Chinese New Year Traditions

Every year I celebrate the new year twice; once according to the Western calendar, and once according to the Chinese one.

Last weekend my husband Chris and I went to my parents' house to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It's the Year of the Dragon now, or 4698 according to the Chinese calendar. According to Chinese tradition, the new year is the time to pay off debts and to gather with family members. It is probably the most important event of the year for Chinese people -- as important as Thanksgiving is to Americans or Easter is to Christians.

There are many traditional foods we eat during this time. Each of the foods has a particular symbolic meaning attached: noodles, uncut spinach, and peanuts for longevity; dumplings and fish for prosperity; chicken for good luck; and shrimp for success/promotions at work. Sometimes families also serve various desserts containing plums and lotus seeds for "many sons early in life." Generally foods are associated with various blessings according to the sound of the words in the Chinese language; the word for chicken ("ji"), for example, is a homonym for "luck," while the word for fish ("yu") sounds like "plenty." What one does with a particular food is tied to these symbolic meanings as well; for instance, one would eat a lot of chicken so as to have a lot of "luck," while one would be sure to have leftover fish at the end of the meal so as to have "plenty left over" for the new year.

Another tradition during the new year is the distribution of red envelopes ("hong bao") filled with money. In extended families, the older generations use this tradition as a teaching tool for the younger ones; the younger ones have to address each elder by his or her proper title before receiving their envelopes. This is not as easy as it sounds! Not only are there different titles for siblings depending on whether they are older or younger than an individual, but there are different words for aunts and uncles depending on how each is related to the individual. The title I would give to my mother's sisters is different from my father's sisters, for example, and the titles given to their husbands are also different from each other. These titles, in turn, are different from the ones I would give to my mother's brothers or my father's brothers, and the titles given to paternal uncles older than my father also varies from the titles given to those who are younger than my father. And, of course, each of the wives of my paternal uncles has a different title depending on where her husband falls in the lineup. It is very confusing to someone who hasn't grown up in this system. Getting a red envelope full of money is certainly a great motivation for learning all these titles, though!

Although Chris isn't Chinese, I think he dealt with these traditions pretty well. He was able to address my relatives properly, and even used chopsticks to eat! I am glad he has taken our multicultural relationship in stride. I firmly believe experiencing different cultures enriches our lives. And if I have to eat kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes every January 1st, I think it is only fair that we should visit my family every Lunar New Year to deal with Chinese traditions ....