By Robert Charles Miller

Happy belated Lunar New Year! This year, the New Year’s Festival began on January 21st, and it ended on February 5th. Communities across China are usually packed with people, with countless numbers of them setting off fireworks this time of year, while herds of people who reside and work in cities return to their hometowns to reunite with their families. Children expect to receive “lucky money” from most of their adult relatives, while everyone eats as if it is Thanksgiving every day during the festival. In Chinese culture, each year is represented by an animal, and 12 animals make up 12 years (one per year) of the Chinese zodiac. This year, for example, is the Year of the Rabbit. All of this might sound confusing, and you might be wondering, “Why is the Lunar New Year Festival celebrated for so many days?” or “What do all of these celebrations represent?” Hopefully, I can answer such questions in this article, and, hopefully, I can also convince you why Acadia should incorporate the Lunar New Year as one of its days of significance.

Timeline:

You may know that Lunar New Year begins on a different date each year, and that it lasts for 15 days. Why? Although China now uses the Gregorian calendar, like the rest of the world, the date of Lunar New Year is still the first day of the first month on the Lunisolar calendar. This means the so-called “Chinese New Year” falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The 15th day usually marks the first full moon after the first day of the New Year, known as “元宵节”, or read as “yuan xiao jie”, which means the first night of the full moon. This day, known as Lantern Festival Day, marks the end of the Spring Festival.

Origin:

Although there are many stories addressing the origins of the different practices related to Lunar New Year, I will only discuss the legend of the monster, Nian, because this is the most traditional story told about Lunar New Year. According to a Chinese legend, there used to be a monster, “Nian”, who secluded himself from the people throughout the year, but showed himself at the end of each lunar year to prey on people and their livestock. Villagers, who feared for their lives, would flee their villages each year. One year, while the villagers were getting ready to retreat into the mountains to avoid Nian’s attack, an old beggar walked into the village and requested a house for refuge. The villagers tried to warn him of the ferocious beast, but the man elected to stay, and the villagers let him be. The next day, when the villagers returned, they were shocked to see the old man was still alive, and that the house in which he had stayed was covered in red. The old man explained how Nian was scared of the color red, and scared of the sounds of fireworks. By setting off fireworks all night, and by covering everything in red, the old man said he had been able to chase Nian away. From that point on, it became tradition for Chinese communities to set off fireworks, burn bamboo, paste red spring couplets on their homes, and cover everything in red to celebrate the defeat of the monster.

Popular Chinese Foods and Their Representation During the Festival:

In addition to setting off fireworks and decorating everything in red, there are other traditions that are symbolically significant during the celebration of the festival. For example, it is a long-standing tradition that people eat dumplings during the first dinner of the Spring Festival. This is because the shape of the dumplings somewhat resembles the shape of the gold ingots used as currency in ancient China, and Chinese people believe eating food that resembles “money” will bring them good luck. Most Chinese families also will also place a coin in one dumpling and whoever gets that dumpling will be considered to be extra lucky that year.

In southern China, people also eat rice cakes, called “年糕”, read “nian gao” in Mandarin, as a traditional dessert. This is because the the name of the cakes, or “nian gao,” sounds like “年高”, which means “higher and higher, year after year.” Thus, by eating the rice cakes, Chinese people believe they will become better than they were the previous year.

Lastly, on the final day of the festival, known as Lantern Festival, people eat “汤圆,” pronounced “tangyuan,” which are desserts in the shape of a ball. They are made out of glutinous rice flour, and they have a bean, sesame, or peanut-paste filling. The name, “tangyuan,” sounds like the Chinese word “团圆”, pronounced “tuanyuan”, which means reunion. As such, sharing this dessert with family members symbolizes the reunion of family members. It also connects with the last day of the festival, since the last day usually ends with a full moon, and the full moon is also a representation of a family reunion.

Why Acadia Should Commemorate the Spring Festival:

Imagine how you would feel if a holiday you celebrated rolled around, but you could neither reunite with your family nor participate in an organized holiday-related event because the community in which you were residing did not celebrate your holiday. This is how many Chinese students feel, including many at Acadia. Although they can call home via video chat, it is not the same as actually sitting with family in person and celebrating the arrival of the new lunar year for a reunion dinner. Although a campus-organized event will not fully fill the void that comes with being away from family at a festive time, by allowing students to celebrate lunar new year together, the Chinese students will be able to feel the warmth of celebrating the occasion together as a community!