(Written by a former resident of Shanghai after translating a newspaper account and surfing the internet)
The lunar calendar is always used in China to establish the dates of the Spring Festival. The first day of the year - according to that calendar - is the date for Chinese New Year, and the festival runs from the 24th of the 12th lunar month to the 15th of the 1st lunar month. Therefore, it falls between January 21st and February 19th on the calendar used in the United States. The date for 2006 is January 29th.
The festival's origin can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. According to one of the most famous legends, in ancient China there lived a monster named Year (nian) who, with a horn on his head, was extremely ferocious. He lived at the bottom of the sea all the year round and climbed up to the shore only on New Year's Eve to devour cattle and kill people.
Knowing that he would appear each year, the people of Peach Blossom village gathered up all the old and the young and fled to remote mountains.
While they were preparing to leave one year, an old beggar appeared in the village with a stick in his hand and a bag hanging upon his arm. His eyes twinkled like stars and his graceful beard was as white as silver.
The villagers were in a great hurry to leave. They were closing the windows, locking the doors, and packing. Others were driving the sheep or urging the cattle to move faster. No one was in a mood to care for the beggar except an old grandmother who started to get some food for him so that he would have the strength to flee with everyone else.
The old man, however, stroked his beard and said with a smile, "If you allow me to stay in your home for the night, I'm sure I can drive the monster Year away.
The old woman was surprised to hear this. She looked unbelievingly at him. He had a bearing that was out of the ordinary, but when she told him that he should leave with the rest, he just smiled and didn't reply. So she had no choice; she left him there and fled to the mountain.
Around midnight, the monster Year rushed into the village and found the atmosphere quite different from the previous year. The grandmother's house was brilliantly illuminated with bright red paper stuck on the doors. Greatly shocked, the monster gave a loud cry.
He stared angrily at the house for a moment, and then howling furiously, he approached the door. It suddenly opened with exploding sounds that caused him to tremble all over. He was too frightened to take another step.
It turned out that the red color of flames and explosions were what he feared most, and when an old man in a red robe suddenly appeared in the courtyard and started to laugh at him, he was scared out of his wits and fled.
The next day the first lunar month began. When the people returned, they were surprised to find everything safe and sound. They couldn't understand until the grandmother told them of the beggar's promise. They swarmed into her house and found that all the doors had red paper attached, and an ember of bamboo was still exploding noisily in the courtyard. A few candles were glowing in the windows.
The story soon spread far and wide and it was decided that the beggar was a celestial being who came to expel the calamities and bless the people. Red paper, red cloth, red candles and exploding firecrackers were the magic weapons he'd used to drive the monster Year away.
To celebrate, all the villagers put on new clothes and visited with their friends and relatives to exchange regards and congratulations on entering a new year, and the custom soon spread to surrounding villages.
CUSTOMS OF TODAY AND YESTERYEAR
On New Year's Eve, each family now hangs on their doors or walls couplets written on red paper. They hang red lanterns, have blazing fires, explode firecrackers and keep their houses brilliantly lit all night until the new year begins. All of this is done in remembrance of how the monster was frightened away, but a careful reading of history tells us that as long as 2000 years ago the people there had celebrations at that time of year to celebrate bumper harvests and to welcome the new year.
In the 15th century, an emperor advocated writing couplets called "chun lian". They are now fastened to the front door to welcome peace and abundance for the new year. Written in Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper or on the door itself, they sometimes have a banner at the top. The couplets have many other names, and all of them have good fortune in the New Year as a goal - happiness, wealth, longevity, and satisfactory marriage with children. Chun lian are still used in villages and towns, but exploding fireworks are more popular in cities.
[Note the shoe-shaped gold ingot at the bottom. The banner on the left says "You'll meet nobility on all directions of the compass." The one on the right: "You'll have good fortune in all four seasons." The large round coin on the left: "You'll succeed in making money." The large one on the right: "Peace be with the whole family." The squares between the figures that are wishing you a Happy New Year are inscribed (from top to bottom) "You'll succeed by using your mind."]
