How to Celebrate Spring Festival

New Year's Eve

Like the western Thanksgiving, the New Year's Eve dinner is a time for all members of the family, even those who live far away, to gather together. The dinner is frequently called wei lu 'surrounding the fire stove'. This is because there was traditionally a fire stove under the table to provide a very warm and cozy atmosphere in which the whole family could enjoy eating and chatting. 　　

The meal itself consists of ten to twelve courses which are not only delicate and tasty, but also rife with symbolic meaning. There are dishes to symbolize health, wealth and good fortune, and like the decorations, it is because they are homophones with lucky words. For instance, fish symbolizes surplus because the word for fish sounds the same as the word for surplus in Chinese. Many Americans are surprised to learn that the fish Chinese people choose to eat on New Year's Eve is usually a carp. Its name, li, has the same sound as the word for profit. The mustard green, which is known as chang-nian-cai 'long-year vegetable' in some dialects, naturally symbolizes longevity. Dishes made with turnips indicate good fortune because the name for turnips, cai-tou , also means 'good luck' in some dialects. There are many other symbolic foods, but one of the most significant is Chinese dumplings, which because their shape is similar to ancient Chinese gold and silver ingots, symbolize wealth. The chef typically hides a coin in one dumpling while cooking. Whoever ends up with the coin is supposed to become the luckiest and most successful person in the year to come, that is, of course, if they don't choke on it.　　

Handing Out Red Envelopes

You've heard the phrase "Christmas is for kids." Well, Chinese New Year is also quite child-friendly. After the New Year's Eve meal all children receive red envelopes stuffed with money from their parents and adult relatives and friends. The money in the red envelopes is known as ya-sui-qian 'suppress-age-money', which indicates an attempt to keep children young; Chinese people count their age according to the lunar new year, so all the children will become one year older overnight! Some adults also give the red envelopes to their parents to wish them health and good fortune in the new year. Relatives usually give to each other's kids, so everything comes out somewhat equal, unless of course you are a single adult with lots of nieces and nephews. I know. I have nine. 　　

Staying Up All Night to Welcome in The New Year　　

Similar to the practice in the 　　United States　　, Chinese usually stay up late or even go without sleep on New Year's Eve. This is called shou-sui 'keep the age'. This is one time during the year when children are allowed to stay up as late as they want. In fact, children are told that their parents will live longer if they stay awake until the new year. In general, people spend the night watching special New Year's Eve programs on TV, playing cards, chatting, drinking, and enjoying hanging around with their families.

The New Year　　

As soon as the day breaks and the festival sets in, firecrackers can be heard everywhere and the sky is soon lit with flashes and colors. Fables tell of a monster who always comes out to eat people during the first few days of the New Year. Chinese people traditionally lit fireworks and wore red clothing to scare away the monster. Now these have become the signs for an auspicious and happy New Year! 　　

On the first day of the New Year, everyone dons new clothing and sets out to offer ritual homage to the ancestors and the gods. The members of the younger generation also pay their respects to the older generation. On this day the sound of fireworks blends everywhere with the aroma of burning incense and ritual paper and the sound of ceremonial music. 　　

After the important rituals, people usually go out to greet their friends and relatives. The most common greetings phrases are gongxi 'congratulations!' or gongxi facai 'congratulations and be prosperous!' or gong-he-xin-xi 'best wishes for a happy new year!'. The street are filled with cheerful people, and here and there one sees the performance of the dragon and lion dances. When the dancers stop in front of a residence or business it brings good fortune to the occupants, and in return they usually present the dancers with some lucky money in red envelopes as a thank you and a reward. Most shops are closed on New Year's Day, but business in usually great for taxi drivers.