Chinese New Year

THE WISCO PILOT

Vol. 28 No.3 Articles by and for students Feburary 2022

Chinese New Year

by Lucy Li

The ox retires to the everflowing cycle of zodiacs, and in comes the roaring tiger of 2022. The first day of February this year marks the start of a new year according to the lunar calendar. The Spring Festival, which is more commonly known as the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, is widely celebrated in China and surrounding countries like Vietnam and Korea. The first day of this celebration usually falls between January 21 and February 20, because it starts whenever the new moon appears during these dates. As the celebration continued within Chinese culture for many years, many different traditions, such as the Zodiac, the food, and firecrackers have become major parts of Lunar New Year.

The Zodiac One tradition that has shaped the Lunar New Year celebrationoverthecourseoftimeistheZodiac.Thetwelve zodiac signs (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig) represent the repetition of time-counting every twelve years in the lunar calendar. In a Chinese legend, it is said that when the heavens were dividing time into years, they organized a race to select twelve animals to mark each of the repeated years. At that time, the cat and the rat were best friends; naturally, they agreed that early in the morning of the big race, the rat would wake the cat up, and they would meet at the starting line and run the race together.

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Inside . . .

1 Chinese New Year 3 Origins of WLHS 5 Five Restaurants 6-7 Festival Gallery 8 Look & Find

Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me

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However, it soon occurred to the rat that the fewer competitors there were, the more likely it would win. Weighing between betraying one’s best friend and being marked on the calendar forever, the rat didn’t bother waking the cat up on race day. On the day of the race, all animals participating were asked to cross a muddy river. The rat wasn’t really good at water sports. Thus, it thought that the only way it could win was by using its small size to its advantage and stick to a fast animal. Just as the race started, the rat hopped onto the ox’s back and climbed onto its shoulders. The ox, who was used to crossing rivers like that, steadily walked in the lead. The ox was about to step onto the river bank and declare the first position of the twelve animals; however, the rat jumped off the ox’s shoulder and claimed victory. That is why the rat, an animal of such small size and significance, is ranked first among the twelve animals which represent every twelve years. This legend explains why each year is named after a different animal in these cultures. For years, this tale has not only determined the animal correlated with the year , but it has also been passed on to generations and inspires them to carry on the traditions of the Lunar New Year.

The Food Another aspect of the Lunar New Year is the food. Each food served at Lunar New Year parties is a part of tradition and is served on a specific day of the celebration. All of the foods have significance and meaning behind them. For example, one food that is part of a Lunar New Year’s celebration is dumplings. Since dumplings have the same shape and color of gold, it represents having good wealth for the coming year. Another food item that is served at Lunar New Year celebrations is fish. People eat fish frequently during this celebration because the Chinese pronunciation of “fish” is similar to that of “more, leftover.” Also, eating fish on Lunar New Year’s Eve symbolizes abundance and having more than what’s needed. Another staple of the Lunar Year celebration is spring rolls. These delicious, golden, crispy rolls were named after one of the names for the Lunar New Year, The Spring Festival. Eating spring rolls also represents wealth and abundance in the upcoming year. Glutinous rice balls are also quite popular at these celebrations. These treats are made with sticky rice and usually have a salty or sweet filling. Its Chinese pronunciation is similar to the word “higher.” Therefore, eating these rice cakes symbolizes that things are getting better. Also, because of its round shape, it represents the gathering of families. It is usually served on the last day of the Spring Festival, or the Lantern Festival.

The Firecrackers Firecrackers are used for multiple holidays and celebrations in many different cultures. However, China was the first to use firecrackers for their Lunar New Year Celebration. Not only were they the first to use, manufacture, and sell fireworks, but it has been incorporated into their culture through their mythology. The origin of fireworks is derived from this myth: There once was a monster named “Nian” (Chinese for “year”). It had long tentacles and sharp teeth. “Nian” lived deep on the sea bed and only climbed ashore every New Year’s Eve to prey on villagers and their livestock. Eventually, people found out that Nian was afraid of big sounds, the light, and bright colors, especially red, so, people put gunpowder into bamboo knots that were dyed red and ignited them. The resulting pops of explosions drove away Nian and saved many people from destruction that year. Therefore, because of that myth, lighting firecrackers has become one of the defining traditions of the Lunar New year and has continued even to the present day.

The Wisco Lunar New Year Party Here at WLHS, student take time to learn about different cultures and traditions from the international students. One opportunity is the Lunar New Year Celebration which is put on by the International Student Program every year. This year’s party was held on January 28 and all international and dorm students, as well as faculty, host families and American mentors for new international students were invited to participate. Although there was not a way to have a big fireworks show similar to the Lunar New Year celebrations in China, there were many fun, educational, and exciting activities for everyone at the party. Authentic Asian cuisine, such as bubble tea, was served. During the meal, students from Vietnam, Korea and China gave presentations about how the Lunar New Year is celebrated in their home countries. As people were finishing up their meals, the