the New Year just as the elder once did, and the monster Nian never showed up again [3].
The famous firework-filled celebrations are a hallmark of Chinese culture, but what are the specifics behind celebrating the New Year in mainland China (the PRC)?
History
The Chinese New Year festival, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, holds a rich 3,500-year history, starting under the reign of the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). Legend has it there once was a mythical beast named Nian (年, Chinese for “year”). His head was long, his talons sharp, his whole body eel-like and slick. All year round, Nian lived at the bottom of the sea, in the dark blue shadows where no light ever shone. But, on every New Year’s Eve, he’d come up, rise out of the water, shoot up into the villages, devouring people and livestock alike. And so, on every New Year’s Eve, the villagers would hush and flee, run high into the faraway mountains, and hide like children from Nian.It was not until one year, when a white-haired elder visited the village, that things finally changed. The elder was brave. He refused to run to the mountains and fold himself away. Instead, he chose to scare away the monster. Knowing Nian was afraid of the color red (symbolic of luck and good fortune), the elder dressed in all red, and pasted red papers on front doors throughout the village. Knowing Nian hated loud noises, the elder burned bamboo, a precursor to fireworks, and let it crack and split loudly into the night. And finally, knowing Nian feared light, the elder lit candles and kept the village glowing as the new year dawned. When the sun rose the next morning, and the villagers rushed down from the mountains, back into the village, they were surprised to see the old man alive, and their village undestroyed. Since that day, people have celebrated the arrival of the New Year just as the elder once did, and the monster Nian never showed up again [3].
Timeline
Shang Dynasty (1,600 - 1,046 BC): 3,500 years ago, the legend of the monster Nian forms. People usher in the New Year with sacrificial ceremonies, held in honor of gods and ancestors.Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC): The Chinese Calendar Year (Nian) first appears, and the meaning of the New Year expands to encompass the worship of nature, in order to bless harvests in the coming year.
Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD): The first day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar becomes the fixed date for the New Year’s Festival. Certain celebration activities, like burning bamboo for the signature firework-crackle sound, popularize.
Wei and Jin Dynasty (220 - 420): New customs form, like gathering as a family to clean the house, eating a big, celebratory dinner at a round table, and staying up late on New Year’s Eve to wish in the New Year [4].
Lunar Calendar
The majority of countries, including modern China, use the Gregorian calendar. However, traditional Chinese holidays are based on the lunar calendar, and Chinese New Year is no exception [1]. According to legend, usage of the lunar calendar began in the Xia dynasty (21st-16th centuries BCE) and it followed agricultural seasons. So, peasants could keep time by tracking the phases of the moon. To account for the 29.5-day moon cycle, half of the months have 29 days, while the other half have 30. This would later evolve into a 19-year-period, where 12 years have 12 months while 7 years have 13 months. During the Han dynasty, the system was changed so the year began on the first new moon after the sun enters the 11th sign of the solar zodiac or the second new moon after the winter solstice. This date is also marked as the beginning of spring [5].
Preparations
Typically, millions of factory workers, farmers, and office workers will travel across the country to unite with their families [1]. In addition to family, people are encouraged to renew old friendships and resolve old conflicts. However, they are being discouraged from doing that in the year of COVID-19. Regardless, many people will clean their homes in the days before, hoping to wash off evil spirits. Once New Year Day arrives, people will put away their brooms lest they sweep away their good luck [1, 5]!People also clean up their household and business finances before the New Year. Often, people will pay off old debts or collect on debts due. Moreover, it is even traditional for creditors to pursue their debtors up until the last minutes of New Year’s Eve as it is considered rude to collect on debts during new Year’s day [5].
Activities
Houses and establishments are laden with red and deafening fireworks are set off in an effort to ward off evil spirits [1]. Additionally, people would hang up couplets (dulian) at their doors to hope for long life, strong relationships, and other good wishes [5]. Also, celebrators in the South create portraits for the Kitchen God, a domestic deity watching throughout the year to see if the family has behaved well. Besides the Kitchen God, other deities and also ancestors are honored with sacrifices of food and incense ceremonies.Gift-giving on New Years’ is a chief tradition in the PRC, the world’s largest consumer market. This is done to maintain relations, save face, and above all, contribute to the happiness of others [6]. The economic boon is high and the “holiday effect” is clear. Returns on the Chinese stock market are abnormally high in the days preceding the New Year [7]. Naturally, these gifts are often expensive, though that is dependent on the income of the giver. Such presents can include flowers (wax plum, fragrant white jonquils, narcissus, etc.) and ripe fruit (oranges, mandarins, etc.). Certain gifts are avoided due to their connotations in Chinese culture (ex. green hats, clocks), but sharp objects like scissors are avoided altogether. Even homonyms to negative words like death are avoided!
