Chinese New Year, the Cynful Version
April 26, 2009
The Chinese new year, celebrated by Chinese people worldwide, is actually based on the cyclical rotation of the moon, and so is probably more accurately referred to as the lunar new year. Vietnamese and Korean people celebrate their new year on the same lunar calendar. It matters not where you are in the world. You do something on the eve of the Chinese New Year or the first day, one way or another. In Malaysia, it’s the biggest celebration for Chinese people.
Like the current Gregorian calendar we use today, the Chinese lunar calendar is based on a 12-month cycle. Because it is based on the cycle of the moon, the first day of the first month of each lunar year never falls on the same day. The beginning of the year can fall anywhere between the beginning of January to the third week of February. In 2009, the first day happens to be 26 January. A complete cycle takes 60 years.
Legend has it that Buddha summoned all animals to him for a farewell bash before he departed the earth. Just as expected, not everyone wanted to be at that party. Only 12 furry friends showed up. In order, they were: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Would I be peeved if my friends didn’t show up for my farewell do? Hell yeah. Buddha was not pissed off but was zen in his wisdom. So what does he do? He rewards the animals who came to honour him by naming a year after each, in order of appearance. So 12 animals rule each year of this 12-year cycle. This year is the year of the Ox. My year. I was born in ‘73. I’ve had three cycles so far. Chinese people believe that the characteristics of whichever ruling animal for the year will have a profound influence of the person born in that year. This is the animal that hides in your heart, whatever year you were born in.
It’s Chinese mythology. It’s tradition and history; and it’s fun. It matters not whether one is Buddhist, Hindu, Christian or Moslem Chinese. This is the stuff of all things Chinese, a people with recorded history stretching over 3,000 years and folklore for about 5,000 years. And roots do run deep. Roots do run deep, especially Chinese ones. For all people, there is always a link to the stuff of their homelands, Chinese people to their traditions; people from the Mediterranean to Greek mythology and Roman gods, others to their Norse legends and Celtic folklore, or African roots. It is nothing to do with faith or religion. It is merely diversity in the midst of one humanity.
Chinese belief also extends to Yin and Yang, which in a nutshell, refers to the female- and male-ness of the world. The concept of Yin and Yang is another entry in itself. Suffice it to say in this entry that Yin and Yang are divided into five elements found on earth: metal, earth, fire, water and wood. These are actually names that the Chinese have for the five major planets in Chinese astrology: Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn.
Venus - Metal
Jupiter - Wood
Mercury - Water
Mars - Fire
Saturn - Earth
The movements of these five elements with the moon and year is said to influence a person’s destiny. Here we venture into the opaque waters of Chinese astrology, the rules of which I do not understand nor adopt as my belief. But my point of bringing up Yin and Yang and the five elements is because, I wanted to point out that 2009 is the year of the Golden Ox.
What does that mean? I have no idea. It just has a nice ooh-aah factor to it. It’s the year of the Golden Ox. Oooh. Aaah.
There.
Going back to Chinese New Year. Here is what has been transpired from my ancestors to me. The eve of Chinese New Year is called Ji Kau Meh (29th Night) or Sa Chap Meh (30th Night), depending on whether there’s 29 or 30 days on that particular 12th month of the year. On this night, there is a huge reunion dinner for all Chinese families. It’s when everyone comes back home. It’s like Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is big. It cannot be emphasized as to how big this is.
Then right before midnight, everyone gets out their illegally procured big kahuna fireworks and firecrackers ready. I love this. No matter how often the authorities say this is illegal, you can always find a friendly neighbourhood black marketeer to supply you with all the fireworks you want. The police never catch anyone. The whole town lights up. This is the Gaza Strip with empty shells. Noise, colour and smoke. This is also when I sedate one of my dogs because she’s so scared of the noise. This is done to scare away all the bad spirits and bad luck of the old year, and to welcome the new one with a bang. And what a bang. In my neighbourhood, the smoke lingers long after the noise.
There are 15 days to the celebration of Chinese New Year. There’s a meaning to each day, although much of the significance is lost, except to the devoutly traditional, or to devout taoists. The first day is the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth; the second is when the Chinese pray to their ancestors (not for Chinese of other faiths), and so on and so forth. On the home front, there’s visiting galore. I visit your house, you visit my house. She visits his, they visit ours……you get the drift. There’s red packets with money inside, there’s lion dances and dragon dances, lots of specialty CNY cakes and goodies. It’s busy, busy, BUSY for many Chinese families.
On the 15th day, Chap Goh Meh, there’s another big dinner to celebrate the entire event. Again, it’s a family thing, close friends welcomed if they don’t have their own family do’s.
And there, in a nutshell, is a very very summarized piece on Chinese New Year from the Wordsmith. Don’t make me go into the significance of different dishes on the menu and what we actually do.
Of Mooncakes and Lanterns
April 26, 2009
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month every year. Chinese people worldwide celebrate it. In 2008, the 15th of the 8th happens to fall on 14th October. There is no autumn in Malaysia. But there are lots of mooncakes around, being the nation of hobbits that we are. So at my house, there’s usually a dinner, mooncakes and lanterns. Anything involving food and lots of family is always a plus in my book.
Legend has it that there once was an immortal called Houyi. He had a beautifully stunning wife, Chang’e, who worked in the Jade Emperor’s (Emperor of Heaven) Palace as the attendant to the Queen Mother of the West (wife of the Jade Emperor). One day, Houyi aroused the jealousy of the other immortals, who then slandered him before the Jade Emperor. Houyi and his wife, Chang’e, were subsequently banished from heaven, and forced to live by hunting on earth. He became a famous archer.
In those days, there were 10 suns circling the earth, in the form of three-legged birds residing in a mulberry tree in the eastern sea. Each day, one of the sun birds would have to travel around the world on a carriage, driven by a deity. One day, all 10 of the suns circled together, causing the earth to burn. Emperor Yao, the Emperor of China, commanded Houyi to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon the completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life, and advised him: “Make no haste to swallow this pill; first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year”. Houyi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter, while he began healing his spirit. Houyi was summoned again by the emperor. Chang’e, noticing a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters, discovered the pill, and swallowed it. Immediately, she found that she could fly and began to fly out the window and towards the sky.
With a bow in hand, Houyi sped after her, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Houyi had to return to Earth because of the force of the wind was too great for him. Chang’e reached the moon, and breathless, she coughed. Part of the pill fell out from her mouth. Now, there was a hare on the moon, and Chang’e commanded the animal to make another pill from it, so that she could return to earth to her husband.
The hare is still there, pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. As for Houyi, he built himself a palace in the sun as “Yang” (the male principle), with Chang’e as “Yin” (the female principle). Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Houyi visits his wife. That is why, on that day every year, there is a perfect full moon in the sky.
Well, that’s the story I heard, anyway. There’s at least 5 other versions of the story, including one that has Mongolian rebellions and hiding secret messages in mooncakes and holding out lanterns on the day. But I’m too lazy to type all that out today.
N.B. Sources of Houyi story: my family and Wikipedia.