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In this photo
released by China's Xinhua news agency, fireworks
explode over the People's Square in Giuyang, capital of
southwest China's Guizhou Province early Sunday, Feb.
18, 2007, the New Year's Day on China's lunar calendar.
(Xinhua, Qiao Qiming / AP)
Have You
Heard? ...
Beijing, Feb 17
(DPA) -- Several hundred million Chinese
were on the move to return to their home districts for
the start of the Chinese new year - The Year of the Pig
- that begins Sunday.
Some 155 million people
were estimated to be travelling by train alone while
others travelled by boat, car, plane and
ship.
In the 40 peak travel days
around the holiday the authorities estimated there would
be two billion trips. More than 4,000 flights were
booked in the last two weeks.
China's 455 million mobile
phone owners are set to send 40 million text messages of
good wishes per hour on Saturday.
The 15 million residents
of China's capital Beijing are forecast to spend about
114 million yuan ($14.7 million) to buy more than
510,000 boxes of fireworks to mark the start of the year
of the pig, the last of the 12 Chinese animal zodiac
signs.
The animal signs are
linked each year to the ancient binary opposition of yin
and yang and to one of the five elements of metal, fire,
wood, earth and water. This gives a combination that
recurs every 60 years.
The coming year is
regarded as being particularly auspicious because it is
linked with the element of fire, making it the Golden
Year of the Pig.
Together with the surge in
marriages last year, the desire for "golden" heirs means
an increase in births is expected this year.
The highlight of the
celebrations is large family meals followed by fireworks
displays at midnight.
15 Days of
High Dining
Sunday,
February 18, 2007 ushers in the Year of the
Pig and, with it, two weeks of eating and
celebrating.
Status foods such as
abalone, bird's nest, shark's fin and sea cucumber,
among others, will appear on menus. Other specials, such
as New Year's cake (there are savory and sweet versions)
made of pounded rice or glutinous rice, golden purses
(to signify wealth), and whole steamed fish, are
symbolic of good fortune and blessings.
Some regional foods rely
on the spoken regional dialect for meaning. In the
Cantonese repertory, a desert weed called "fa choy" is
employed in a vegetarian dish because the name is a
homonym for "fat choy" in the Cantonese greeting "Gung
hay fat choy," meaning happiness and wealth.
These foods will be part
of feasts hosted by Chinese families and businesses from
Shanghai to Hong Kong to Taipei to New York, Los Angeles
and San Francisco. It's time for the finest of fine
dining, and the biggest of banquets. Fast-paced,
work-dictated lifestyles have led to entertaining in
restaurants rather than at home. In place of one's own
dining room, Chinese restaurants offer private rooms.
In the Bay Area, large
restaurants such as R & G Lounge and Shanghai 1930
in San Francisco, Koi Palace in Daly City, and Joy Luck
Club in Cupertino offer multiple private rooms that are
fully booked at this time of year.
This style of
private-public entertaining was traditional in
pre-Communist China. It spread to Taiwan, Hong Kong and
the Bay Area and is now enjoying a renaissance in China.
2007 ~ The Year
of the Pig
Famous people born in the Year Of The
Pig
Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Thomas Jefferson,
Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Mahalia Jackson,
David Letterman, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald
Reagan, Woody Allen, Elton John, Hillary
Rodham Clinton, Henry Ford, Ken
Watanabe, and the late
Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang
Kai-Shek.
Famous
Chinese People
The Chinese
American community is the largest ethnic group of Asian
Americans, comprising of 22.4% of the Asian American
population. They constitute roughly 1% of the United
State as a whole. In
2004, Chinese American population numbered to nearly 3.4
million
The Chinese calendar combines lunar and
solar system together.
 Most of people think that YEAR and
DAY cycle use solar system and MONTH cycle uses lunar
system. Actually, DAY uses Stem-Branch 60-day
cycle system. And the name of the MONTH uses solar
system.
