HOLIDAYS:

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEARS:

Hopping along into the year of the Rabbit Molly wishes all her readers the best of luck this year. Festivities continue until the Lantern Festival on February 18. Fifteen days of New Years. They really know how to party in China.

HUMOUR:

MARXISTS PARTY FOR CHINESE NEW YEARS:

Too bad the party was so rowdy. To the delight of the world neighbourhood the Party's over.

HOLIDAYS:

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR !!!

Today is Chinese New Year, the most important festival in the Chinese calender. The year we are entering is the Year of the Rat, or , more properly, the year of the Earth Rat. Because the Chinese calender is a combined lunar/solar calender the length of each year doesn't correspond to that of the Gregorian calender. This year will last from Today until January 25, 2009 when we will enter the Year of the Earth Ox. The Chinese years, which occur in a cycle of 60 years are often named for a corresponding element (Earth, Metal, Water,Wood and Fire) and then with one of the 12 animals of the Zodiac with their corresponding Chinese names. These are as follows:

1)zi (rat)

2)chou (ox)

3)yin (tiger)

4)mao (hare,rabbit)

5)chen (dragon)

6)si (snake)

7)wu (horse)

8)wei (sheep)

9)shen (monkey)

10)you (rooster)

11)xu (dog)

12)hai (pig)

The Chinese signs of the Zodiac obviously don't correspond with those we know here in the West. As an interesting side note traditional Chinese astronomy recognized only 28 constellations. For more on Chinese astronomy see HERE. Because of the discrepancy between a lunar year and a solar year the Chinese calender uses "leap months" to reconcile the difference. A regular month has either 29 or 30 days. Every 2nd or third year a "leap month" is added. This has the same number as the preceding month. Thus it ends up that a "regular year may have either 353, 354 or 355 days. A leap year has either 383, 384 or 385 days.

There is some argument about exactly which year this is in the Chinese calender. The most popular theory is that it is year 4705. This stems from the idea that the calender was instituted by Emperor Huang Di in the 61st year of his reign (2637 BCE). Others date the calender from the first year of his reign (2697 BCE). Because these dates are exactly 60 years apart they make no difference in terms of the naming of the years.

CHINESE SEASONS:

The Chinese Zodiac is used only for calculating years and has no reference to the months of a year. In Chinese astronomy seasons begin and end not at the solstices and equinoxes but at the midway point between these msolar events (see diagram at the left). The months of the year are usually simply numbered, with zhengyue ("principal month") being the first, and the others simply following the numbers ie "eryue" (second month), "sanyue" (third month),etc.. They can alternatively be named partially after plants. The list is as follows:

1)First Month

2)Apricot blossoms

3)Peach blossoms

4)Mei ripens

5)Pomegrnate blossoms

6)Lotus blossoms

7)Orchid blossoms

8)Osmanthus blossoms

9)Chrysanthemum blossoms

10)Good month

11)Hiermal month

12)Last month

The celebrations of Chinese New Year begin today and continue on (for a variable amount of time depending on the country) until the Lantern Festival (this year on february 21). For the "days of Chinese New Years" and other information on thgis holiday season please see the archives at this blog for February 2007. Included there are 'Happy Chinese New Year' (Feb. 18/2007), 'The Days of Chinese New Years' (Feb. 19,2007) and 'More on Chinese New Years'(Feb. 24,2007). For a reference that shows you how to convert from Chinese to Gregorian calender dates see HERE.

Finally, here's the story of how the months got their names. Supposedly the animals were quarreling over who should get precedence in the naming of the 12 years of the cycle. The gods decided to hold a contest to determine the order. The animals lined up on a river bank, and their order in the calender would be determined by the order in which they swam to the other side. The cat was, understandably, disturbed by this contest because he feared water. The ox, meanwhile, wondered how he could find the other shores because he had poor eyesight. The sneaky rat suggested that he and the cat jump on the ox's back and guide him across. On thye way over the rat pushed the cat off into the water. Just as the ox was to come ashore the rat jumped off and became the first to reach the shore. Thus the first month was named after hi. The ox finished second. The lazy pig came in last. The cat finished too late to have any place in the calender. from this point forward the cat vowed to be the eternal enemy of the rat.

