The crow of the Rooster has replaced the cleverness of the Monkey, with Saturday marking the Lunar New Year.
Though dragons, fireworks, lanterns and galas are the most well-known details of the celebration, family and relationships are the true center of the Chinese New Year, said Ang Li, member of the University of Idaho’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
Galas rarely occur on New Year’s Day, Li said. He said this is a day reserved for family. He said the association is arranging a gala for Feb. 18 in collaboration with Washington State University, although the UI organization usually organizes its own.
“Usually when we start them our own selves, we start them before because at that time people need to talk to their parents,” he said.
The Confucius Institute held three events in honor of the New Year, said Institute co-director Hexian Xue. Xue said the first celebration was held Jan. 19 in Coeur d’Alene, then in Boise and Moscow. The first two presented Wulin Hanyun Shaolin Kungfu Martial Arts Troupe and the third featured Lorita Leung Dance Academy. She said the institute makes Chinese culture available to the local communities.
“This is the three events for us to celebrate together with the local people,” she said. “University of Idaho Confucius Institute … functions like a bridge.”
There are many UI students who come from countries where the Lunar New Year is celebrated, Li said. He said such galas are important to help these students feel less alone. Li said friends sometimes cannot entirely eliminate homesickness.
“The international students who come from China, at that time they can’t meet the family,” he said.
Xue said her daughter, whom she rarely sees, is coming for the occasion.
She said there are seven days set aside to celebrate the New Year — each with a special significance. Xue said the days are not celebrated in the same order everywhere due to China’s size and the country’s cultural variation.
“They enjoy the same custom, but they celebrate differently,” she said.
In her hometown, Xue said the first day is the family reunion, which begins New Year’s Eve with a large dinner and continues through New Year’s Day.
“Dumplings shouldn’t be missing,” she said.
They are a traditional dish, Xue said.
At this time, elders give the younger family members lucky money, red envelopes filled with money, Xue said. She said red, a symbol of luck and prosperity, is always the primary color for the New Year. She said most of the decorations are red to keep “the monsters,” or bad luck, from entering. Xue said the loud sound of fireworks is also traditionally thought to deter such evils.
“When the air was not so polluted, people were allowed to set fireworks,” she said.
Now, only rural areas of the country are allowed fireworks, excluding a relatively short display held by the government, Li said. He said the fireworks were his favorite part as a child.
“It’s beautiful. It makes the people happy, especially children,” he said.
Xue said families often watch the gala on China Central Television (CCTV) that night as well. Galas occur throughout the country and include traditional dancing, singing, opera and cross-talk, Li said. Xue said the next day the family spends time together and eats a large lunch.
She said if a couple celebrates the New Year, the second day is devoted to the daughter’s family.
“This day, the lady who got married brings their husband, their children,” she said.
The third day is different. It is considered bad luck to visit the living this day, she said. She said it is a day to visit graveyards or stay home.
“It’s committed to show respect for the dead,” she said.
She said day four and six are used to visit extended family such as aunts and uncles. Day five is a day to stay in, clean and relax, she said. People use the final day to prepare for the returning normal routine.
“Over the past days (they ate) very heavy, very oily foods,” she said.
She said the noodles and vegetables are eaten on day seven help normalize digestion.
Xue said younger generations are less likely to keep all the traditions. She said everyone sees their families, but practices such as staying home may be ignored.
Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7