On Feb. 1 during Global Coffee Hour, students celebrated the Chinese New Year and developed a deeper understanding of traditional celebrations.
Mary Ellen McLean of international student services and Madison Becker, assistant director of global engagement, presented on the holiday’s history.
As outlined, Lunar New Year is the most significant Chinese holiday, though it is also celebrated by other cultures. It is also known as the “Spring Festival.” The holiday is a “jubilant” occasion, Becker said, due to families coming together to celebrate.
An old legend surrounds the holiday, involving Nian, a cruel and ferocious beast who is said to attack and eat people on New Year’s Eve. To ward him off, red paper couplets are placed on doors, torches are lit and firecrackers are set off through the night, as these are all things Nian is afraid of. A popular saying throughout the night is “Gong Xi,” or “congratulations.”
Starting on New Year’s Eve, the festival itself is two to three weeks long. Preparations begin on the 24 day of the 12 lunar month (Jan. 14), which operates on Gregorian dates.
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, family members who no longer live at home make special efforts to return home, as the family is important during this holiday. They share a meal of traditional foods like whole fish, whole chicken, oranges and longevity noodles.
The Chinese zodiac and lunar calendar play an important role in shaping the New Year. The Lunar calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal, either a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog or pig. These zodiacs also cycle through five elemental types, wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
“Legend has it that the lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth and only 12 animals came to bid him farewell. So, as a reward, he named a year after each of the animals in the order they arrived,” said Becker.
The animal that rules the year a person was born is believed to have influence on personality, similar to western ideas of the zodiac.
2023 is the year of the water rabbit. The prior year was the year of the tiger, which was about making big changes. For the water rabbit, however, this year is about taking a step back and slowing down or reflecting. Water years are believed to bring out emotions and some people may feel impatience due to a lack of growth, but it is instead a slow burn toward success.
“It’ll be a year where thoughtful action is rewarded more than huge risks. So after all the difficulty of the last few years, this year is sorta meant for cultivating peace and patience moving forward,” said Becker.
McLean also goes on to discuss traditional red envelopes in which family members hand out “lucky money.” The amount of money in the packet is to be of even numbers, particularly eight and six which are regarded as particularly lucky.
“I think it’s important for students to come to the global coffee hour not only for our international students on campus to get to know American, domestic, students but for everybody to get an understanding of other cultures and see the similarities, the differences and celebrate those differences with them,” said McLean.