HOLIDAYS:

CHINESE NEW YEARS COMING- FEBRUARY 7:

Five days from now, on February 7th it will be the Year of The Rat in the Chinese calender. Given itslunar nature the day of New Years varies from year to year. it is defined as the second New Moon after Winter Solstice. Last year it was on February 18th. Please consult the archives on this blog for our extensive postings in February of 2007 on this festival. There are actually three ways to name a Chinese year, not just from an animal. See the China Page for these and also for numerous other things- greeting cards, a downloadable calender, etc..

MORE ON CHINESE NEW YEARS:

Today is day 7 of the Chinese New Years festival. Eight more days to go until the Lantern Festival on the 15th night. So Molly spins her tiny little feline legs to catch up. On day 4 of the cycle people begin to prepare food for the return of the Kitchen God from the court of the Jade Emperor. This means the end of the period of freedom from the surveillance of the deities, and hence there is a saying, "It's never too early to send off the gods, and never too late to invite them back". Seems a bit different from the Abrahamist concepts of constant surveillance.

The fifth day of the festival typically involves removal of the offerings from altars. In Taiwan businesses reopen on this day which is considered the birthday of the god of wealth. Dumplings are a traditional serving today. People are supposed to stay home to welcome the god of wealth on this day. Visiting is considered bad luck. This day is called Po Wu in Mandarin.

People resume their visiting on the 6th to the 10th day of the New Years. The seventh day is known as the "birthday of the common man" when everybody turns one year older. This is a day when Chinese in Southeast Asia typically eat a raw fish salad, yusheng, though this custom is rare elsewhere in the world. For Buddhists this is another day to avoid meat. The raw fish are supposed to promote success. It's also a day of market gardens when farmers display their best produce. On the eighth day the people of Fujian have another family reunion dinner and at midnight pray to Tian Gong, the god of heaven.

The ninth day of the festival is considered to be the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the "king of the gods" in Taoism. Prayers are offered to the Jade Emperor on this day. The Hokkiens in China consider this to be the real New Years Day. Friends and relatives are invited to for further visits on the 10th to the 12th day. The Chinese New Years will culminate on the 15th day, March 5th in our calender. But more on that later.

Molly

THE DAYS OF CHINESE NEW YEARS:

As mentioned in the previous post Chinese New Years is actually a 15 day festival. The customs, ceremonies and legends of this festival vary from one part of China to another, let alone from China to the overseas Chinese community. The customs will also vary due to religious commitment. But what follows is a more or less "typical" distillation of the events of the celebration.





The festival actually starts before the actual New Year on the 24th day of the 12 lunar month. On this day various gods ascend to heaven to pay their respects to the Jade Emperor, the supreme Daoist deity. Households burn ritual paper money to provide for the travel expenses of these gods. Malt sugar is smeared on the lips of the Kitchen God to ensure that he says only good things or nothing at all. The homes are then given a good "spring cleaning", and the bad luck is swept out. The brooms and dust pans are then put away until after the first day of the New Year so that the newly arriving good luck won't be swept out. The house is then decorated with paper scrolls inscribed with such things as "good fortune", "longevity", "spring time", "wealth", etc.. The most popular is a red diamond shaped banner inscribed with "good fortune" (pinyin "fu"). This is hung upside down as the word for "upside down" sounds similar to that of "arrive", and so it symbolizes the arrival of good luck. Many different floral decorations are also used in trimming up the house.





