By George H. Tsai
When you run into any Chinese on this auspicious day, just say: Gong Xi Fa Cai (best wishes for happiness and prosperity). It's a typical Lunar New Year greeting.Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Western New Year, the Chinese Lunar New Year does not fall on the same day each year. The last Lunar New Year, or the Year of the Dog, for instance, started on Jan. 29. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. To “catch up” with the solar calendar, the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years. This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why the beginning of the Lunar New Year varies each year from the Gregorian calendar, which has been used in the West since 1582.Some Chinese consider this Lunar New Year 4705. Oh, well. A one-year difference matters little to the festival-minded people.Please take note that those born in 1911, 1923, 1935,1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 and 2019. All are or will be the “Pig'' people. The 12-year cycle is based on the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. They are Rat, Ox, Tiger Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Legend has it that Huangdi, China's first emperor, summoned all animals to his palace and picked 12 of them as guards. They were chosen on the first-come, first-served basis.However, another mythos has it that Buddha urged all the animals to meet him on Lunar New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He then declared that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's character.Both tales seem to be mythological!According to Chinese folklore, people born under the sign of the Pig have lots of excellent attributes. They are honest, patient and hardworking people. Of course, there are a whole slew of other descriptions about their characters. Most cultures have their superstitions. Many Chinese believe the zodiac will influence their lives. That's right. Some lovers would not tie the knot if their zodiac signs show they were not a good match. This happened to an acquaintance's daughter, who left her boyfriend after they were together for five years. The jubilant celebration of the event has become a global gala, as every major city in the world has a Chinatown. There are perhaps a couple of dozen of such towns in the United States alone. Flushing and Chinatown in Lower Manhattan are at the top in terms of the density of Chinese immigrants, so the hoopla in this part of the country will kick off on a grand scale.In China, the Lunar New Year is synonymous with feast and a long holiday Ð two weeks. People may take days, if not weeks, from work to prepare for Lunar New Year celebrations. Those living in the rural areas perhaps still stick to that tradition.As average Chinese incomes rise rapidly, however, a growing number of young adults in the urban areas are breaking the tradition by reveling at restaurants or clubs instead of home. It's also fashionable to travel during this long holiday.Locally, a variety of shows have been planned for the occasion. Falun Gong, a self-styled meditation sect hostile toward the Beijing regime, is to stage celebrations of the festival at Radio City Musical Hall in Manhattan. I saw posters in downtown Flushing promoting the forthcoming majestic show almost six months ago. The “Spectacular” will feature dances in traditional Chinese costumes. It seems to be a must-see show scheduled from Feb. 14 to 17. Don't miss it.As usual, the Chinese, Korean and other Asian groups in Flushing will present a parade that promises to beat all others on the East Coast. Dragons, lion dances and colorful floats are the main components of the parade. Local Hispanics were also enthusiastic participants two years ago. More are likely to join this year.I am sure hundreds will come to town to watch the boisterous annual event. That will inevitably create traffic chaos, however. Here's an advice for those planning to come on four wheels: Don't park your vehicles in the Home Depot parking lot south of College of Point Boulevard. Quite a few drivers paid a high price last year for that convenience. Knowing the situation, Home Depot might have hired agents to ticket those drivers with a $100 fine plus tax. Unfair? You bet!Feasting is only part of the celebrations. To highlight the occasion people, old and young, are generally clad in brightly colored clothes. They decorate their front doors with rhyming couplets on red paper and give children red envelopes containing cash. Red symbolizes fire that can drive away bad luck, according to folklore. Traditionally, firecrackers have played a lively role in the celebration of the event. Now, setting off firecrackers faces restrictions in the New York Metropolitan area. Lunar New Year festivities start on the first day of the lunar month and end with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day, when the moon is brightest. Some of the showy lanterns may be works of art painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs and scenes from legend and history. Again the highlight of the Lantern Festival is the dragon dances.George H. Tsai is a columnist for the TimesLedger newspapers and a resident of College Point.
