COLUMN: Traditions of the new year

From Andrea Ahles, "Hawaiian Style," Fall '97 From Andrea Ahles, "Hawaiian Style," Fall '97 Kung Hee Fat Choy!" the e-mail said. And with those words I remembered that Friday was the beginning of the new year. The Year of the Ox. I had almost forgotten the holiday was approaching. The green china plates would be taken out of the cabinet. Chinese coconut and bullock candies sat in a square dish on the table. I'd always try to steal some noodles and fried won ton strips before dinner but usually burned my fingers and dropped the noodles in the process. I remembered coming home from school, excited to see what was cooking for dinner. I was also anxiously looking for li-see nun -- monetary gifts from your parents and relatives enclosed in red envelopes. Gau -- a sticky brown sugar concoction wrapped in leaves -- would be waiting on the kitchen counter as an afternoon snack. These images of celebrating the new year became vivid in my memory upon reading the e-mail from Mom and Dad. And this year, I was reminded of what I was missing -- the traditions. There are many traditions associated with the beginning of the year, many of which are thousands of years old. The Year of the Ox is the 4,695th year in the Chinese lunar calendar. The celebration does not coincide with the normal calendar new year because the Chinese new year starts on the new moon. So typically the new year celebration --Ealso known as the Spring Festival -- is in late January or February. And each year has a specific animal attached to it -- ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, boar, and rat. Every twelve years the cycle of animals starts again. For example, last year was the Year of the Rat. Food plays a large part in welcoming the new year. Typically, a large meal is served on New Year's Eve. The next day is the day of fasting with a small meal consisting of jai -- a noodle dish -- for dinner. And then there is another large feast on the second day of the new year. The Chinese believe strongly in spirits. And the lion dance -- my favorite tradition -- is performed to ward away the spirits of the old year and to welcome the spirits of the new year. Every year, one of the houses down the block would have a lion dance in his front yard and all of the neighborhood kids would go to watch. It was considered good luck to feed the lion li-see nun, and I remember getting my hand bitten by the lion several times. But probably the most spectacular tradition of all is the lighting of the firecrackers. Although my mom never let me set off the firecrackers when I was small, it was always a very loud way to end the celebration. According to legend, firecrackers are used to chase away the mythical beast Nian, who once terrorized the Chinese. Around the world, people welcome the new year with these traditions. In Hong Kong, the Lunar New Year race-meeting is the focus of the celebration. Chinatowns in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York always hold large parades and other events in coordination with the holiday. There are even activities in Birmingham, Ala. But being at college, more than 6,000 miles away from the celebrations at home, is disheartening. There are several fantastic events going on at Penn (the celebration at the University Museum held every year on the last Saturday of January). Several student organizations also celebrate the holiday with parties and dinners. But while there is the chance to go to Chinatown for a nine-course dinner with friends, it's not the same as eating with relatives off of the Chinese plates that have been in my family for generations. Tradition is what makes this holiday particularly special. So to everyone celebrating the new year, I hope you ate noodles on Saturday and Kung Hee Fat Choy!