To celebrate the New Year, people hang pictures on the walls of their homes depicting what they'd like to have in the New Year. They also parade through the streets under an elaborate dragon they've constructed, and have lion dances. Doing such things makes everyone feel new and happy.
On lunar December 24th, we have a candle-lit ceremony in which the kitchen stove god is sent to heaven. That's called "zao shen". According to legend, the God will report all good and bad things that he had seen. People hope, of course, that he will only tell good things so they set out sacrificial offerings for him.
On lunar December 28th, everything that is dirty has to be washed and the house cleaned thoroughly. That includes both the inside and outside of the house, all the clothes, bedclothes and utensils. It is believed the cleaning sweeps away bad luck and makes the house ready for good luck to enter. All brooms and dust pans are put away on New Year's Eve so good luck cannot be swept away.
On New Year's Eve, there is a reunion of the entire family. It is a time of thanksgiving. That afternoon, every family member says "ci nian" - goodbye to the old year. People offer a sacrifice to the gods and ancestors and thank them for their blessings and protection. They also pray for peace.
That evening, all members of the family eat dinner together. We call that "nian ye fan" ( the New Year's Eve dinner) or "wei lu" (surrounding the stove). People in ancient times had their meals that way. Chopsticks are placed on the table for anyone who can't attend the reunion or has died, and in that way everyone is remembered and we have a complete reunion. The meal is more luxurious than usual. Dishes such as chicken, fish and bean curd cannot be excluded, for in Chinese, their pronunciations respectively "ji", "yu", and "doufu" mean auspiciousness, abundance, and richness. According to custom each family will stay up to see the New Year in.
On the first day of the year, we wear new clothes. That is especially important for children. Each of them is given a new hat, new clothes, and new shoes, as a symbol that a new year has begun, and early that morning they are given luck red envelopes with money inside. On that day, we eat only vegetables, as they're good for one's health. We avoid bad words, blaming each other, throwing garbage, using knives and scissors, excessive sleeping, and all fried foods.
Food that day in the northern part of China usually includes "jiaozi". Their shape is like the gold ingot from ancient times so people eat them in the hope they will bring wealth.
Some Chinese families have a dish called jai made of root vegetables. Other food may include a whole fish. That signifies that there was a surplus of food (money) from the previous year. It is not eaten completely as that would bring difficulties with money for the whole year. If chicken is served, it must be presented with a head, tail and feet to symbolize completeness and good luck in the new year. Noodles are eaten in the South on that day, and they should be uncut, as they represent long life. In the North, noodles are part of a birthday celebration.
Burning fireworks was once a typical custom, as people thought the sputtering sound would drive away evil spirits, but that activity has been forbidden in big cities now because of concerns about security, noise and pollution. As a replacement, some people buy tapes with firecracker sounds or break little balloons. Others buy firecracker handicrafts to hang in the living room.
There are many superstitions practiced on New Year's Day in China. Some people don't eat meat that day because they believe that will lead to happiness for the rest of the year. Some women believe that it is bad luck to wash hair that day, as you would wash away the good luck of the New Year, and some follow that practice for the entire month. Men don't cut their hair that month, as that would cause a death in the family. It is generally believed that if you cry on New Year's Day, you will cry all through the year. Therefore, children are indulged by their parents; even though they may be naughty, they are not punished.
(Editor's Note: The business of not cutting hair for a month used to be followed at any time of the year when a father dies. That's part of mourning. After that death, none of the children are supposed to get married for three years. It is quite common, therefore, for quick marriages to take place when a father becomes seriously ill.)
On the second day of the year, the Earth God's birthday is celebrated and people offer sacrifices. It is especially important for businessmen. Daughters who have married and spent New Year's Day with their husband's parents return to the home of their mother and father on this day to tell them about their new lives and to show piety. Sons-in-law are also there to pay their respects. In turn, the daughter's parents encourage them to do the best they can in the New Year. If those visits occur on the first day of the year, it will bring bad luck to the whole family.
On the fourth day, the Money God is received and envelopes are taken to people being welcomed into the community. In the early morning, people get up very early to explode fireworks, as they hope that the Money God will make an appearance.
