Chinese students prepare to ring in the year of the rooster
There’s only one more week to clean your house, pay your debts, sacrifice to the kitchen god and go to the store for as many fireworks as you can afford, because Chinese New Year is almost here.
Even though it’s taking place a week in advance, this Friday, Feb. 4, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA) is holding their annual Chinese New Year party at the Logan LDS Institute across from the Taggart Student Center.
“This year we have 11 performances and two fun games,” Liu Enzhong , president of CSSA said. “We did invest a lot of money to buy clothing from China [for the fashion show], and this is the first time we are performing drums and the kung fu show. It is fantastic.”
The event, which begins at 6:30 p.m. and is expected to run until around 10, costs $9 per ticket. The price includes admission to the variety show featuring aspects of Chinese culture and a dinner catered by the China King Buffet.
“This year’s food, I think they kind of expect more than last year,” Liu said. “Last year we had 12 items, this year we have 15 to 16.”
Those food items include shrimp, Sichuan pork, beef with broccoli , dumplings, egg rolls and ham fried rice among other things. The night will also include four “lucky draws” with a grand prize 27” television set.
The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it is also called, takes place every year and is based on the Chinese lunar calendar.
According to www.chiff.com, the lunar calendar dates from 2600 BC, when the Chinese emperor, Huang Di, introduced the first cycle of the zodiac.
Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year, it falls on Feb 9, 2005 – Lunar Year 4703, which is the year of the Rooster. The sign of The Rooster indicates a person who is hard-working, confident and unwavering.
Throughout China, people celebrate the new year during a two week period of parties and festivals with many community and family traditions, Liu said.
“When I was very, very young, it was a sweet memory because before dinner I would go shopping with my daddy and bought a lot of fireworks and then we would watch Chinese Central Television’s Chinese New Year party,” Xu Yangyan, a graduate student in accounting said. “[The New Year] was a time we were looking forward to wearing new clothes, and we will also get red packets with some money.”
The red packets are called Hong Bao’s and are given by married people to their unmarried relatives and friends. Xu said that in many ways the spring festival is just like the American celebration of Christmas.
“If you are alone or if you are only with your husband or something, you will miss your family and parent,” Xu said.
“That is why during the spring festival everybody, I mean every Chinese from around the world, will try every means to go home,” Liu said. “In fact, although I have been here for two and a half years, that does not mean I don’t want to go home.”
In addition to the Chinese New Year celebration, the CSSA holds many events annually for its members.
“During my session we did organize a lot of activities,” Liu said, “such as every Friday night we have a movie night were we play new or traditional Chinese movie, also we organize the barbecue and the trip to Salt Lake City to watch basketball game.”
Tickets for the event can be purchased from the Ticket Office in the TSC or from CSSA representatives on the first floor of the TSC. Tickets at the door cost $12.
-mattgo@cc.usu.edu