Of superstitions and traditions: The story of Chinese New Year

In six days time, the sound of “Kung Hei Fat Choi”, meaning “Happy New Year”, will rent the air in China and other countries with significant Chinese population – in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and even the United States of America – as the Chinese New Year celebrations kick off.The […]

In six days time, the sound of “Kung Hei Fat Choi”, meaning “Happy New Year”, will rent the air in China and other countries with significant Chinese population – in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines and even the United States of America – as the Chinese New Year celebrations kick off.
The festival, unarguably the longest and most important traditional Chinese holiday, is celebrated with fanfare.
As a Nigerian studying in China for some years now, I have come to understand the pride attached to the Chinese New Year, which is also known as the Spring Festival, the literal translation of the modern Chinese name. Although the centuries old celebration is full of several myths and traditions still visible in the life of the Chinese, the festival has been attracting tourists from around the world to China.
There are varied accounts of how the festival started. Some said it started from the year end religious ceremony in Shang Dynasty (1766 BC – 1122 BC), while others said that it started from as early as Emperor Yao and Shun (2300 BC). Also, at the beginning, the date of celebration varies from mid winter to early spring. With the mature of solar base calendar, Emperor Wu (157 BC – 87 BC) of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220) established the first day of the first month as the beginning of the year, where it remains.
According to tales and legends, the Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the “Year”. The “Year” looks like ox with lion head and it stays in the sea. At the night of New Year’s Eve, the “Year” will come out to harm people, animals, and proprieties. Later people found that the “Year” is afraid of red color, fire, and loud sound. Therefore, for self protection, people from the habit of posting red Dui Lian in front of the house, launching fireworks, and handing lantern at year end.
As a Chinese friend once told me, the annual festival started as a time to honour Chinese deities and ancestors, but over time, it has come to signify many other things because it is a major holiday for the Chinese. It is based on a solar calendar. The celebration starts from the New Year’s Eve and lasts for around 15 days until the mid of the first month.
In the Gregorian calendar, Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year. Many confuse their Chinese birth-year with their Gregorian birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February, the Chinese year dates from January 1 until that day in the new Gregorian year remain unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the Snake began on February 6, 1989. The year 1990 is considered by some people to be the year of the Horse. However, the 1989 year of the Snake officially ended on February 8, 1990. This means that anyone born from January 1 to February 7, 1990 was actually born in the year of the Snake rather than the year of the Horse. My Son Abdurrahman (JIN SHENG, his Chinese Name) was born on 18th November, 2012, meaning that he was born in the Dragon Year.
Usually, days before the day of the Chinese New Year, which happens January 31 – this year’s animal sign is Snake – families will converge at a particular spot for a reunion dinner because many Chinese working outside China use the period to visit their relations.  So in essence, the characteristics of the festival starts with a dinner on the eve of the New Year, then there are fireworks used to drive away the evil in China, as well as Shou Sui, which requires family members to stay awake during the night, among others.
There will also be decorations by the government and even families. It is a time for families to come together and renew allegiances to the state. The state, on the other hand, also renews its dedication to the people’s welfare. In Nigeria, we don’t have something like that. Even the centenary celebration came and went without much notice.
Many Nigerians living in China have also come to like the festival because of the festivities associated with it. Juwayriya Sullayman, a Nigerian and currently a 5th year student of the prestigious China Medical University Shenyang, Liaoning province in the Northeastern part of China, said she likes the festival for so many reasons.
“As I was just getting accustomed to the cold I wasn’t out at night most of the time, I remember watching a national TV program on the eve of the New Year and seeing beautiful performances and some Chinese opera. In February 2011, the spring festival for me this time was very interesting. I was in Shenyang that time with my friends, I remember seeing all the red decorations and the ones for the animal of that year, “the year of the rabbit”. And at night the fireworks were amazing, most of my Chinese neighbors had red posters on their door, and Chinese New Year pictures on their walls and decorated their homes with red lanterns, I also joined in the experience, by getting my very own home decor, and as usual the holiday was all about reuniting with family and spending a wonderful time together.
“I also noticed something on the eve of the festival, the fireworks were cast individually, by virtually almost everybody and this was done in the hope of casting away bad luck and bring forth good luck, I also noticed some people burning papers long the side of the road. I was able to ask my teacher about some of the symbols and she told me that the image of the fish, which is also sold every year regardless of the animal symbol for that year symbolizes “having more than a need every year”, a firecracker symbolizes “good luck in the coming year” and lanterns “pursuing the bright and beautiful”.
Another Nigerian, Isma’il Ahmad Chiwi, a Doctoral researcher at Hunan University Changsha south Central China, said the New Year Celebration in southern China used to be interesting, colorful and different kind of red decoration of papers, banners and balloons in houses, offices, school environs and shops as well as street. In the night of the day fire crackers were fired, I couldn’t even sleep. It amazed me how all the Chinese respect this festival and celebrate it with full joy and love. During the period, I found out that almost all commercial activities, ranging from shops, restaurant and market shuts down for days.”
However, the experience was different for Asmau Abubakar, a wife to one of the Nigerian Students in Tianjin. Though she expressed joy watching the beautiful display on television, she said her children couldn’t sleep at night due to the sound of fire crackers. Her house, she said, became full of smoke as she kept on looking the colouful crackers through the window of her apartment located on the 6th floor of a storey building.
A company employee, Yakubu Musa Yakubu, said the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, is no doubt the biggest celebration in the Chinese calendar. “I can count myself lucky enough to have experienced the Chinese New Year. The build-up is usually very exciting as virtually everywhere is decorated in red, which is regarded as a color of good luck and prosperity. Travelling during this period is hectic because millions of people journey home to see their families and everywhere is very busy.
“On New Year’s Day, and for several weeks afterwards, sounds of firecrackers will fill the air, and the air smells strongly of dynamite and smoke. The first experience was quite frightening because of the very loud noise from the firecrackers but by week three the noise started to get annoying! As a foreigner, being in China during the New Year was a great experience and on the other hand, also boring and lonely especially for the fact that most businesses will be closed and one does not have places to go to. Life becomes a bit difficult when you look around to buy some things but you cannot find them due to the festive period. The period made me realize how important it is to spend holidays with family. Overall though, my first experience of the Chinese New Year was amazing and one I’ll never forget.”
Tingilin is currently a Masters student of Mechanical Manufacture and Automation Engineering at Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Tianjin-China.