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Heralding the new year

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 9, 1997 9:00 p.m.

Monday, February 10, 1997

Chinese American students gather to honor the Year of the OxBy
Linda Yoon

Daily Bruin Contributor

appy New Year! While most people deem January as the starting
mark of each year, the lunar calendar follows a different agenda:
this year, the Chinese New Year began Feb. 7, 1997, or rather,
4695, the Year of the Ox.

At the mention of a new year, thoughts of champagne and a
ceremonious countdown come to mind. But the Chinese New Year is
celebrated in an intimate, family-oriented manner.

"The Chinese New Year is a time for family, kind of like the
Christmas season … it’s a family gathering time," said Bernie
Chu, a third-year civil engineering student.

Unfortunately, many students are unable to return home for the
Chinese New Year. Tam Tsang, a second-year undeclared student from
Northern California, explains that the distance is a problematic
factor.

"Here I don’t really know what to do, but at home we celebrate
with the family, eat certain foods and receive red envelopes
(containing money)," Tsang said.

Despite the absence of family, Tsang did not let the New Year
pass uncelebrated. Joining in the festivities of the American
Chinese Association (ACA), she was one of the many students present
at the ACA "Hotpot" Night on Friday.

"At school here, the New Year is more a bonding thing with your
peers, to kick it with each other and have fun … (whereas at
home) it’s very cozy," Chu said.

Although the celebration was enjoyed away from home, Tsang still
followed certain traditions.

Tsang explained that the Chinese New Year brings with it
superstitions, some of which include using only blunt objects to
eat with, such as chopsticks, wearing new shoes and clothes, and
pre-cooking meals so that the first day of the year will not be
spent working.

"I didn’t wash my hair today," Tsang said. "You’re not supposed
to wash your hair, or else you’ll wash the luck out."

The color red is also significant to the Chinese New Year
tradition.

"It is a sign of luck … (it originated from) warding off the
monster Nian," said Chiung-Fu Shih, a second-year
electro-engineering student.

According to Chu, the Chinese New Year is associated with a
popular folklore involving a supernatural monster called Nian,
which means "year" in Chinese.

Nian appeared once every 365 days and threatened villages by
consuming people in their homes. The monster terrorized the
villages at night, returning to the mountains before dawn.

In order to ward off the beast, the villagers placed red banners
in front of their homes because Nian feared the color red, and they
burned bamboo to frighten the monster with the noise.

The next morning, the people would welcome each other by saying
"Gung xi fat tsai", which means "congratulations for surviving the
night."

The red banners as well as the bamboo manifested themselves into
the Chinese New Year tradition by the giving of red envelopes
filled with money, hanging red posters or banners, and firework
displays, Chu said.

But Tsang emphasizes that the Chinese New Year not only
signifies the folklore and the family gatherings, it’s also a
cultural identity.

"I celebrate because it’s a part of my culture. I’m not too tied
into it, but it’s something that keeps me linked to the Chinese
culture," she said.

Chu agrees that the importance of culture plays a big role in
the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

"This is a way to celebrate culturally. I mean, you can always
celebrate with family because you get so many chances in America.
There’s always some reason to find a way to take a vacation; this
seems to be the American tradition," said Chu, "except we do it our
style."

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