Happy Chinese or Lunar New Year!
By Peter Chieh
Chinese New Year (CNY) brings me convoluted memories. I was born in China during
the 20th century in a remote farming village and my grandparents and parents were born
during the 19th century. Thus I experienced various ways of CNY celebrations ranging
from ancient to modern and from farming and high tech communities. The celebrations,
including those during the past forty years in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, differed
from year to year. Yet, celebrations continue.
When I was a child, my family used only the lunar calendar, perhaps because it was
easier to know the date by looking at the shape of the moon, because technology to track
the date was lacking. The CNY was the only festival around that time. It was the biggest
festival in a year. The elders started the preparation for New Year a month ahead. My
grandparents led the whole family to offer good food to the spirits of ancestors and other
gods to send them off for a vacation. Then they started the house cleaning. My elders
gave almost everything a new look and then decorated all the doorways and walls with
new couplets – calligraphy on red paper. Before New Year’s Eve they welcomed the
ghosts back to their usual places from their vacations. We gathered together in front of
them and paid them our respects. Then, we sat down for a wholesome family dinner,
which gave us great joy, because we usually did not have much to eat, especially during
the long period when invading Japanese force roamed China. Despite all the difficulties,
every family tried their best to make everyone happy. They had hoped for a new and
perhaps better beginning year after year.
At dawn on New Year’s Day, everyone in the family gathered in front of the tablets of
ancestors. We paid the utmost respect by kowtowing to them. Then we children
kowtowed to our parents, uncles, grandparents and other elders. That was how we
showed our respect. They gave us red envelopes called Lei-shi (good luck charm) with
money in it to show us their loves. Everyone in the family paid respect to their elders in
the hierarchical order that was feudalistic in the minds of progressive youths. No one
performed any farming or housework that day. It was a day for family fun, games, and
indulgence.
Relatives, friends and neighbours went from door to door to greet each other. People
treated each other with Lei-shi Tang (candy in red wraps). There was no need to think of
something to say, because we all say: Gong Hei Fat Choy or Gong Hei Gong Hei
(wishing you happy). Because the villagers didn’t have much, wishing them getting rich
(Fat Choy) was very appealing. The voice and manner, rather than the meaning of the
phrase, was the real message. When I encounter people from other parts of China, the
greetings came in different voices. Mandarin speaker would say GongXi same as Gong
Hei. Academicians and intellects wanting to emphasize happiness greeted their friends by
saying GongXi or Xin-Nian-Hao (whishing you happy new year). Gradually, these
became the norm. By the way, some italicized words above were Pinyin for Chinese
pronunciations. The Pinyin system is a step taken to standardize the Chinese language,
and it has slowly replaced other systems. The system is simple, and having the ability to
pronounce these the Chinese way will certainly be an asset.
As I drifted into urban centers, new-year celebrations took on a new twist. With so many
people around in a busy society, Kowtowing went out of fashion and the elders humbly
accepted my bow. Group greetings replaced personal greetings. Since families in cities
came from various places, customs and etiquettes varied. Bangs of firecrackers were
heard over a long period of time as the families welcomed their gods or scare off evil
spirits at their own schedules. The banging sometimes reminded me of my battlefield
experiences. Just before I came to Canada, firecrackers were banned in big cities, for
safety and for cleanliness.
When I walked down Chinatown in Vancouver during my first CNY in 1967, I saw
Chinese Canadians celebrated in the old fashioned way. They burned incense and lit
firecrackers. They reminded me of my folks when I was little. Time reversed for me and I
thought I was walking in a city of my past. Yet the modern buildings, merchandise, and
signs reminded me that I was in a beautiful Canadian city.
I settled in Waterloo in 1969, I took trolleys along the four sections of King Street.
Westmont Road went from Waterloo only to Glasgow. There were few Chinese families
in town and each celebrated CNY in their own way. As more and more Chinese, mostly
students, moved here, we felt a need to have an association. The Central Ontario Chinese
Culture Centre (COCCC) was born. Its aim was to promote Chinese culture and to play a
role in the multicultural region. Groups of enthusiastic volunteers have done wonders
over many decades and COCCC’s CNY celebrations have become annual traditions.
The Year of the Rat arrives on February 7 in 2008. On January 26, 2008, COCCC will
host its traditional Festival in the Hauser Hous, second floor of Waterloo Memorial
Recreation Complex on Father David Bauer Drive. Everyone is welcome. No admission
fee will be charged for the drop-in Festivities starting at 10 am till 4 pm. There will be
cultural demonstrations, exhibits and performances as well as exhibitors from various
cultural and community oriented organizations.
Some members of COCCC are from other countries than China, and they celebrated the
Lunar New Year in different ways than my way. People in large cities in China are
beginning to call the CNY the Spring Festival or Chunjie. Whatever the name is, having
a little fun and being happy do no harm.
Constant implies no change, and it is an interesting contradictory to say changes are
constant. In this contradictory, constant meant always. In fact, changes accelerate. While
on my mother’s lap, she told me the Chinese legend Change flying to the moon. The year
I came to Waterloo, Armstrong pronounced to the world “one small step of a man, one
giant step for mankind” as he step on to the surface of the moon. Last year, China
launched a lunar satellite called Change to map the surface of the moon. The year of the
Rat will be interesting for all. For example, Wushi (Gongfu), the exercise mainly to
maintain spiritual balance and physical strength, will be a special competition for the
Olympic Game in Beijing. This art will, if not already, spread over the globe like wild
fire. The next new event looking for Olympic appearance may be Dragon Boat race.
Electronics have shrunk the globe into a village, and lets hope multiculturalism will make
the village a better place for all villagers.
Over the nearly forty years while living in the twin- or tri-cities, I adopted the local
practices here, perhaps because my mind is always open. I had never token a day off from
work claiming the Lunar New Year as my heritage holiday. I believe no Chinese
Canadian did that either. On these occasions we go to work and open our business as
usual. Many of us personally greeted colleagues, friends, customers, and strangers with
“Happy Chinese New Year!” We caught some people off guards, but all replied with the
same greeting “Happy Chinese New Year!” usually at the beginning of February, all the
while smiling merrily. These were some of our fondest memories too.
Peter Chieh
President, COCCC