Vacations Blog

If you visit San Francisco Chinatown these days, you will find that the 2008 Chinese New Year animal is the Rat, as in the rat in Ratatouille, The Green Mile or Mousehunt (1997). There will be rats (live or not) in the homes of more than 1.3 billion people in 2008. (I received two pigs in year 2007!) Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday for Chinese people around the world, regardless of the origin of their ancestors, or their current locations. Feb. 6 2008 will be the last day of Year of Pig according to Chinese lunar calendar and Chinese will celebrate Rat Year 2008 that night!

Chinese New Year History

Today, we call Chinese New Year day “Spring Festival” (春节, chūnjié) which was officially set by Nanjing Temporary Government in 1912. Before 1912, the Chinese New Year eve was simply called “Nian”(年) (means “year”), and the first day was called “Yuán Dàn” (means “the first day/dawn”) which we now use to refer to Western New Year’s day – Jan. 1. The origin of Nian can be traced back to Zhou Dynasty (1066 B.C. – 256 B.C.) or even as early as 2600 B.C.

There are a few different versions of folk tales about the Chinese New Year history. One of the most famous legends is that Nian is an extremely cruel and ferocious beast, which the Chinese believe, eats every creature including human being. After years’ observation, people find out that every 365 days Nian comes out and eats people. Red color, the fire and loud noises were proved to be most effective in scaring Nian away. Since then, red-paper couplets are pasted on top and both sides of doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nian away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is Gōngxǐ (means “congratulations). So, maybe you also know why color red is the color of China.

Another slightly different version is that Nian is too dangerous and people don’t know if they can survive through the next day, so it becomes extremely important that all family members must come together on New Year Eve. The parents will prepare a feast with the best food they can afford for dinner. After dinner, the family will stay up until midnight, praying for safety. A third less well-known version is that a young guy whose name is “Wan Nian” (means “ten thousand years”) invented the lunar calendar and thus the King named the calendar “Nian” after his first name.

The first two legends actually explain how Chinese people celebrate the New Year. But since China is such a big country, the tradition is very different from region to region .

Chinese New Year Food

New Year Eve dinner is the most important event in celebrating the new year. I remember my mother spending days preparing the dinner and snacks when I was young. We have several must-have foods on Chinese New Year eve. Generally speaking, people in North China eat dumplings (called Jiǎozi, 饺子) which are made of wheat flour, stuffed with minced pork and vegetable and taste salty; people in the South eat a kind of round sweet dumpling (called tāngyuán, 汤圆) which is made of sticky rice flour and stuffed with black sesame paste or peanut paste. People in the Middle, along Yangzi River eat rice cake (called “niángāo”, 年糕) which are be in various styles and flavors.

Today a new trend is that more and more families don’t eat home-made dinner, but go to restaurants for the feasts. I agree with this trend so that my mother, the best chef of the world, can take a day off!

Chinese New Year Activities

CNY holiday is the longest one in China – 7 days. Since it is the only chance for many city immigrants to go back home and meet with families and relatives, many companies, especially self-owned (as opposed to state-owned) will grant a much longer holiday to their employees, from ten days to two weeks. But most MNCs just stick to the law. What do people do in such a long holiday?

• Bàinián (means “greeting the new year”): Visiting friends and relatives in their home. This the most fun part for kids since married grown-ups will give them some money (called Yāsuìqián in North, Lìshì in South) in a small red-paper envelope to protect the kids whom are the most vulnerable target for vicious Nian beast. It is more an obligation than a good will today. This is a Chinese version of Halloween “All Treats – No Tricks” game for Cantonese kids (Hong Kong and Guangzhou area). They will come to you saying “Gōngxǐfācái” (as the characters in the right image) , and you must then give them a Lìshì.

• Go to temple fairs or flower markets or firework shows or parades：Temple fairs are held at various ancient temples in North China. It is a kind of mass gathering that integrates religious worship (for Buddhist and Taoist), entertainment and commerce, (check here for images about temple fairs). Cantonese people go to flower markets instead.

• Travel: More and more people in the cities take leisure trips to escape the cities. As the United States has become the most popular outbound travel destination for China as of December 11 2007, it is certain that you will see more Chinese people in big cities like San Francisco or attractions like the Grand Canyon this year.

• Do nothing but relax: Shanghai is the tourist hotspot for Chinese people. Shopping district like Nanjingdong Road is always fully packed with tourists in holidays. So a few people choose to stay at home to avoid crowd.

What are your plans for Chinese New Year 2008? Does your family celebrate by going out or staying in? Or, have you had the opportunity to experience the celebration of Chinese New Year where you live? We would love to hear your stories!