“Isn’t it like dancing and sushi? No wait, it’s the thing with the dragons! I think it’s Chinese-ish.”
It was at this moment I realized that my knowledge of Lunar New Year was basically non-existent. I had images of fireworks and Kung Fu Panda in my mind. I couldn’t understand New Year in the middle of February. My cultural education was in desperate need of an expansion. Luckily, the Asian Pacific American Coalition, or APAC’s, signature event was on the horizon.
Held on February 16, 2018 on the Stetson green, APAC’s event drew hundreds of students out for the traditional festivities. As APAC president Thiri Yadana explained, “the Lunar New Year is celebrated all across Asia, with the influence in China. It’s basically a celebration of a start of a new year… there is always food and celebration, but the most importantly it is to come together with your friends and family.”
Stetson’s Lunar New Year event celebrated the first day of the traditionally fifteen day long festivities. Typically, the initial days include time to honor ancestors, a family dinner, a cleaning of the house to ward off bad fortunes, the exchanging of money in red envelopes, and the famous lion dance. All of these activities are to promote good fortune, wealth, and longevity. “Asians prioritize their values, these three are the most important, but of course, family and friendships are also important,” Yadana said.
Condensed into one afternoon, APAC’s event included the most important aspects of the celebrations: the lion dance, the red envelopes, and food for the Stetson community.
The event opened with the lion dance. Wah Lum Kung Fu Temple, a martial arts academy based in Orlando, performed the dance using an elaborate red dragon costume and traditional music. The movements required for the lion dance mimic the fundamental parts of Chinese martial arts. Interestingly, the lion is often mistaken for a dragon, which appears in other culturally significant celebrations. The lion always has a tail and is operated by two dancers, while the dragon costume is much longer and requires many people to move. Both dances represent good luck and fortune.
In another representation of fortune, APAC playfully gave out chocolate coins in red envelopes. During the Qin Dynasty, elderly people would thread coins with red string to ward off evil spirits. Originally, these coins were given to young people to protect them from sickness and death. After print money came to be, the red thread became red envelopes and the coins became cash. Since then, the manifestations of this tradition vary widely, but the red colored envelopes have stayed constant. So far, my conceptions about dancing, fireworks, and dragons had all been proven to be rather incorrect. At least my previous reflection about the sushi was right. APAC’s event cleared up my misconceptions, but I still didn’t understand the timing. So I delved into the depths of Google.
Apparently, determining the start and end dates of a year within this system is complex. The date of each Lunar New Year is based on the lunisolar calendar, which factors moon phase and the length of the solar year. It’s difficult to explain, but in essence the new year occurs between January 21 and February 20 on the new moon.
This calendar also includes twelve animal zodiac signs, each cycling once every twelve years. These zodiacs function similarly to the Western variety, predicting personality and foreshadowing events. The largest difference is that the Chinese zodiac is based on the movement of the moon, while the Western zodiac is rooted in the position of the constellations.
This year, Lunar New Year fell in the zodiac of the dog. People born in a dog year are said to be loyal, honest, just, persistent, and trustworthy. Some famous dog year celebrities are Madonna, Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Elvis Presley, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Steven Spielberg. I found the irony in some of these hilarious. Bill Clinton is not the picture of trustworthiness, but I digress.
According to the Chinese zodiac, the year of your zodiac is typically an unlucky one. The ceremonies surrounding Lunar New Year attempt to usher away those bad omens.
If those good luck ceremonies don’t prove effective, the tides will change again on February 5th. Lunar New Year 2019 will be the year of the pig. For all the 1995 babies, this means good-natured, lovely, easy-going, and generous personalities. For those of us at Stetson, it means more sushi, celebration, and cultural education.
Photos by Veronica Faison