On the 15th day of the first month, the celebrations conclude with the Lantern Festival. This is also known as yuanxiaojie because yuanxiao (small rice balls) are the featured dish. There, paper lanterns are made and released so the gods can find their way. It marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations, and normal activities can resume.
Food
Fish: Typically, fish comes steamed, lying mouth-agape, body sliced finely in long vertical cuts, in a shallow bowl of fish sauce. There might be ginger or scallions spread across its belly. To eat the fish (which in Chinese, is a homonym for “surplus”), families use chopsticks to peck slowly away at the meat on one side of the belly until the bones begin to appear. When the first side is bare, the fish is flipped over and pecked at again until gone. The gooey eyes and head are treats saved for last.
Sweet Rice Balls: More commonly known as tangyuan (literally “group round,” symbolizing reunion and togetherness), sweet rice balls are lumps of red bean paste, wrapped smoothly in white glutinous rice, and boiled in a big vat of water, until they float up heavily to the surface. Sometimes, a coin is folded into the filling, and the lucky eater who bites down on metal will have a year of good fortune.
Noodles: Symbolizing long life, noodles are typically eaten on the first day of the New Year, after the New Year’s Eve dinner. The stock from last night’s meat portion, usually chicken, is thickened with starch, vegetables, and meat, and used as a base for the plain noodles.
Whole Chicken: A whole chicken, symbolizing togetherness, is often cooked, and left white and flavorless, except for the grease of its plucked, yellow skin. The eldest in the house then butchers the chicken with a broad knife, into proportionate chunks, and lays out the body parts on a wide plate. On the side, little bowls of soy sauce, red pepper, sesame oil, and scallions are prepared as sauce.
Celebrating as Chinese-Americans
Chinese New Year is invariably a time of joy and fortune for Chinese-Americans, inviting a second celebration of past years and new beginnings, typically a month or a month and a half after the American New Year (12/1). Often, the Spring Festival brings a spell of deja-vu, a sense of repeat or even prolonged celebration, falling so close to the American orgy of Christmas, railed up right after with the New Year. That’s not to say the American New Year and the Chinese New Year are indistinguishable, or easily blurred together as celebrations: they’re not. The New Year in America is, at least in popular visualizations, glossy and luxurious. The fireworks are all gold. People dance in shiny dresses. There’s champagne, kisses, and more. The New Year in China, on the other hand, is full and familial. People sweep the floors together. The table’s crowded with eight spilling dishes. Parents complain about the New Year’s program on TV this year, like they always do.Still, even with Chinese New Year being a celebration, even with it being distinctly family-oriented, it’s easy as a Chinese-American to feel isolated, or at least detached, from the festivities. When parents are WeChatting their brothers and sisters’ families, when people are knocking on friends’ doors to bai nian, there is an expectation of a strong, perfect community, as well as all the secure feelings of belonging, comfort, and acceptance that come along with it. The reality, not only of this specific New Year’s holiday, but generally, of the larger Chinese-American experience overall, is not this, and in fact, often the opposite of this. Since childhood, all Chinese-Americans have inevitably, to some degree, felt confused, displaced, and alien in their surrounding American context. Often, and for obvious reasons, this disconnect is most apparent when external to the child’s family: for example, in school, in friend groups, online, and in shopping malls.
Sometimes, however, there’s an alienness in one’s own Chinese-American family as well. There is no way, especially for first-generation Chinese-Americans, for parents to fully reconcile their children’s experiences with their own. Left to develop an identity for themselves, Chinese-Americans, particularly Chinese-American teenagers, often end up a little bit Asian, a little bit American, and a whole lot of nebulous and misguided. And this ambiguous, inherently isolated identity is a source of insecurity, a source of discomfort, especially in celebratory times like Chinese New Year. The expectations don’t line up with reality. The strength and bond of community and family, amplified in the history, culture, and tradition of these centuries-old holidays, are incongruous with the misplaced feeling of identity.
So this is the secret guilt and doubt of Chinese-Americans celebrating Chinese New Year. It in no way diminishes Chinese culture, but it certainly comes at a steep price to the celebrators residing in the liminal space.
Sources
- Chinese New Year: What you need to know - CBBC Newsround. (2021, February 12). BBC. www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/38668427
- Lunar New Year 2021 (Multiple Countries). (2021). Google Doodles. www.google.com/doodles/lunar-new-year-2021-multiple-countries
- History/Origin of Chinese New Year, Top 3 Chinese New Year Legends/Stories. (2021). China Highlights. www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-legends.htm
- The Origin and History of Chinese New Year. (2021). China Highlights. www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-history.htm
- The Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends. (2021). Columbia University afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm
- Chinese cultural values and gift‐giving behavior | Emerald Insight. (2013). Journal of Consumer Marketing. doi.org/10.1108\/jcm
- Yuan, T., & Gupta, R. (2014). Chinese Lunar New Year effect in Asian stock markets, 1999–2012. The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, 54(4), 529–537. doi.org/10.1016/j.qref.2014.06.001