Opinion
Passing of the beast
The Chinese celebrate the Spring Festival to mark the start of the Lunar New YearHarish Chandra Shah
Nepal and China are next-door neighbours bound by close cultural, social, religious and political ties from time immemorial. Our relations have remained very cordial and unique from ancient times. Nepal and China share several cultural similarities. Like in Nepal, various traditional festivals are observed all over China. Among them, the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year is the first important traditional holiday of the year. When winter is at its end and spring is around the corner, this festival is enthusiastically celebrated in China and all over the world where Chinese people live. The Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival to mark the start of the Lunar New Year. This year is the Year of the Dog and it started on February 16.
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 12 animals are used to symbolise the year in which a person is born, namely mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. The Spring Festival is China’s major traditional festival. Other major celebrations are the Lantern Festival, Pure Brightness Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival. They are celebrated with joy and happiness.
During the Spring Festival, the Chinese people observe a weeklong national holiday starting from the first day of the New Year. People put on new clothes to visit relatives and friends and exchange greetings. On the second day, friends and relatives visit each other with New Year cakes and orange crunchy candy as gifts. On the third day, people stay home and clean their houses.
In the past, when the Chinese people used the lunar calendar, the Spring Festival was known as the New Year. In 1912, China adopted the Gregorian calendar; and since then, the Lunar New Year has been known as the Spring Festival to distinguish it from the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar. The Spring Festival generally occurs between the last week of January and mid-February.
The Lunar New Year’s Eve is a very important time for family reunions. The whole family gets together for a sumptuous dinner followed by an evening of pleasant talk and games. Some families stay up all night and celebrate the occasion with different cultural programmes. New Year’s Eve is also an auspicious wedding day, and many people get married on this day. Some go on long tours and some watch colourful TV programmes. In recent times, people have started going abroad to celebrate Chinese New Year with their family members and friends. The next morning, people offer New Year greetings and best wishes to their relatives and friends. They send and receive New Year and Spring Festival cards. Now, most city dwellers send greetings by e-mail.
During the New Year and Spring Festival, various traditional and modern recreational activities like the lion dance, dragon lantern dance, boat rowing and stilt walking are enjoyed in many parts of China. Fireworks are set off to express joy and happiness during the Spring Festival and other auspicious occasions. Lighting fireworks is regarded as one of China’s most important customs. The use of Spring Festival couplets have been very popular in China for hundreds of years. Spring Festival couplets are hung on the front gates and on the walls and beams of the sitting room.
Preparations for the Chinese New Year begin several days in advance when houses are thoroughly cleaned and new clothes are purchased. On New Year’s Eve, all the family members come together for a feast. Steamed dumplings known as jiaozi are the special food on the occasion. Jiaozi is very popular in the northern parts of China while a sticky and sweet glutinous rice pudding called nian gao is preferred in the south. ‘Guo Nian’ which means passing of the beast is a common greeting among the Chinese people during the Spring Festival.
People born in the Year of the Dog have a very deep sense of loyalty. They believe in fairness and cannot stand the inequities of our world. They will fight literally to the death in order to protect everyone’s rights and justice. They are always fair and strong and they will always stand up if they think someone is being taken advantage of or not getting a fair shake. In spite of the heavy influence of Western culture, the Chinese people still celebrate and observe their various customs, festivals and activities with enthusiasm accompanied by traditional feasts.
Shah is the president of the Nepal China Cultural and Educational Council