Students describe tradition, folklore of celebrating the Chinese New Year

© Paul A. Souders/CORBISC

During the traditional lion dance associated with the Chinese New Year, the two dancers beneath the costume collect red packets of money from the crowd, who touch the "pearl" on his forehead for good luck. Every movement of the intricate dance is symbolic

by Jessica Hathaway

A flurry of intense house cleaning is followed by a frenzy of debt-paying and sincere renewal of friendships. Flower markets bustle as everyone hurries to fill their homes with fresh wax plum, fragrant white narcissus or small peach trees. Bundles of new clothes, preferably pricey red-colored garments, are selected. Windows sparkle and freshly painted doors adorned with good luck messages await the arrival of the Chinese New Year. In the Chinese culture, the lunar New Year is the ultimate festive holiday.

"Chinese New Year is the most significant festival for us," said Wenfeng Guo, a chemical engineering graduate student from Changchun, a city in northeastern China, and vice president of the Vanderbilt University Chinese Students Scholars Association. "It is time to say farewell to the old year and expect a wonderful New Year."

The 4,699th year began Jan. 24. The precise date fluctuates because the timing is determined by the lunar calendar. Closely linked to a pattern of agricultural production, the lunar calendar was developed to keep track of optimal times to plow, sow, nurture and gather the harvest. Without the help of sophisticated instruments, peasants could measure time by simply recording the phases of the moon. Each new moon brings a new month, and the lunar new year begins on the first new moon.

The Chinese New Year is popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the "Beginning of Spring," the first of the 24 terms named in coordination with the cyclical changes of nature. "Beginning of Spring" gives way to "Rain Water," which is followed by "Waking of Insects," and eventually the seasons evolve into "Great Cold," which brings the year-long 24-term cycle to an end.

This year is the "Year of the Snake." The Chinese zodiac consists of a 12- year cycle, each year of which is named after a different animal that imparts conspicuous characteristics to its year. The cycle begins with the rat, and is followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. One legend explaining the order of the cycle holds that all the animals of the world were invited to visit Buddha, but only 12 arrived. To reward their loyalty, Buddha named a year after each one in the order in which they appeared.

According to Chinese astrology, this is a year for preparation, the image being one of a snake storing resources to survive the winter. Therefore, eyes should be fixed on primary goals, but not so inflexibly fixed as to be blind to the short-term difficulties that lie ahead. Not all Chinese take this advice seriously.

"Superstition in China is not allowed publicly, but some people, especially old people, believe in astrology. Sometimes they may ask an astrologist to choose a lucky day for a wedding, or breaking ground for a new building. However, it seems that people from the city and young people don't care about it too much," Bo Yang, a graduate student from central China, said.

The origins of the celebration activities are unclear, as conflicting versions abound. All stories tell of a large-mouthed beast, "Nian," whose name literally means "year." According to one story, this fierce beast terrorized a Chinese village, swallowing many people in a single gulp. An old man suggested that Nian eat other, more ferocious animals and not humans. So Nian began gobbling up the beasts that were nuisances to humans and domestic animals. The old man rode the beast to the heavens after it had helped frighten away the other vicious animals of the forest. Villagers began to enjoy a peaceful life again. Before the old man disappeared, he advised everyone to decorate their doors and windows with red paper at the end of each year to prevent the return of Nian, who feared the color red.

Today, the term "guo nian" means "survive nian," becoming a tradition of celebration as Chinese people embellish their homes with red paper cut-outs depicting popular themes of happiness, wealth and longevity. Firecrackers blast on the eve of the New Year to shoo away evil spirits that could threaten the outcome of such wishes. Most spectacular of the traditional events is surely the lion dance. A gorgeously decorated lion -- actually two people beneath one costume -- perform a stylized dance throughout the first few days of the Chinese New Year. The graceful movements of the lion are believed to chase away evil spirits and open the door to wealth and prosperity.

Although life in China may seem far removed for some Vanderbilt students, memories of the New Year celebration's splendor remain fresh for many.

"It was so beautiful," claimed Xiaolun Qi, a graduate student, as she reminisced over past festivities with family in her native China.

No Chinese holiday would be complete without a culinary explosion to accompany the rich symbolism of the celebration. Not only do the Chinese prepare what is perhaps the largest feast of the year, but they also prepare "lucky" food for the visitors received on New Year's Day. The evening meal, a spread of seafood and dumplings, is awash with significant meaning.

In some households, prawns and dried oysters are served, indicating liveliness, happiness and all things good. Some eat dumplings boiled in water to express a long-lost good wish for family. Guests are sometimes served a platter of dates, peanuts, dried longons (the fruit of an Indian evergreen tree) and lotus seeds. By combining component parts of the words for these foods, the Chinese arrived at a name for the dish that sounds like a phrase that means "to soon realize the birth of noble sons."

Family and friends are central to the celebration, especially those who are unable to travel great distances to take part in the feast.

"We have a saying in Chinese from a famous traditional poem, 'Meifeng jiajie bei si qin' which means 'on festival occasions, more than ever we think of our dear ones far away,'" said Guo.

According to Yang, no distance to travel is too far. "Even though you're working far away from your home, you always try to come back to gather together for the celebration of the New Year," he said.

This year, Vanderbilt students will celebrate the Year of the Snake with two gatherings in the Nashville area. The Vanderbilt University Chinese Students Scholars Association held a Spring Festival party Jan. 27, complete with performances, games and traditional Chinese food.

Another celebration will take place, organized by the Asian-American Student Association, on Feb. 2. Students will perform after a dinner of Asian and Asian-American cuisine. Guo hopes that for those students like Yang, who expressed a hint of homesickness after sharing New Year memories, these celebrations will remind Chinese students that they have "a big family" in Nashville as well.

"We sincerely wish the happiness and good fortune received during the New Year's festival will set the tone for the rest of the year," said Guo.