The year of the golden snake

 

By Carolina Reyes
Daily Bruin Contributor

The Chinese New Year is one of China’s most important
celebrations. It is based on a legend ““ of which there are
many different versions ““ about a village in China thousands
of years ago that was ravaged one Winter’s Eve by an evil
monster called Nian.

The following year the monster returned and again ravaged the
village ““ but before it could happen a third time, the
villagers devised a plan to rid themselves of the monster. To scare
the monster away, they hung red banners to protect the village from
evil, and also made loud noises with firecrackers, drums and
gongs.

Cheery Yen, internal affairs director of the UCLA Community
Cultural Dance Club, said the legend of Nian is why people wear
red, put red paper on their doors, and make dumplings on New
Year’s Eve.

“That is also why celebrating New Year’s Eve and
living until New Year’s Day is called “˜Guo Nian,’
or Overcoming Nian,” Yen said.

  Photos by JENNIFER YUEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Paper
lanterns strung across an area of Chinatown shops welcome the Year
of the Snake. The New Year celebration is based on a lunar calendar
that uses the first day of the first month of the Lunar Year as the
start of the Chinese New Year, said Hung-hsiang Chou, an associate
professor of east Asian languages and cultures.

“Each 12-year segment is named after an animal,”
Chou said, “the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the
Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster,
the Dog and the Pig.”

According to legend, before Buddha departed from the earth, he
called all the animals to him. Only 12 animals came, and as a
reward, he named the years after them in the order they
arrived.

Many people practice certain traditions throughout the New Year.
Kathy Ngo, a fifth-year microbiology and molecular genetics
student, said she cleans her house as a form of tradition.

  Photos by JENNIFER YUEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff A store
owner prepares his business for the New Year with red lanterns to
bring good luck.

“You have to have the house as clean as possible before
the New Year because, during New Year, you’re not supposed to
clean up at all, and if you do need to sweep the floor you must
always sweep inward so that money and luck does not go out the
door,” she said.

Traditionally, people complete spring cleaning a month prior to
the New Year celebrations. Leidy Yong, a fifth-year chemistry
student, said that, during the New Year, her family hangs red
banners all around the house

“The color red is believed to protect against evil,”
she said. “Also, the New Year celebrations last several days,
during which time my relatives visit each other, exchange gifts,
and eat food.”

Married couples distribute red packets, called Hong Bao, with
money to single relatives and friends as a symbol of good luck.
People also decorate their doors with Red Couplets, vertical
scrolls of characters on red paper with text that praises
nature.

  Photos by JENNIFER YUEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Hong
bao, red envelopes, are filled with money by married couples to
give to single relatives and friends. This tradition stems from an
earlier one, in which people hung stems of peach wood as a charm to
keep ghosts and evil spirits away. Some people burn incense in
their households as well as in temples as a mark of respect to
their ancestors, and fireworks are lit to scare away evil spirits.
People try not to fight or to argue during the celebration because
it is believed it will bring bad luck during the coming year.

Certain types of food have special significance. Oranges and
tangerines are thought to bring good fortune and wealth. According
to Elena Hsieh, a fourth-year microbiology and molecular genetics
student, when people eat fish it’s supposed to bring good
luck.

“Traditionally, foodwise you eat fish, but you can’t
eat all of the fish. You have to leave some for the next day and
not finish it on New Year’s eve to symbolize that you will
have leftovers for the rest of the year,” she said.

“Then there’s also dumplings, which symbolize
happiness and money, because in the past, their shape used to be
the shape of the money and gold used in China,” she
continued.

In honor of the New Year, several student organizations are
making preparations for upcoming events. The UCLA Association of
Chinese Americans will participate in the annual Firecracker Run in
downtown Chinatown on Feb. 4. Esther Tseng, president of ACA, said
the tradition started even before her knowledge of the history of
ACA.

“It’s always been a mandatory event for all ACA
staffers and is even listed in our constitution as being a
mandatory event,” she said.

According to Tseng, the Firecracker Run is so named because,
before the 5K run starts, there is always a ceremony celebrating
the New Year. Sometimes guest speakers are invited to the ceremony,
and the Lunar New Year is usually celebrated with firecrackers in
the Chinese tradition.

“During the Firecracker Run, competing runners essentially
run a race through the vicinity of downtown Chinatown,” she
said. “Our role as volunteers of this run is to direct the
runners in the right direction, take times, sell concessions and
work the registration tables.”

Another student group, the Chinese Cultural Dance Club, will
perform on Feb. 10 at the Pasadena Asian Pacific Museum’s
Chinese New

Year Celebration.

“We will be performing “˜Dark Clouds in the
Sky,'” said Nancy Lu, external affairs director of
CCDC, “a very catchy and comical piece involving performers
in straw hats and farmers’ attire because it is a
children’s folk song from Taiwan and the Southern Fujian
province of China.”

For those students who missed out on the actual New Year
celebration, these upcoming events can be a good opportunity to
join in on cultural festivities.