Chinese New Year
Who needs Family Day?
BEN POGGEMILLER STAFF
While everyone in Manitoba is discussing a new holiday called “Family Day” in February, over a billion people are preparing to celebrate a holiday that has existed for thousands of years. The Chinese call it the Spring Festival, but in Western culture it is known as Chinese new year.
The Spring Festival is by far the most important holiday in Chinese culture. The celebration lasts for about 15 days. In China, families will get together to discuss the coming year and wish each other well. They will also prepare banners wishing everyone good luck in the new year. Fireworks and dancing are also common. The difference between Chinese new year and the North American new year is explained by the difference in calendar systems.
Contrary to popular belief, the Chinese calendar is not rooted in superstition, but is the result of astronomy and mathematics. The new year begins approximately on the first new moon after the beginning of Chinese spring. This way, the new year always falls between late January and late February, depending on the lunar cycle.
This year it happens to fall on Feb. 18th. Since the lunar year is approximately 11 days shorter than the solar year, an extra month is inserted every few years. This type of calendar is still used in China today, although modern Chinese calendars include the western (or Gregorian) calendar as well, presumably to avoid confusion.
For those who are interested, Helmer Aslaksen from the National University of Singapore has written an extensive paper on the subject of the mathematical and astronomical origins of the Chinese calendar as well as the calculations for nearly all of the idiosyncrasies of the Chinese calendar.
Most people know that there is an animal associated with each year of the Chinese calendar, but beyond the new scratch-and-win cards that populate convenience stores every year, it is not always entirely clear what they mean. There is a 12-year cycle consisting of the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. 2007 will be the year of the pig.
The University of Manitoba Chinese Students and Scholars’ Association (CSSA) president Miaojian Zhang talked a little about the significance of the “year of the pig.”
“The pig in our culture represents good luck and according to the lunar calendar, said Zhang. “This year is the golden pig so it’s supposed to be a very good year.”
People born in the year of the pig are typically kind, strong and trustworthy. Some notable people born in the year of the pig are neurotic writer Woody Allen, diplomatic great Henry Kissinger and professional wrestler the Ultimate Warrior.
The CSSA will be having their own celebration in the MPR this year on Saturday, Feb.10. As for how many people will be involved, Zhang said he expects there to be about 850 people in attendance, with many performers, including dancers, singers and drummers. The celebration is open to everyone, and the CSSA are selling tickets in University Centre.
In the end, I’ll sign up for any holiday that promotes two weeks of feasting and spending time with family and friends. In that way, it’s more like our Christmas than our New Year’s Eve. I’ll take that over a drinking binge any day.