The Chinese solar months are not like
those months in the modern calendar. The Chinese
calendar divides the year into 24 solar segments by the
Sun positions on the tropical zodiac. It's similar with
western Astrology. Each segment has its name for ancient
farmers use. It's much easier to understand the whole
picture by studying the following chart.
|
Solar
Segment |
Sun
Longitude |
Chinese Astrology Month
Name |
Western
Astrology |
| Start of
Spring |
315 |
1 -
Tiger |
Aquarius |
| Rain
Water |
330 |
Pisces |
| Excited Insects |
345 |
2 - Rabbit |
| Vernal Equinox |
0 |
Aries |
| Clear and
Bright |
15 |
3 -
Dragon |
| Grain
Rains |
30 |
Taurus |
| Start of Summer |
45 |
4 - Snake |
| Grain Fills |
60 |
Gemini |
| Grain in
Ear |
75 |
5 -
Horse |
| Summer solstice
|
90 |
Cancer |
| Slight Heat |
105 |
6 - Sheep |
| Great Heat |
120 |
Leo |
| Start of
Autumn |
135 |
7 -
Monkey |
| Still Hot |
150 |
Virgo |
| White Dew |
165 |
8 - Chicken |
| Autumnal Equinox |
180 |
Libra |
| Cold Dew |
195 |
9 -
Dog |
| Frost
Descends |
210 |
Scorpio |
| Start of Winter |
225 |
10 - Pig |
| Light Snow |
240 |
Sagittarius |
| Heavy
Snow |
255 |
11 -
Rat |
| Winter
Solstice |
270 |
Capricorn |
| Little Cold |
285 |
12 - Cow |
| Severe Cold |
300 |
Aquarius |
Chinese Lunar New Year has the
longest chronological record in history. In 2600 BC,
Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the
Chinese zodiac. The Chinese lunar calendar is annual,
beginning at sunset on the day of the second new moon
following winter solstice. The date of the festival can
land anywhere between late January and the middle of
February on the western calendar.
Not all Asian countries
observe Lunar New Year. Japan abandoned the lunar
calendar in favour of the solar calendar in the late
19th century. New Year's Day — or gantan —
falls on January 1st.
Some countries follow a lunar
calendar without Chinese influence. Diwali in
India is held in late October or early
November.
Yet Chinese Lunar New Year has
left its mark; in other places the festival has evolved.
A few examples:
• Koreans celebrate Lunar New
Year, or Sol, but they do it without fanfare.
Koreans also observe both the solar and the lunar new
year.
• Vietnam's three-day holiday
of Tet Nguyen Dan shares much in common with
the traditions of Chinese Lunar New Year, but also
includes customs unique to the Vietnamese.
• In Cambodia, Chaul Chnam
Thmey arrives in mid-April. A harvest festival,
it's celebrated after the rice crop is brought in.
Cambodian farmers moved the date of Chinese Lunar New
Year back three months to accommodate the harvest
schedule. Moreover, their customs bear little
resemblance to those observed by the Chinese.
• Thailand celebrates their
new year, Songkran, on April 13. The ancestors
of the modern Thais were Southern Chinese migrants. As
with Cambodia, the date shifted to fall in line with
Thailand's agrarian harvest cycle. More importantly, it
revolves around Buddhism, Thailand's predominant
religion.
Despite these differences,
Lunar New Year is associated with the Chinese, and
rightly so. It's a fun, exciting and colourful event
observed by Chinese the world over. They deserve to feel
proud of one of their best cultural
traditions.
Traditional customs
are sure to keep Chinese-Americans busy until then. Many
practices require people to take various measures to
ward off bad spirits or promote prosperity, such as
lighting firecrackers and wearing the color red.
There are just as
many “don’ts,” however, as there are “do’s.” Sweeping,
crying, lending money and hair washing are prohibited on
Chinese New Year’s day, as they are all believed to have
negative affects on the upcoming year.
Chinese New Year is
considered the most important holiday in the Chinese
culture. In China, schools and businesses will shut down
for at least a week. While that doesn’t happen here, the
holiday is still treated as a major event.
“All the groups in
Chinatown put something on,” said Sabina Chen, executive
director of the Chinese Culture Foundation, which
supports the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.
“It’s a touristy thing, but it’s also a way of gathering
community. There are a lot people who don’t normally
come into Chinatown who will be here. It’s going to be
packed.”
Symbolism is
prevalent during Chinese New Year celebrations.
Traditional food, decorations and activities take on
larger, more significant purposes and
meanings.
