Celebrating the Year of the Rat

Jesse Small Staff Writer

For millions of Chinese across the world, the time of renewal has come. The Chinese New Year, sometimes called Lunar New Year, begins on Feb. 7.

“The Chinese New Year does not have a lot of hype about the countdown,” said Wendy Leung ’08. “[People are just excited] about the fact that it is a new year and having each new year be better than before.”

Leung is glad to be going home for the holiday. “It’s a big deal with your family,’ she said “Imagine staying at school on Thanksgiving.”

At Vassar, President of the Asian Students’ Alliance Jason Wu ’08 organized a large dinner for Feb. 1, a week before the holiday, so people could celebrate both on campus and at home.

“This year we’re having a performance by the Barefoot Monkeys with acrobatics telling the story of the 12 [zodiac] animals and how they came to be. We have martial arts and a dance demonstration,” said Wu. Among the different foods served will be dumplings, scallion pancakes, shrimp chips, Vietnamese sandwiches, vegetable lo mein.

The New Years celebrations are rooted in an ancient story. According to the story, at the beginning of time when the world was created, there was a race to see which animal was fastest. All of the animals gathered and competed. The rat was the cleverest and thus when he reached an uncrossable river, he bargained and fooled the ox to let him ride on his back. As soon as he reached the shore, the rat ran and won the race. Thus the rat is the first in the 12-year, zodiac animal cycle, celebrated this year especially.

For those born in a year of the rat, the year might be of special importance for self-reflection. Unified with family and with prospects of a good year, each person enters the New Year cleansed and renewed.

The celebrations last from the time immediately preceding New Year’s day until 15 days after it. But preparation lasts much longer.

“In my family,” said Casey Ling ’08, “the New Year is a really big deal and there’s a lot you have to do to prepare for it. You have to make sure you clean your house. You have to cut your hair and shower before the New Year, because if you washed during the New Year you would get rid of the luck that you have.”

Before the New Year, many Chinese believe that people are dirty with the grime of the previous year, and want to enter the New Year fresh.

Other traditions include avoiding scissors and knives because they can cut your luck short, and not working during the 15-day period after the holiday because that may mean you will spend your entire year working.

“You get a month break. Sometimes stores close for weeks,” said Leung.

The New Year also has festive family meals. “We have five people in my family and we usually make eight to 10 dishes, dishes we only make for the New Year” said Ling.

Certain foods have special meaning. Dumplings, for instance, represent packets of gold and future wealth.

Chinese also adorn public places with symbols of good fortune, including items in reds and oranges. Chinese New Year also features fireworks, which are believed to scare away bad spirits. On the day of the New Year, children are given red envelopes, called lycee, that contain money to spend on candy and fireworks. Long strings of fireworks cover the buildings. Businesses with longer string scare away more bad spirits; business with more fireworks have higher statuses.

Leung concluded that for her the holiday "represents a special time when my family can come together to embrace the upcoming year and to celebrate our culture."