New Years Eve is the traditional time for the most important family gathering in Chinese culture. Like Christmas in Christian countries and Thanksgiving in the USA transportation systems are jammed as people try to return to their home village or neighbourhood for the celebration. The get together is usually held at the home of the most senior member of the family if possible. Families try and stay up at late as possible so as to welcome the New Year properly. It was once believed that doing so would ensure that one's parents lived a long life. During the meal and the following celebration red packets containing money are often given to the children and sometimes the elders. The amounts vary, but it is considered proper that the denominations be even numbers as odd numbers of money are given at funerals. A meal is sometimes set aside for the ancestors at the New Years' Eve table.





On New Year's Day itself the first order of business is paying respect to the same ancestors. Reverence is then paid to the gods, followed by the younger members of the family offering their respect to their elders. Visits are made first to one's most senior relatives and then to friends and neighbours. Dragon Dances and Lion Dances are held to drive the bad luck away.
On the second day of the New Year it is typically expected that married women will visit the homes of their parents. If it is a newlywed couple her husband must accompany her with gifts for her family. According to legend this is the day that all dogs become one year older, and so it is considered proper to be especially kind to dogs on this day. Sons in law are also expected to pay further respect to their inlaws on the next two days, but it is considered inappropriate to visit relatives on the third day as this is supposed to be a day when it is likely that people will quarrel. Families who have had a death of a relative in the preceding 3 years will use this day to visit the grave. Another interesting legend is that people should go to be early on the night of the third day because this is when the mice marry off their daughters, and the mice appreciate not having the ceremonies disturbed.





More tomorrow on day 3 of the New Year.
Molly

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR:

Today is the first day of the 15 day celebration of New Years according to the traditional Chinese calender. Also known as the Spring Festival, it is the most important celebration in the Chinese year. In pinyin it is referred to as "Nongli xinnian". Traditionally it begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calender, and it ends on the 15th day. This 15th day is referred to as the Lantern Festival (pinyin yuanxiaojie - Mandarin). This is considered to be year 4705 in the traditional lunar calender, though there is considerable dispute about when the actual Chinese calender began. It is possible that it began with month 1 during the Xia dynasty, month 12 during the Shang dynasty or month 11 during the Zhou dynasty. The final fixing of the New Year was established by Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty in 104 BC. Intercalary months were added to keep the festival in line with the solar year at various times. Today Chinese New Year falls anywhere from January 21st to February 20th. The date of Lichun is a traditional Chinese solar term marking the beginning of spring, and usually falls on either Feb 4th or 5th. Yes, the Chinese have both a lunar and solar calender.

In ancient myth the man-eating beast from the mountains, the Nian, could enter houses to prey on humans. It was said that this beast, something like a Sasquatch with a toothache, could be scared away by loud noises and the colour red. Hence the origin of a lot of the customs of Chinese New Year, from the traditional firecrackers and fireworks to the wearing of red clothes. Sad to say firecrackers have been banned in most countries today for "safety reasons", an example of where "social management" is hardly confined to western managerial societies. Molly can remember them from her youth, and she never suffered anything more than a slightly burned hand. They were always coloured red in those days, by the way. But, once more, "the people" have to be protected from themselves by their supposed betters. Too bad- I always liked firecrackers.

Back to the subject. Chinese New Years is a statutory holiday in many countries in the world. In the Peoples' Republic of China the first 7 days are stats, in Taiwan the first 5 days, in Hong Kong and Macao the first 3 days, in Malaysia and Singapore the first 2 days and in Brunei and Indonesia the first day only. The Vietnamese usually celebrate their New Year of Tet on the same day as the Chinese, but because of the time zone difference between Beijing and Hanoi it is occasionally on a different day. This year it was a day early, on February 17th. Korea officially follows the Gregorian calender, but the date of the lunar New Year is a three day holiday(as opposed to one day for Jan 1st). The Japanese have the first three days of the Gregorian calender as holidays. They changed the date of their celebrations in 1873.

More on Chinese New Years tomorrow the second day of the celebration.

Molly.

PS:

Hopefully more on Carnival and the upcoming Shrove Tuesday as well.