At the beginning of each year, people should be thinking of having good luck all year long during a peaceful year.
(This Chinese character is popular at New Years. It is "fu" meaning blessing or happiness and it can also be hung on the wall upside down for then it means that blessings and happiness are coming.)
There are many superstitions about things that should or should not be done during the first ten days, and most of them have an animal name:
The first day of the year is hen day and a picture of one should be hung on the wall to avoid misfortune. The word "hen" in Chinese has the same sound as "luck".
An ancient belief was that the second day was the birthday of all dogs, so one should be extra kind to them. It's also a day for exchanging New Year's greetings and praying to ancestors, as they were responsible for laying the foundations for the present day family.
The third day is named for the people who quarrel easily and have failed to give friends New Year's greetings. It's called goat day.
On the fourth - pig day - the Money God is to be worshiped, and if an employee is not asked to worship with his boss, it means that he will be fired.
Ox day falls on the fifth. Many Chinese families stay home, as it's a time to throw away all garbage including bad things you've done. The day is called "po woo", as it's also the birthdayof the Five Ways Money God and one should be prepared to receive him. No one visits families or friends on this day because it will bring both parties bad luck.
Horse day - on the sixth - is a good time to start a business.
The seventh day is celebrated as the birthday for all people, and therefore everyone should be invited to eat together on that day. It's also the fire's birthday so fireworks should be exploded. This is also the day on which farmers show off their produce, and some of them make a special drink using seven different vegetables and eat raw noodles so they'll have a long life.
The eigthth day is grain day and all stars come to the earth where they are worshiped in the temple.
The Emperor God's birthday is the ninth and people worship the sky. Some people call him the Jade Emperor.
Stone is celebrated on the tenth day. There is to be no rubbing or grinding because the needed tools are made of stone. The sound of "ten" in Chinese is the same as "stone" so no stones are to be moved.
On the 10th through the 12th, friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. So much rich food has been eaten during the festival that it is common to serve simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.
The Festival of the Lanterns is fifteen days after New Year's Day. It is celebrated with lantern shows and folk dances. Children display their lanterns in a night time parade. During that festival, the Chinese people welcome the first full moon of the new year. A typical food is "tang yuan" - dumplings made of sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings. Tang yuan means "reunion". The Festival of the Lanterns marks the end of the New Year's celebration and life goes back to normal.
Author's Note
Although I've obtained this information by translating the legends and the customs from a Chinese newspaper and obtaining other information from the internet, everything herein is very familiar to me. I remember polishing the copper candlestick and cutting out the word for happiness to decorate it and other things. After the 24th, we were careful not to break anything, and on New Year's Eve we had a big dinner with chopsticks laid out for my father who had died. It was a sad time for us, and I remember mother pretending to pick up something under the table to hide her tears.
My brother visited our relatives and friends to give them greetings of the New Year, but my mother didn't go out until the seventh day. Women and men had different customs.
We never swept the floor or threw anything away on New Year's Day. We did all the customary things, and the long holiday was a very happy time. It always worried me, as a Catholic, to be expected to offer a sacrifice to God and our ancestors. Sometimes I actually hated New Years because I had to stay at home and waste time accompanying my mother as she received relatives and friends. That meant I didn't have time to study and couldn't go to church.
When I was married and we had children of our own, I always had a big dinner for everyone on New Year's Eve, but we had a very simple celebration the following day. My children are now married with families of their own, and I live alone. We don't have a reunion so we don't have a New Year's Eve dinner together anymore, but they call me and say "Happy New Year!" I'm always satisfied to hear their happy sounds, and like the way we now celebrate the Spring Festival.
Greeting each other in the way it's done in China on New Years, these two might be chosen to be part of the decorations in a home on that day.
Both figures are wearing clothes that long ago were worn on ceremonial occasions. The female figure with the elaborate hair-do has the design of a phoenix on her outfit. The one on the left wears a "langsam" in blue with a Mandarin jacket called ma (horse) gua (clothes). The Chinese character repeated several times on the jacket is "happiness". The figure can also be identified as male because of the style of his hat and shoes.