This weekend will usher in a whole new year, but there will neither be a ball dropping in Times Square nor countdowns at the stroke of midnight. Instead, firecrackers will blaze in the night sky, ferocious looking tigers will appear on banners, and the color red will be everywhere in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
To honor this event far from home on Friday, Feb. 12, the Chinese Cultural Association and Mount Holyoke students will present China Night, a celebration from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. in Chapin Auditorium with an authentic Chinese dinner, an exciting show, and an after party with games.
This year’s show will feature a story about a girl who oversleeps and misses her Chinese exam. Luckily, a fairy agrees to bring her back in time to take the exam, but the time machine malfunctions and she is transported in time to ancient China, where she experiences some of the ancient legends and meets some of the country’s famous people.
The Chinese New Year follows a twelve-year cycle called the Chinese Zodiac with twelve animals, similar to the Western Zodiac. This year represents the third animal in the cycle, the tiger. People born in a year of an animal are said to have specific traits similar to the actual animal. For example, people born in the year of the tiger are believed to be brave, bold and caring but short-tempered.
Although the ways of celebrating this holiday vary in China, there are several similarities nevertheless. In ancient China, people believed a monster named Nian would come out on Chinese New Year’s Eve to eat people and terrorize villages. To keep Nian away, the villagers decorated the town with the color red, a color Nian feared, and made loud noises with firecrackers. It is popular in China to wear red underwear and socks to ward off evil spirits and to ensure good luck in the coming year. Superstitions say that a new year can be unlucky for those who were born under that year’s sign — this means, if you were born in the year of the tiger, be sure to stock up on all things red.
The Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival, as it marks the upcoming arrival of the season. “A lot of other [Chinese] holidays have degraded into just eating special food. But for the Spring Festival we actually do something,” said Ruohan Wang ’13.
Traditionally, New Year’s dinner boasts a variety of delicious foods. Usually, there are a lucky number of dishes (in China, eight is considered a lucky number) to bring good luck. Often dishes will include fish, because in Chinese the word “fish” is similar to the word for “surplus,” signifying surplus food and fortune for the New Year. In the hours before midnight, many families gather around the television to watch the New Year’s Gala — a show of dancing, singing and other performing arts. “About 90% of China watches the New Year’s Gala,” said Wang.
The celebrations last for fifteen days, during which dumplings are made, traditional shows such as lion and dragon dances are performed, and red banners adorn doors and houses. The day after the initial midnight celebration, children are given money in red envelopes, sometimes containing hundreds of dollars. “The money is one of the best parts for children,” said Xinyang Tian ’13.
But to others, the holiday spirit felt at the time is the best part of the celebration. “I think my favorite part is just the holiday mood that everyone has,” said Wang. “We decorate in red and put up traditional shows, and you feel the culture come alive.”
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