The beginning of the Chinese New Year 4703 marks a time for
celebration, visiting friends and family, and the start of the year
of the rooster.
There are 12 animals in the Chinese lunar calendar: the rat, ox,
tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog
and boar, in that specific order.
According to Chinese mythology, the 12 animals raced across a
river and the order of the years reflects the order in which the
animals finished the race.
A cycle of 12 years must pass before each animal appears
again.
Each animal has its own legends and stories associated with it,
and the rooster is no exception.
“People usually think roosters get up early, so it’s
like the start of a new year, a new day, and morning begins,”
said Wei Xie, a second-year molecular biology graduate student and
member of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
There are also superstitions that surround the year of the
rooster that distinguish it from every other year.
Because the Chinese calendar follows the moon, rather than the
sun, the Chinese months fall in different seasons.
During the year of the rooster, the springtime is believed to
have already begun before the start of the new year.
“This year is not good for marriage, because there is no
beginning of spring. Most importantly, people in China rush to get
married before the new year (of the rooster) on New Year’s
Eve,” said Hung-Hsiang Chou, an Asian language and culture
professor.
The Chinese also believe that the rooster resides in the sun, as
it has “a kind of golden color,” Chou said.
The Chinese also determine how a person behaves by the animal
they fall under, which corresponds to the year in which he or she
was born.
“People in this year are supposed to be rather nitpicky,
rather critical and controversial,” Chou said.
“In terms of good qualities, they would be very
attractive, very religious, resourceful, talented and
sharp.”
The symbols and traditions, such as visiting family, that
constitute the Chinese New Year have existed for nearly 2,000
years, and are still considered important today by the Chinese.
“Everyone who can wants to go home, so it’s the
biggest migration of people in the world. There are billions of
trips going home,” said Richard Gunde, assistant director of
the Center of Chinese Studies, referring to the travel traffic in
China at this time.
“It’s a tradition on New Year’s Eve, lots of
people stay up until midnight, kids stay up until late. The parents
give children the gift of yasuikwen, money for the new year, a gift
they usually put in red envelopes. Red is the color of happiness in
China,” Gunde said.
Food is also important to Chinese New Year celebrations.
“On New Year’s Eve, we always have dumplings,”
Xie said. “It’s different in northern China and
southern China. Northern China usually has dumplings, but southern
China has noodles.
“It is said when you eat the noodles you can live
longer,” he said.
Though all traditions cannot be upheld, the Chinese and the
Chinese government believe it is most important for family to just
be together.
“Everything in China will be closed for three days and
people visit friends or relatives to wish each other a good new
year,” Chou said.