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ihe fierce dragon weaves its way through the streets. The entire town
glpws with every color imaginable, the lanterns are hung and the
houses decorated with red paper, all in preparation for the Chinese
Year.
nBiimal from the Chinese Zodiac sign represents and characterizes
iyear. The tradition began in the time of the Yellow Emperor of China,
:h ifiakes 1999 the Chinese year 4697.
i Wang, assistant professor of modern China, said today brings the
of the tiger to a close and welcomes the year of the rabbit,
rhe Chinese year depends on the lunar year, there are 12 different an-
Sthat cycle, for example the last rabbit year was 12 years ago.”
iffainy Huang, Chinese student association president and a senior man-
lent information systems major, said the order of animals in the span
1 years comes from a Chinese legend.
There is a story in which all the animals had a race, and so the animal
finished first was the first year, and the next fastest was the next year
soon,” Huang said. “Some animals never made it like the cat who was
ed by the mouse. ”
he year of the rabbit is known to be well-mannered, unlike the past
of fhe tiger, which was temperamental with its ups and downs. The
of the rabbit focuses on the arts and music. 1999, by Chinese custom
id will focus on attaining goals and having no regrets,
fang said traditionally, Chinese New Year’s Day was the first day of
igwhen people began planting their crop. The actual new year festi-
asts for 15 days.
“New Year’s was called
spring festival because it was
the end of winter when people
started their new crops,” Wang
said. “Today the agricultural part
of the festival is less evident, the
family union is more represented
now. ”
In fact, people come from all parts
of China and Taiwan to celebrate the
holiday with their families.
Wang said it is a day of goodness and forgiveness.
“People return home to their families and pay their respects to their an
cestors,” Wang said. “It is a very family-oriented holiday for China.”
The present day Chinese New Year also focuses on the social part of the
holiday.
“My family and 1 have a New Year’s Eve dinner, we wear new clothes ,
and stay up until midnight,” Huang said.
New Year’s Day is a day of greeting relatives and friends with “Con- j
gratulations! You’ll be rich” or the well-known “Happy New Year!” This
practice comes about from the past when people wanted to make sure their
friends all made it through the beast of the previous year.
“Early on New Year’s Day, we go to the homes of family and friends to
wish them a happy new year,” Huang said.
Wang said modern technology has greatly shaped the holiday.
“In the past few decades, hundreds of millions of people have
started a new New Year’s tradition to watch a well-known 4
to 5 hour show which is the most important television
event of the year,” Wang said. “It is a celebration where
actors and actresses perform songs and dances.”
The traditional part of the festival is still alive in
China. The people of China and Chinatown
alike set off fireworks in order to ward off all
the evil energy for the upcoming year.
“Since the cities have placed restrictions
fireworks now, the countrysides have the
biggest activities,” Wang said. “In some cities,
though, there are flower festivals, the col
orful lantern festival and the infamous
dragon festival.”
Parents or grandparents pass out the
proverbial red envelopes with money.
“Usually, in my house, my parents
prepare the red envelopes with money
for all the children,” Huang said. “It is supposed to
bring luck.”
Even though there is a mix of ancient and present day tradition, the Chi
nese New Year brings a time of happiness and closeness.
“No matter how you celebrate it, the year of the rabbit is a new year
that hopefully will be a good year,” Wang said.
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