Here are some important
symbols during
the celebrations:
Tangerines
and oranges:
Tangerines and oranges are
symbols of abundant happiness. For newlyweds, the same
fruit with small leaves attached can mean children are
on the way.
Candy
tray:
Arranged in a circle or octagon, each
piece of candy on the “Tray of Togetherness” represents
a different kind of good fortune. A candied melon means
growth and good health; a red melon seed, joy,
happiness, truth and sincerity; a lychee nut, strong
family relationships; a kumquat, prosperity or
gold.
Doors and
windows:
At the stroke of midnight on
Chinese New Year’s Eve, all the doors and windows in a
house are opened to let the old year out.
Dragons:
The symbol of strength, adventure, courage
and prosperity. The Chinese believe the dragon consists
of many different animals. It has the eyes of a rabbit,
the whiskers of a catfish, the body of a serpent and the
paws of a tiger.
Chrysanthemum:
An emblem of
mid-autumn and symbol of joviality.
Bats:
Five bats surrounding
the Chinese character for longevity represent blessings
of wealth, status, longevity, love of virtue and a
natural death. Chinese lore says legendary silver bats
are eaten for prosperity, with the blood, gall and wings
used in certain medicines for the same
reason.
Goldfish:
Represents surplus
and abundance. It’s tradition for families to serve a
whole fish with Chinese New Year’s eve dinner. A portion
of the fish is always reserved to represent abundance in
the new year.
Firecrackers:
Setting off
firecrackers is meant to ward off evil
spirits.
Dragon
chasing its tail in San Francisco Parade
Chinese Ney Year Parade in
San Francisco
Saturday, March 3, 2007 - 5:30pm-8pm
Named one of
the world's top ten parades, Chinese New Year Parade in
San Francisco is the largest celebration of its kind
outside of Asia.
More
than 100 units will participate in the parade
including floats and skits featuring this
year's Chinese zodiac sign, the pig or
boar.
The Golden
Dragon, which is the high point of the parade, is
over 201 feet long and is always featured as
the grand finale along with more
than 600,000 firecrackers!
The Golden
Dragon was made in Foshan, a small town in China
by dragonmasters. It bears many operatic
touches, such as the rainbow colored pompoms on its 6
foot-long head. It is festooned from nose to tail with
colored lights and decorated with silver rivets and
trimmed in white rabbit fur. The dragon's skeleton
is constructed of bamboo and rattan in 29 segments.
A team of 100 men and women who are specially
chosen, carry the Golden Dragon come rain or
shine.
Route of the
San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade
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Chinese New Year
Traditions
Chinese New
Year Events
in San Francisco
The
Chinese use a lunar calendar, which puts the date
of the Spring Festival at a different time
every year. It takes place during the end of
January or the beginning of February. This year it falls
on February 18, 2007 and is the year of the Pig. If you
were born in 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 or 1995
- you were born under the sign of the pig.
According to
Chinese astrology, people born in pig years are polite,
honest, hardworking and loyal. They are also lucky,
which is why many Chinese like to have babies in a pig
year.
The
Chinese calendar has a 12 year cycle and each year is
named after an animal. Each of the years has
certain characteristics that people born during one of
those years are supposed to possess. Chinese Lunar
Calendar
You
can determine your Lunar Sign with a free online
reading.
By tradition
Chinese prepare for the New Year by cleaning
their houses and repaying any money they owe. They
also get their hair cut and buy new clothes.
They decorate
their houses with signs that wish peace and luck for the
coming year. These signs look like the one to the right.
On New
Year's Eve the Chinese light up their houses and gather
together for a family dinner. Special foods are served.
Most people stay up late and set off fireworks late at
night to scare away evil spirits.
Another
tradition is the handing out of red packet, which are
decorated paper envelopes containing money like the
picture of one on the right.
This is the symbol for Fortune
The 15-Day
Celebration of
Chinese New Year
The first day of the Lunar New Year is
"the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and
earth."Many people abstain from meat on the first day of
the new year because it is believed that this will
ensure long and happy lives for them.
On the second day, the Chinese pray to
their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are
extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed
that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.
The third and fourth days are for the
sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.
The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that
day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No
one visits families and friends on the fifth day because
it will bring both parties bad luck.
