New Year-Take Two

A new year. A fresh start. A clean slate. Most people associate the new year with January 1st, crowded gyms, and the hope that things are going to be different this time. However, in the Chinese culture, New Years are done a little differently. The Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is a 3-part Spring Festival starting on February 4th and ending on the 26th. The first part is the Little Year, from February 4th-11th, then the Spring Festival, from the 12th to the 22nd, and finally the Lantern Festival, from the 23rd to the 26th. However, the actual New Year itself is on Friday, February 12th. The myth behind the Chinese New Year is that every year, a horrendous monster named Nián would terrorize villages, eating everything in its path. The villagers would disappear into the forest when he came and prepared a feast and dine before the ancestors for protection. After years of this, the monster finally went away. Thus bringing peace and hope, the Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Ox, which in Chinese culture is a valued animal for its role in agriculture, positive characteristics, and hardworking and honest attributes It is paired with earthly and celestial stems, meaning it has close ties to the moon cycle as well as the earth and nature. There are also many other important aspects to the Chinese New Year, such as certain foods, myths, and decorations. The typical meal eaten is the “reunion dinner”, which again is in front of the ancestors. Foods usually served are baked seeds, malt candy, popped rice, fried dough twists, persimmon cakes, and particularly this year, ox tongue pastry. Yum! Along with foods, there are many traditional decorations used, such as fortune cookies, paintings and lanterns, paper cutting arts, Door Gods, and symbols such as the “good luck life” symbols and the other 11 animals. The Chinese New Year is such an important part of Chinese culture and history, and so interesting to learn about- so break out your ox tongue pastry and door God’s, and make sure to wish everyone a happy Chinese New Year!

Year of the Ox

• Spring Festival/ Lunar New Year

• 16 days

• Friday, February 12th, 2021

• 3 parts

  • Little Year Feb. 4th-11th

  • Spring Festival Feb. 12th-22nd

  • Lantern Festival Feb. 23rd-26th

• Myths

  • Every year, a horrendous monster 年 (Nián) would terrorize villages. It would eat everything, from mosquitoes to human beings. As time went on, the villagers realized that the monster came every 365 days to wreak havoc before disappearing back into the forests. So, the villagers decided that on that day, they would prepare a feast and dine before the ancestors for protection. After years of hiding like this, a youth came up with the idea to use firecrackers and scare the monster away once and for all.

• Foods

  • Important meal is the reunion dinner

  • Baked seeds

  • Malt candy

  • Popped rice

  • Ginger candy

  • Fried dough twists

  • Ox tongue pastry

  • Persimmon cakes

  • Fruit platter

• Decorations

  • Paper cutting arts

  • Door Gods

  • Fortune

  • Spring Festival couplets

  • Paintings

  • Kumquats

  • Lanterns

  • Symbols