Newsletter February 2003 page 2

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HEY, HEY, HEY

• Carpets were cleaned not long after the previous treatment;
  it's a wonderful feeling - clean! But even the floor likes cookie crumbs,
  or were they half cookies we vacuum-cleaned the other day? Well, at least
  there were cookies we could enjoy, the Cookie Monster left us some. Thanks!
  
  
  
  
• Cups and spoons are, sadly enough, still left dirty at
  times. Do you prefer disposables to be used? (It will be more expensive).
  Tell us - or wash up, please! A tidy studio, well maintained, everybody
  chipping in, together.
  
  
  

CHINESE NEW YEAR

It is important to remember that Chinese New Year is not only celebrated in
China. Wherever there are Chinese people, there is a Chinese New Year celebration.
The specific activities of the celebration often vary, depending on the region,
but the basic principles are the same.

Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday celebrated among Chinese people. It
is often referred to as the Spring Festival because it signals the beginning
of spring in China. It is a time when families and friends get together to say
goodbye to the old and welcome the new. It originally lasted for about 4 weeks,
but now only lasts for 3-5 days. The exact origin of this holiday is too old
to be traced, but many explanations still exist.

One idea is that the holiday originated when a beast named Nian (which means
year in Chinese) came out the night before the new year, and started to prey
on the people in the villages. Of course, the people were very frightened by
this monster, and so a brave old man went up to the beast and said to him that
instead of eating the people of the villages, he should eat the other beasts
that frightened these people. Nian followed the old man's request and all of
the beasts were chased into the forest. The old man rode away on Nian's back,
and, as it turns out, the man was an immortal god. The people of the village
were very grateful to the old man for giving them a peaceful life. Before the
old man left for good, he told the people to put up red paper decorations on
their windows and doors at the beginning of each new year, because the color
red scared the beast. They also set off firecrackers to scare away the horrible
beast. This is only one idea about how Chinese New Year began. There are many
other ideas about how this celebration began. Most people just celebrate the
holiday without really knowing why.

Another interesting thing about Chinese New Year is that very few people know
when this holiday is celebrated, without looking at a traditional Chinese calendar,
because it never falls on the same day. The ancient Chinese used a lunar calendar.
(Today we use solar calendars.) On a lunar calendar, the new year begins the
first night of the new moon after the sun enters Aquarius. This date is anywhere
between January 20 and February 19 (on a solar calendar). Chinese years are
grouped in sets of 12 with each year being represented by an animal (zodiac
sign). It is said that a person displays the characteristics of the animal of
the year in which they were born. During the Chinese New Year's celebration,
people participate in many traditional activities. The Chinese believe that
as they enter a new year, they should put behind them all things of the past.
They clean their houses, pay off debts, purchase new clothes, paint their doors
and window panes, and even get new haircuts. These activities symbolize new
life and new beginnings. Homes are decorated with flowers and paper decorations
stating wishes of prosperity, good luck, happiness, good fortune, wealth, and
longevity, for the coming year. Decorations of the incoming zodiac animal are
also displayed. Red and gold are very popular colors to decorate with. Red represents
power, happiness, vitality (and scares away beasts). Gold represents wealth
and good fortune.

One very important tradition of the Chinese New Year is exchanging gifts. A
traditional gift is small red envelopes filled with "lucky money". These envelopes
are given to children by their family and friends. The red color is used to
bring good fortune, and the money inside is used by the children to buy holiday
treats. These envelopes symbolize the giving of good fortune. Food is also very
important to New Year's celebrations. Families and friends get together for
large feasts. Before they eat, they place their food on altars, and make offerings
to the gods. The foods served at these feasts vary, but what is served is always
a tradition for that family.

The dragon is another popular symbol for Chinese New Year. It is a symbol of
strength, goodness, good luck, and supernatural forces. The dragon is said to
be a mythical combination of many animals. During New Year, one of the main
events is a large parade down the city streets. As part of this parade, people
dress up in dragon costumes and dance down the streets. These costumes are made
of brightly colored silk, and decorated very extravagantly. Some of the dragons
are 30 metres long! Men and boys perform intricate dragon dances with one person
manipulating the head of the dragon, and the rest moving the body.

A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks. There
are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One is that the noise wakes up
the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops.
Another belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away
all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the new year.
In fact, gunpowder was invented in China over 1000 years ago for that very purpose.
Firecrackers are thrown at the feet of the dragons in the parade to keep them
awake for the celebration. The dragons are believed to sleep the rest of the
year. The Eve of the New Year is the most strictly observed part of the holiday.
It starts out with a late night feast with members of the family. Ancestors
are honored and offerings of food and incense are made to the gods. At the stroke
of midnight, the celebrating really begins. The sky is filled with fireworks,
and the streets are filled with people wishing each other a happy new year.
The next morning, gifts are exchanged among family members and friends. During
the remaining days of the celebration, time is spent visiting friends and wishing
them luck, happiness and prosperity in the new year. New Years Eve and the first
three days of the new year are officially observed as a holiday. During this
time the majority of businesses (with the exception of movie theatres and restaurants)
shut down for the celebrating. People return to work somewhere between the fifth
and eight day of the new year, but the spirit of celebration lasts through to
the Festival of Lanterns on the 15th day of the new year. After this, life takes
on its normal routines again.

Chee Loh

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