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Rachel Lei of Heritage High School
February 2023
A scaled, serpentine body embellished with deer’ horns and demon eyes portrays a creature of myth and cultural significance: the Chinese dragon. The year 2024 marks the dragon’s rotation on the Chinese calendar, where the deity is symbolic of revival and infinite potential. For a year of new opportunities and memories, let’s welcome the start of the Chinese New Year or the new Spring Festival!
Following the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar, February 10 signifies the beginning of the year.
The Chinese Language Institute explains that, unlike the commonly used Gregorian calendar, the traditional Chinese calendar follows both the moon’s “29.53-day synodic orbit” and the Earth’s orbit around the sun, where an additional month is added every three years. Because of this, the Lunar New Year is thrown off by a few weeks when compared to the Gregorian cycle.
Following traditional beliefs, several weeks of celebrations commence after new years. According to Fefe Ho of the Chinese New Year site, many of these ceremonies are held to pray to ancestors and gods, and the festivals have become integrated into several Asian religions over time. As explained by the Chinese Welfare Association, traditions are practiced to recognize the “passing of the Nian,” which was a mythical beast defeated to welcome the new year and now shares a name with the word “year” in Mandarin Chinese.
Celebratory customs include setting off firecrackers; hanging red paper and calligraphy works; and eating foods such as nian gao (New Year Sweet Rice Cake, 红糖年糕) and char siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧). Another tradition, passing red envelopes with money, remains one of the most exciting traditions for children.
Lastly, Heritage High’s Chinese Culture Club member, Fiore Bin, notes that her celebrations always include family gatherings and the lucky color red in clothing and decorations. However, these aren’t the only ways to celebrate new years – students interviewed sometimes celebrate with praying, feasts, and even playing popular games like Mahjong.
A variety of sayings and phrases complements these practices. To encourage cultural appreciation, the below lists several sayings anyone can celebrate the new year with!
- Happy New Years – 新年快乐
- Mandarin: xīn nián kuài lè
- Cantonese: sun nin fai lok
- To good health – 身体健康
- Mandarin: shēn tǐ jiàn kāng
- Cantonese: sun tai gin hong
- Wishing you good fortune – 恭喜发财
- Mandarin: gōngxǐ fācái
- Cantonese: gong hei fat choy
Other ways to celebrate Chinese New Year include participating in school culture club activities; attending the festival at Downtown Brentwood on February 24; or even just cooking traditional foods with loved ones.
As expressed by Sherrie Ou, a current local resident who was raised in China, no matter how one celebrates Chinese festivities, “Chinese New Year remains a bridge between tradition and those foreign to Chinese culture” for anyone waiting for the new year’s roar.
The Brentwood Youth Press 