The year of the monkey ““ which represents vitality and
activity ““ begins today, bringing with it firecrackers, lion
dancers, red envelopes of money, traditional food and family time
to UCLA’s Chinese community.
Today marks the beginning of the year 4701 according to the
lunisolar Chinese calendar. This calendar uses both the lunar cycle
and the solar year by observing the phases of the moon and the
sun’s path.
“The holiday is about renewal, completing the business of
the old year, recementing relationships with family and friends,
and getting everything arranged to start the new year with a clean
slate,” said Richard Gunde, assistant director of the UCLA
Center for Chinese Studies.
Most traditions of the Chinese New Year are based around family.
Therefore, for about a month before the new year, people begin
heading back to their homes using different means.
In 2000 ““ or in the Chinese year 4697 ““ it was
estimated that in the 40 days before the Chinese New Year
celebration, close to 1.7 billion trips were made to China, Gunde
said.
Due to different circumstances like classes or distance, many
UCLA students celebrating the Chinese New Year said they will not
be able to make it home for the festivities welcoming the new
year.
But others with family closer to school plan to celebrate with
loved ones.
“I’m going home to Orange County on Wednesday night
for a family gathering,” said Eldes Tran, a third-year
communication studies student.
In order to create a similar experience for those don’t
have the chance to go home, the Chinese Students Association hosted
a Chinese New Year’s dinner event Tuesday.
“It is nice to have a place like that to celebrate with
friends; though you are not at home, you feel the
atmosphere,” said Sandra Chen, a third-year psychobiology
student who was attended the event Tuesday.
The CSA hosted this event to bring the community together, said
Armhawan Darsono, a second-year international economics student who
helped organize the event.
An educational aspect was added to the dinner when professor
Hung-Hsiang Chou spoke to the crowd of over 50 students about
Chinese calligraphy.
Tran said her family usually has a traditional dinner like the
one served at the event, which includes among other things a
hot-pot, in which raw items are cooked, as well as dumplings and a
dessert delicacy made of rice.
She also said after the family dinner, the married guests give
out red envelopes with money inside to the kids and single members
of the family.
This is a tradition in the Tran family, and it is important to
acknowledge that traditions are different in different families,
Tran said.
Gunde said the tradition is a part of an old custom. It’s
very popular to give yasuiqian ““ red envelopes containing
money ““ to children on New Year’s day, Gunde said.
The amount of money given ranges from a few cents up to $100 or
so, he added.
These envelopes are red since red is an auspicious color in
Chinese culture and is the customary color for the new year.
Chou said the color’s significance also comes from an
ancient story about the existence of a monster that would come to
people’s houses on the eve of the new year. It is believed
that the monster was afraid of red, which is why the envelopes
given as gifts are red, he added.
The significance behind the fireworks on New Year’s Eve
also goes back to the monster, since it is believed the monster is
also afraid of noise, several students said.
During this holiday, families spend time together and pay visits
to elders and relatives.
Gunde said in some families, the lights are kept on and the
children are allowed to stay up until midnight.
This tradition stemmed from a once-existing belief that the
children staying up will contribute to the parents’ longevity
in their lives.
Another tradition of the new year is for family members to write
auspicious sayings and phrases on red paper and hang them at the
door of their house or around the house.
“Traditionally they kept these sayings around until the
next year when they would be replaced with new ones,” Chen
said.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association is hosting a
Chinese New Year culture night Saturday.