CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Happy Chinese New Year everybody!  It is pretty amazing to be in China for Chinese New Year!  I realized I actually knew very, very little about Chinese New Year history and symbolism so I've been doing a bit of reading and research on the subject.  Apparently there are several "stories" or ideas behind the origins of CNY.  One story is that of a monster named "Nian" that would come the night before the new year (according to the Chinese lunar calendar).  "Nian" was a serious threat and feared by all.  The story goes that an old man arrived in a village where Nian was and challenged him to eat animals and not the people.  The monster began to devour the other animals and has since left the people in peace.  The old man was later seen riding Nian and was assumed to be a God and worshiped.   The people decorated their doors each year in red to keep the monster Nian away.  

Another story is a bit similar. Nian was a monster that would come on New Years Eve to eat animals, people, and their food.  To keep the monster out, the people would leave food outside their door so the monster would eat it instead of them.  It  was also thought that the monster was scared of the color red so the people would wear the color and decorate their homes in red with paper that would have symbols for luck on them and also with bright red lanterns.  They also used firecrackers to scare away the monster.  It is said that a monk captured Nian years later.  

I tried to look into the symbolism of the decorations and other things I have seen here associated with CNY.  Red is said to scare away evil spirits.  A few days before CNY, everyone cleans their homes to rid themselves of the bad from the previous year and to be ready to welcome the good. I spent today cleaning but more so because my apartment needed it and not because it was CNY.  On New Years Eve, families get together and eat at midnight.  There are a lot of oranges eaten at this time because oranges symbolize wealth.  The Chinese eat A LOT of dumplings also. They exchange and give traditional red envelopes called Lai See,  that are traditionally stuffed with money.  Friends and family also exchange gifts as well.  Many people leave the larger cities to go back to their home towns and villages (Beijing has emptied out and the difference in the traffic is amazing).  CNY coincides with the traditional Spring Festival.  This makes flowers a very integral part of the celebration because the symbolize a newness of life and hope.  The markets sell all sorts of red decorations - lanterns, paper scrolls and signs for doors and windows, etc...  The Temples in various cities and neighborhoods hold festivals where you can go and see acrobats, religious services and traditions, hear music, and see and eat some interesting food items ( I will have a VERY interesting food story to add to my blog in a few days).  

One thing I have noticed here in Beijing and especially with regard to the New Year celebration is that fish are very important.  Almost every business, restaurant, and sometimes homes, taxis, buses, etc... will have pictures of koi fish or gold fish.  The orange and gold color of the fish represent wealth and the fish represent abundance so the thought is that they will bring you prosperity.

From what I hear, the celebrations are quite different in the north than in the south.  Much more of the action happens in the south. I've been told Hong Kong is the place to go. This year I am hanging out in Beijing and looking forward to a fabulous view of fireworks from my window and will also be going to a few temple festivals and get-togethers with friends from church.  I will report on all I witness in a few days!