On
the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their
relatives and friends freely. They also visit the
temples to pray for good fortune and
health.
The seventh day of the New
Year is the day for farmers to display their produce.
These farmers make a drink from seven types of
vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is
also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles
are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.
On the eighth day the Fujian people have
another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray
to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.
The ninth
day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.
The 10th through the 12th are days that
friends and relatives should be invited for dinner.
After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have
simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to
cleanse the system.
The 14th day should be
for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which
is to be held on the 15th night.
What
Happens in China?
New Year is by far the biggest holiday in China.
During the two weeks, relatives and friends surprise
each other with visits and bring small red envelopes
filled with money for children, called lai
see.
For good luck and as symbols of renewal and growth,
people purchase cherry blossoms, daisies, lilies,
chrysanthemums and peaches.
People also set snaking strings of red fireworks
crackling.
Lunar New Year is also celebrated in neighboring
countries, especially those with high Chinese
populations like South Korea and Vietnam.
WHAT'S TO EAT?
Chinese families make a pasty food called Gao from
turnips or water chestnuts. They also eat fried
dumplings coated with sesame. Red and black watermelon
seeds are a traditional snack.
HOW CAN I CELEBRATE?
Tell someone "Gung Hay Fat Choy!" which is a
Cantonese way of wishing prosperity in the new year.
(For Mandarin, say "Gong Xi Fa Cai!")
Lunar New
Year brings on a drove of lucky newborns
Year of the Pig babies are thought to have a better
life, and many couples are paying close attention to the
calendar
Ying Wang and Hiroshi Ching looked for a nanny and
began decorating their daughter's bedroom weeks ago, but
they were in no hurry to bring her into the world.
They wanted their first child to arrive in the lunar
Year of the Pig, which began Sunday.
"They told me if I have a girl pig, she'll have a
better life," said Wang, 29, who lives in Brisbane and
works at KTSF, a television station that produces
multilingual programming. "They have patience and
understanding and can enjoy their life. Those born under
this sign enjoy life and all it has to offer."
People born this lunar year, or who turn 12, 24 or
any multiple of 12, are all pigs and believed to be
lucky, especially those born in a "fire pig" year like
this one. Pregnancies are up in South Korea and China
and among followers of the lunar calendar in the United
States trying to bestow more luck on their families.
Chinese New
Year
in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -
In the following weeks, millions of people in
the United States and around the world will celebrate
Chinese New Year. San Franciscans will be treated to
many colorful events, from the Miss Chinatown U.S.A.
pageant at the Palace of Fine Arts (Feb. 24) to the
Events to the forever popular Chinese New Year
parade through the streets of Chinatown and North
Beach (March 3). The celebrations have already begun and
will continue through March
4.
Every
day
Chinese New Year
Carnival, daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Walter
U. Lum Place.
Sunday
Chinese New Year
Day
Feb. 24
Miss Chinatown U.S.A.
Pageant, 7:30 p.m. at the Palace of Fine Arts
Theatre. Cost: $25 to $50; call (415) 397-8988, (415)
392-0203 or (415) 753-3388.
San Francisco Symphony Chinese
New Year Concert, 3 p.m. at the Davies Symphony
Hall. Cost: $18 to $60; call (415) 864-6000.
Feb. 25
Chinatown YMCA’s Chinese New
Year Run for the Kids, 8 a.m. at the Chinatown
YMCA. Cost: $35 to $38; call (415) 576-9622.
March 2
Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Coronation
Ball, 6 p.m. at the Hilton San Francisco and
Towers. $120; call (415) 982-3000.
March
3
Chinese New Year
Parade, 5:30 to 8 p.m., from Market and Second
streets to Kearny and Jackson streets. Free, or $30 for
bleacher seats; call (415) 982-3071.
March 3-4
Chinese Community Street
Fair, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 3 and 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. March 4. Grant Avenue from California to
Broadway streets, Pacific Avenue from Kearny to Stockton
streets, and Washington and Jackson streets from Kearny
to Stockton. Free. Dance, music and Chinese arts will be
a part of the fair.
Cable Car at China Town
in San
Francisco
Mayor Gavin Newsom
attending a
past parade
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