With having just adopted a little girl from Beijing, China, in July of last year my husband and I have been looking for ways in which to bring our daughter's heritage/culture into our lives and create some family traditions that will hopefully carry on for years to come. It only seems natural that we start with a tradition surrounding the Spring Festival, more commonly known as the Chinese New Year, so I decided to start with some research. Here is what I found...History & Legend
The festival originated during the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC - c. 1100 BC) and is said to be the most important festival (holiday) in China. Some equate its importance to that of Christmas in America. It is a time when people travel from far distances to be near family and friends in order to personally wish them health, luck, and prosperity in the new year.
According to legend, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, villagers would place food in front of the doors of their home at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food it would not attack any more people.
Legend also states that at one time a villager saw the Nian being scared away by a little child who was wearing red and from that point forward villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls (couplets) on the windows and doors of their home just before the arrival of the new year. They also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. Legend says that from that point on the Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjunlaozu, an ancient Taoist monk, and became his mount.
Modern Day Celebrations
Some equate the importance of the Chinese New Year to that of Christmas in America. It is a time when people travel from far distances to be near family and friends in order to spend time together and wish each other health, luck, and prosperity in the new year.
Many families enjoy a Spring Festival "feast" together, light firecrackers (invented by the Chinese) to ring in the new year, and give "lucky money" (chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil) to children during this time. There is a "warmth" not only in homes, but also throughout the streets of China.
This years Spring Festival (of the Ox Year) falls on January 26th and lasts seven days, although many "public" celebrations continue for as many as 15 days. This is due to the fact that the traditional celebration of the Chinese New Year starts with the "new moon" on the first day of the new year and ends with the "full moon" 15 days later. On the 15th day of the Spring Festival (the night of the first full moon) the "Lantern Festival" is held and children everywhere can be found lighting up viturally every street corner in China as they carry lanterns in parades. Dragon and lion dances are also popular, as it is believed that the loud beat of the drum and the deafening sound of the cymbals, together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively, can evict bad or evil spirits.
Our Next Steps...
There is so much to learn about this holiday and its history! So far, I've purchased a new outfit for "Fiesty Girl" to wear New Years Day and I'm in the process of purchasing a few other fun things for us to prepare and celebrate the holiday.
So, I would like to hear from some of you who plan to celebrate! What are your plans/traditions? Do you have any "must do's?" Leave a comment and let me know...I'm open to suggestions!
No comments:
Post a Comment