EMILY SCHMITT KNIGHTLIFE EDITOR
Firecrackers are shot off at midnight to celebrate and scare away evil. Red envelopes containing a lucky sum of money are given to children. And new clothes are worn to symbolize a new beginning.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, memories of celebrations at home fill the minds of some students. Qinglun Li thinks about the festivities she was a part of in China.
“We stayed up the whole night, waiting for the new year,” she said. “And then we began to play with fireworks.”
She, along with her family, friends and neighbors, set off fireworks and firecrackers at the beginning of the new year. Many of China’s large cities have fireworks displays and firecrackers are widely available at shops.
But the tradition is about more than just fun. According to Chinese legend, a mythical beast comes at the beginning of each year and the fire and noise will scare it away until the next year.
The color red is worn because it symbolizes fire, which keeps the beast away, Li said.
On the eve of the holiday, a television station broadcasts its New Year’s Gala celebration, comparable to watching the ball drop in New York City.
Unlike most U.S. New Year celebrations that center on the countdown to the new year, the Chinese also celebrate during the first day of the new year.
The date of the new year is based on a lunar calendar and is Feb. 14 this year. The Chinese recognize Jan. 1 as the beginning of the new year, but still celebrate the historical and cultural significance of the Chinese New Year.
“In the early morning, we would go to relatives’ and friends’ houses to visit and say ‘Happy New Year,” Bao Kun Wang said.
The new year is the longest legal holiday in China, allowing time for extended families to visit each other.
Zeya Zhang enjoyed the holiday when he was young, because it was the only day of the year he didn’t do homework. He said Chinese students always have homework, even during breaks from school.
Li compared the holiday to Christmas in the U.S., a time when families often visit each other.
New clothes are typically worn to symbolize a new beginning in the new year and it is considered bad luck to lie, swear or behave badly that day, Zhang said.
When Chinese children visit their families, it is custom for the elderly and married to give them red envelopes filled with money, Wang said.
The amount of money in the envelopes reflects good luck and honorability, according to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco. Certain numbers are luckier than others, so the money is given in “lucky sums.”
“In the evening, we get together to eat a huge meal with family members,” Li said.
After eating, she enjoyed playing games with her family.
Li, Zhang and Wang said they have never wanted to travel to Beijing to see CCTV’s New Year’s Gala.
“We would rather spend time with family than at the big celebration; that is what we value,” Wang said.
Red envelopes containing coins will be distributed during the Mensa’s Chinese New Year celebration Thursday. Students are encouraged to wear red to the event.