by Michael Skinner

Created on: January 22, 2012

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin)

This is a greeting that means congratulations and have a prosperous new year.    The congratulations might be for making through last year but traditionally it refers to having defeated an evil spirit or monster named Nian.  The monster was said to have been frightened off by firecrackers, loud noises, bright lights and bright colors.  This is why you will find these items associated with the Chinese New Year.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is calculated in relation to the winter solstice of the previous year but that can see a little complicated.  If you look for the first new moon between Jan 15th and Feb 19th, you will probably find it. 

Chinese New Year begins with the Spring Festival and ends with the Lantern Festival.

Chun Lian

In China words have power.  Writing a powerful phrase and putting it on a structure is enough to draw power or have influence over that structure.  Chun Lian represents a couple of phrases that are tied together.  The couplet is written and used to decorate door frames.  Often the couplet will denote some contradictory or complimentary ideas.  You might have a brief observation about winter on one side, something about spring on the top and then something about summer on the other side.    Clever people might use Chun Lian as political or social commentary.    A more traditional thing to do would be to make the couplet attracting wealth or good luck.

As in many cultures first you clean the room, and then you decorate the room.  Chun Lian is what you decorate a clean room with.

Fu

The Chinese like to play games with words.  One bit of word play is called fudole.  In essence the character for happiness is turned upside down and used as decoration.  In Chinese, the upside down happiness  sounds like “happiness comes.”  It is a way to trick happiness into coming in your abode, or to attract happiness.

Jiaozi

Jiaozi are Chinese dumplings that are considered good luck food during the spring festival.  The message of the jiaozi  is that the sound for the food, in Chinese,  is like the phrase for bidding good bye to the old and welcoming the new. 

Niangao

Even food can be a greeting in China.  A small, glutinous rice cake is eaten during the Spring Festival.  Its name is niangao, which in Chinese sounds like the phrase:  higher and higher.  In other words, serving and eating niangao is a way of wishing that things get better and better as the year go by.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

Nian, which was a monster in a previous life, is  in our current day, the word for “year” .   Xin Nian Kuai Le means:  Happy New Year.

Gong Hei Fat Choy (Cantonese)

This greeting means the same thing as Gong Xi Fa Cai, except it’s  in Cantonese.

Wan Shi Ru Yi.

Let’s hope the new year goes as planned or goes in the way you would wish.

The Chinese New Year lasts 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival.   The Lantern Festival is observed by placing brightly colored paper lanterns all over town.  Sometimes the lanterns are decorated with riddles for  the kids.

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