Cultural connections Marking Chinese New Year

By Michaela Pointon

Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is a 16-day cultural festival celebrated annually depending on the sighting of the New Moon.

The New Year is about removing the ‘bad’ or ‘old’ and welcoming the ‘new’ into your life. Traditionally it’s also a time to worship ancestors and pray for good harvests.

Every year is associated with a different animal. This year, the festivities start on January 22nd and is the year of the Rabbit. New Year traditions vary widely but all share the same idea of welcoming in luck and prosperity for the year.

Legends and telling stories are at the heart of the festival traditions. One legend states the Chinese New Year stemmed from an ancient battle against the Nian. The Nian was a beast which returned annually to eat people and livestock.

To scare the monster, people displayed red paper, burned bamboo, lit candles and wore red clothes. Many of these traditions remain a common part of the celebration period today. During the festival, children receive lucky money in red envelopes from their elders. This money claims to help transfer fortune from the elders to children. These red pockets are also known as ‘money to anchor the year’ and typically require grandchildren to perform a Kowtow.

A Kowtow is where one kneels, places both hands on the floor and then knocks their head on the ground facing towards their grandparents. This is done before receiving the gift and shows an ultimate sign of respect.

Food is an important part of Chinese New Year celebrations. Like many cultures around the world, food is a way to reunite and reconnect with family and friends.

There are some foods which are considered ‘lucky’ during this time. In particular, fish symbolises abundance and surplus. Dumplings and spring rolls are lucky for increasing wealth and sweet rice balls show family togetherness.

There are some New Year superstitions you mustn’t do during this time of year too. For example, sweeping your floors on New Year’s Day is considered a bad omen which will ‘sweep’ your luck away. Eating porridge may also be looked down upon, as it may be thought of as a ‘poor mans’ breakfast leading to financial challenges in the new season. Washing your clothes or hair on New Year’s Day may also be considered ‘washing’ your fortune away.

Whether Chinese New Year is a tradition you are familiar with or a cultural festival you want to participate in, there is much to learn from this season.

The New Year is all about celebrating and spending time with friends and family, eating delicious food, decorating your home in red and being wrapped up in the festivities welcoming the year ahead.

Happy New Year, Xīnnián kuàilè! CT

Ministers believe the scheme needs to be practical for suppliers, including easily accessible and simple to use for retailers and dairy owners.

Retailers will need to meet specific requirements, so they can use the subsidy such as:

• They must have no more than two stores with five or fewer paid employees

• Must have a front view of the street (shops in a mall where security is already offered won’t be eligible).

When the subsidy launches in February, retailers and dairy owners who are eligible are advised to go on the businesss.govt.nz website and apply there. They’ll need to say whether they are eligible and have basic business details to verify who they are.

“If approved, they’ll be given a contact list of approved suppliers. It’ll be up to retailers to work with suppliers to get the fog cannons installed. “After installation, the supplier will invoice MBIE and receive up to $4,000 as the subsidy. The retailer will need to pay the supplier any remaining costs,” Stuart says. CT