Excited cries of “xin nian kuai le” are ringing through Chinese communities all over the world as they wish each other “Happy New Year.” The most important festival in the Chinese calendar, New Year – heralding the start of the Chinese Spring Festival – begins today and lasts for 15 days of celebrations, parties and feasting.
It’s the time of year when Chinese families do their utmost to get together and celebrate together a time of renewal.
2017 is Ji Nian, the Year of the Rooster, the 10th animal in the Chinese zodiac – specifically the Fire Rooster, distinct from the wood, earth, gold and water roosters of other years.
According to Chinese mythology, those born under the sign of the fire rooster (which falls only every 60 years) are said to be trustworthy, hard-working and sociable but also shameless attention-seekers.
It is thought that zodiac animals originated from the Han Dynasty, when they were used to count years. The animal signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Each animal is associated with an “earthly branch” such as fire, water, metal or wood.
Across Courier Country, Chinese families and friends will be coming together to celebrate over the next two weeks, culminating in the Lantern Festival on the 15th day.
Liping Jackson, originally from Hunan in South China, but now living in St Andrews with husband Ian and daughter Li Xiangli, 16, explains that in China celebrations began in earnest last night, on the eve of the New Year, with families gathering for a reunion dinner, cleaning and decorating houses and setting off firecrackers.
“People always try their best to come home for the family reunion dinner, ring out the old year and celebrate the coming year together.
“New Year sees us visit relatives and close friends and children receive red envelopes (lai sees) with money,” she says.
Front doors are also decorated with a verse couplet in fine calligraphy – Liping is an expert calligrapher.
Although celebrations in Fife won’t be on a par with those she would enjoy at home, Liping, who is studying at St Andrews University and has two part-time jobs, is part of a thriving Chinese community in Fife and there will still be plenty of partying.
“In China, most businesses close for the holidays, so it’s easy to gather friends and family together for meals. That’s why I don’t celebrate as much in Scotland as I would in China,” she explains.
“However, we already had a party with several Chinese families before Chinese New Year, as well as a house-warming party with other Chinese families. Yesterday, we had a big family lunch at 12pm, which is Beijing time 8pm, while watching the Spring Festival Gala on China Central Television.”
Over the new year celebrations people wear their best clothes, many of which are red and gold, and cook special meals including Liping’s favourite – egg dumplings, a traditional food of her hometown.
“Other dishes we make over the festival are chilli stir-fried smoked bacon – smoked bacon in Hunan is very famous – green chilli stir-fried chicken, braised pork, and steamed fish. These are served with stir-fried vegetable dishes, along with rice. In north China, people have dumplings instead of rice,” says Liping.
This tasty fare will be washed down with boiled sweet wine, served in a small bowl, or rice wine.
Delicious food and happy times at Chinese New Year are what Singapore-based maritime consultant Colin Ip recalls from his Forfar childhood. His mum and dad, Alan and Selina, left Hong Kong for Scotland in the 1960s and established the August Moon Chinese restaurant in Forfar and later the Riverside (now Mandarin Garden) on South Tay Street in Dundee.
“As a young child, Mum and Dad would shut the restaurant for a week, closing the day before the eve of Chinese New Year,” he says.
“On New Year’s Eve, my mum and granny would then festoon the house with red and gold bunting and lanterns proclaiming the coming Chinese New Year, and kumquat plants were placed in the main doorway entrance. It was all very exciting to a young child!
“The house was cleaned and swept immaculately, new clothes bought and hair cut. Food is very symbolic in the celebration of Chinese New Year and many food items were clearly shipped back by my gran from Hong Kong.”
On the first day of Chinese New Year, recalls Colin, tradition dictated no showering or washing of hair or cleaning of the house so you didn’t remove all the new luck that would come to the household. New clothes were worn, symbolising the new start.
“I remember lighting some firecrackers in the garden, frightening the neighbours: firecrackers are set off to drive away evil spirits,” he says.
Coin and wife Ally made a trip to Dundee in 2007, a few months after their son Cameron was born.
“We felt it was important that my parents celebrated Chinese New Year with their first-born grandson,” says Colin.
“Cameron was dressed in a gold traditional Chinese suit, and Mum took him off our hands for the entire day, proudly showing him off to their friends. We didn’t see our son for the day, clearly an auspicious start to the year!”
Although Colin has relatives in Hong Kong he has none in Singapore, so this year he, Ally, Cameron and daughter Isla will be celebrating with friends.
“Singapore will decorate the Chinatown area and the main road will be lit up with a massive rooster. There will be street bazaars, float parades, a fiesta, pop-up opera and street shows,” he says.
One little fellow who isn’t quite so impressed by the Year of the Rooster is seven-year old-Arthur, a pupil at Dundee Chinese School (DCS), a registered charity which meets on Sundays at Our Lady’s RC Primary School.
“I’m not that excited because the year of the Monkey has come to end and I liked the Monkey King,” he says.
However, he’s looking forward to dressing up in Hanfu, a traditional dress from the Han dynasty.
Fellow pupil Xi Chen, 13, loves the way family members and friends get together to celebrate.
“I will wear red clothes and my favourite food is roast duck,” he says.
Alexis, six, and eight-year-olds Siobhan and Leon can’t wait to dress up in special clothes and tuck into dumplings, while Bryan, six – whose favourite food is prawn crackers – will look stunning in his yellow outfit adorned with a golden dragon.
While the children from Dundee’s Chinese community all go to regular primary schools in the city, DCS, along with other Chinese organisations in Dundee, co-hosts the Chinese New Year Gala held annually in the Caird Hall.
Ye Li, secretary of DCS, explains: “The gala, on February 4 this year, is open to the public and is the most important event for the Chinese community in Dundee, with a representative of the Chinese Consulate present, as well as the principals of the two universities.
“The pupils are all really excited and will be doing a couple of songs and a dance, and there will also be performances from the student association as well as xiangsheng, a traditional Chinese comedy act.
“We have had a lion specially made for the kids this year, so it will be the first time the kids’ lion dance has been on stage.”
Donald Fong, chairman of Fife Chinese association, came to the UK from Hong Kong in 1968 when he was just six but still celebrates Chinese New Year in the traditional way with family and friends.
In the run-up to New Year he has organised a feast for older Chinese Fife residents and is looking forward to his own celebrations.
“We don’t plan anything big, just spend time with family and friends the way you do at Christmas,” the 55-year-old cook says. “We are gathering for a traditional dinner with savoury and sweet dishes, dressed in special red clothes and decorating homes with lanterns, red banners, scrolls and, this year, rooster-themed decorations and gifts.
“It’s just a lovely time of year to spend time with family and friends and relax.”
Info
The Chinese New Year Gala will be held at the Caird Hall on February 4 at 7pm. www.leisureandculturedundee.com
