This year, 2007, is the year of PIG.

Many people perceive it to have some Feng Shui connotation, but in reality, the Chinese Lunar New Year is a cultural aspect.

The Lunar New Year may very well be the oldest chronological record dates back to the era of Emperor Huang Ti, circa 2500 B.C. It is natural, at that time, that they used the moon as a means of recording calendar dates and keeping track of the seasons.

As the name implies, the Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on the cycle of the moon. Based on the observation that there were two full moons in a month, the Lunar calendar came into inception. A relatively simple principle that also incorporates an additional month every three years to compensate for additional days in a year that are not accounted for at times. Every 60 years, the Lunar Calendar is said to have completed a full cycle. Hence, the Lunar New Year predominantly falls in February or January in most years.

Lunar New Year being refereed to as the “Spring Festival” or “Chun Jie”, in Chinese.

In the olden days, most people in China planted their own crops. The Spring Festival was a celebration of the beginning of that season for planting and sowing crops. To welcome in the rejuvenation of Mother Earth for another year’s bountiful harvest.

Even the emperors of the great Chinese dynasties placed a great deal of importance on the festival. They took a personal interest in ensuring each ceremony was meticulously performed to make certain a good season and fruitful year ahead was guaranteed.

Preparations began a couple of days before the New Year. The house would be rigorously cleaned, old debts would be settled, new furniture and new clothes would be purchased and the house brightly lit up with red lanterns and vertical scrolls wishing an auspicious New Year ahead.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, it is traditional for the family and extended family to gather for a Reunion Dinner. It is a special time for the family, many of whom only saw each other this once a year. In those days, with 8 or 10 children in not being uncommon, Chinese New Year was the one time parents and grandparents really got to spend time with the younger members of the family.

On Reunion Night, houses are brightly lit and a truly bountiful feast is served. Firecrackers can also be heard long into the night; especially the loud red crackers. The louder the noise, the better, as it is said to chase away any spirits with ill intentions that may be hanging about. Many homes also have prayers and burn incense on this night.

There is also the practice of receiving the God of Wealth on the eve or night of the Lunar New Year. Many still practice this today in hopes that they will be blessed with good fortune for the rest of the year.

Those who do not perform this at home will go to the temple and offer prayers; needless to say, it is an extremely crowded, busy situation at the temple with everyone there at the same time.

New Year day itself is spent visiting family, friends and neighbors. The Spring Festival used to be celebrated for 15 days before but this would be impractical gives our present environment. Many Chinese businesses used to also close for the 15 days altogether but today it is usually celebrated over three days, after which businesses will reopen.

The 15th day of the Lunar New Year is known as ‘Chap Goh Mei’, another important celebration. I will provide more insight into that in our next issue if space permits.

If you are interested in Chinese culture and would like to pray to the God of Wealth, you may do so but you should do it out of respect for the traditions. Also, keep in mind that this is not part of Feng Shui but has more to do with Chinese culture. It has no Feng Shui implications if it is followed or not.

Traditions of Chinese New Year

To the Chinese community, the most important festival celebrated is the Spring Festival, more commonly known as Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new lunar year and falls on the first day of the ‘first moon’ in the lunar calendar. It is also the most important event of the entire Chinese calendar.

The climax of the Chinese New Year lasts only two or three days including the New Year's Eve. But the whole New Year season extends from the mid-twelfth month of  previous year to the middle of the first month of the new year. The month approaching the Chinese New Year is a good time for business, because people will generousely buy presents, decoration material, food and clothing. Transportation companies  is eagerly waiting for the swarms of travellers who rush back home for a family renunion from all parts of Malaysia.

Days before the New Year, each household  is busy giving its house a thorough cleaning, hoping to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family to make way for the wishful in-coming good luck. People also give their doors and window-panes a new paint, usually in red color. They decorate the doors and windows with the popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "logevity" and "satisfactory marriage with more children". Paintings of the same theme are put up in the house on top of the newly mounted wall paper. In the old days, various kinds of food are tributed at the alta of ancestors.

New Year eve  is carefully observed. Supper is a family feast with all members getting together. One of the most popular course is jiaozi, dumplings boiled in water. "Jiaozi" in Chinese literally mean "sleep together and have sons", a long-lost good wish for a family. After dinner, it is time for the whole family to sit up for the night while having fun playing cards or board games or watching TV programs dedicated to the ocassion. Every light is supposed to be kept on the whole night. At midnight, the whole sky will be lit up by fireworks and firecrackers make everywhere seem like a war zone. People's excitement reach its zenith.

Early next morning, children greet their parents and receive their presents in terms of cash wrapped up in red paper packages. Then, the family start out to say greetings from door to door, first their relatives and then their neighbors. It is a great time for reconciliation. The air is permeated with warmth and friendliness. During and several days following the New Year's day, friends visit each other and exchange of gifs. The New Year atmosphere is brought to an anti-climax fifteen days away where the Festival of Lanterns sets in. It is an occasion of lantern shows and folk dances everywhere. One typical food is the Tang Yuan, another kind of dumplings made of sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings.

The Lantern Festival marks the end of the New Year season and afterwards life becomes daily routines once again. This description is based upon the recollection of my own experience. Customs of observing the New Year vary from place to place yet the spirit underlying the diverse celebrations of the Chinese New Year is the same: a sincere wish of peace and happiness for the family members and friends.

CHINESE VESION... | What is Chinese New Year |