The San Diego Traveler

Chinese New Year Traditions

by Carole A. Lane on February 19th, 2007

As San Diego is celebrating the Chinese New Year, it seems a good time to learn a little more about the traditions surrounding this time of celebration.

Preparation

The Chinese begin preparing up to 22 days prior to the New Year, and continue 15 days after.  During the preparation time, people clean out their houses, wash their utensils, and discard unwanted items, all to make sure that the New Year begins fresh and clean. 

They also obtain new clothing for the New Year.  Hair must be cleaned and set prior to the holiday, because doing this during New Year’s season would invite a financial setback.   Food is also prepared at this time.

Food

The Chinese have many superstitions when it comes to foods.  Some include:

• Mustard greens for longevity
• Long noodles for long life (cutting them is bad luck)
• Nian gao, or Chinese New Year lucky cake
• Melon to increase fertility
• Candy to ensure a sweet year
• Lotus seed, for having many male offspring
• Ginkgo nut, representing silver ingots or wealth
• Black moss seaweed and dried bean curd, both for wealth
• Bamboo shoots for good health
• A whole chicken, to symbolize completeness
• Fish - half on New Year’s Eve, and half the next day to transfer last year’s remaining luck to the New Year

Many of these are considered lucky because their names mean something fortunate in Chinese.  Likewise, other foods are considered unlucky because their names sound like unlucky words in Chinese. Additional traditional foods eaten on the New Year include:

• Buddha’s Delight, an elaborate vegetarian dish; it’s sometimes considered good luck to abstain from meat on the first day, or the first five days of the New Year
• Eight Treasure Rice

Fresh bean curd or tofu is not included, as it is white and signifies death and misfortune.

See Lunar New Year Edibles for examples of other New Year foods.

Business

Employers are expected to hold a banquet to thank their workers for their efforts during the past year. 

Debts are also paid, in order to start the New Year with a clean slate.

New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, families meet for a special dinner, and children receive red envelopes containing gifts of lucky money.  The money should start in even numbers, such as two, twenty-five, and so on, as odd numbers are only given for funerals.  It should never add up to four either, as the number for four sounds like the word for death, and is therefore bad luck.  Six is lucky, and is often the amount chosen for lucky money envelopes.

New Year’s Day

After midnight, exploding firecrackers and whistling rockets frighten off evil spirits and venerate the gods. This continues sporadically until after dawn on New Year’s Day.

In the morning, ceremonial candles are lit, incense and paper money is burned and more firecrackers are lit.  Lucky phrases written in black or golden ink on red paper are pasted on or around every family door. After breakfast comes a visit to the temple, and then to friends and relatives. 

No sweeping is allowed on New Year’s Day, to avoid sweeping away the family’s good luck.  The use of knives, scissors and sharp instruments is avoided as these could cause harm, or cut off fortune, as could breaking any dishes.

Some gamble on this day to bring more luck and prosperity.

Through the streets, roving musicians are rewarded with red envelopes, and children may receive more envelopes from their relatives.

More New Year’s Events

Additional traditions exist for the remaining days of the season, depending upon where you’re from.  See The 15 Day Celebration of Chinese New Year for information how these days are observed.

The Lantern Festival on fifteenth day (this year on March 4) marks the end of the New Year season, commemorated with colorful lanterns at most temples and hundred foot long dragons dancing with flashing eyes, pounding drums, cymbals and brass instruments.  Rice flour dumplings called “yuan shiao” are eaten at this time, at which time everyone becomes a year older.

The Chinese Calendar

The Year of the Pig is the last in the Chinese zodiac.  The progression goes as follows:

1. Rat 2008, 2020 
2. Ox 2009, 2021 
3. Tiger 2010, 2022 
4. Rabbit 2011, 2023 
5. Dragon 2012, 2024 
6. Snake 2013, 2025 
7. Horse 2014, 2026 
8. Sheep (Ram) 2015, 2027
9. Monkey 2016, 2028 
10. Rooster 2017, 2029 
11. Dog 2018, 2030 
12. Boar (Pig) 2007, 2019

 Famous Boars (Pigs) 

Bryan Adams, Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Richard Chamberlain, Hillary Clinton, Glenn Close, Noel Coward, the Dalai Lama, Sheena Easton, Emmylou Harris, Ernest Hemingway, Henry VIII, King Hussein of Jordan, Elton John, Carl Gustav Jung, Nastassja Kinski, Kevin Kline, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marie Osmond, Luciano Pavorotti, Prince Rainer of Monaco, Ronald Reagan, Lee Remick, Ginger Roger, Peter Sampras, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg, Emma Thompson, Tracey Ullman, and the Duchess of York.

For further information about Chinese history and customs, please see:

• The Chinese New Year from Wikipedia
• Traditional New Year Food
• Taboos and Superstitions of the Chinese New Year

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