The most important Chinese holiday, the Chinese New Year, was celebrated last week. The holiday, comparable to Christmas in the United States, is a time for family and new beginnings. “On New Year’s Day, the children have new clothes, new shoes and a new haircut,” said Caiping Su, graduate student in food science and human nutrition. Old grudges are laid aside and things borrowed are returned, she said. The new year is celebrated for three days in China, she said, and many people get time off from work and spend it visiting relatives, feasting and exchanging gifts. The whole family gets together on New Year’s Eve and they stay up all night decorating and talking about the past year, she said. People decorate every door and window of their house with colorful paper and traditional Chinese handwritten symbols for prosperity and good luck, and Su said families put up lights on their doors to scare away Nian, a legendary beast.

The Chinese Student and Scholars Friendship Association organized many events in celebration of the new year, such as exhibitions, displaying traditional Chinese costumes, foods, and antiques, according to their Web site. Bing-Bing Wang, president of CSSFA, said the group held a cultural performance at Fisher Theater featuring dancers, actors, and musicians Friday night. Members also sponsored a traditional-games party Sunday, with riddles and word games, followed by dinner and closing ceremonies. Wang, graduate student in zoology and genetics, said the celebration party is new tradition for the Chinese students at Iowa State.”Just as some traditions disappear, new ones are formed,” he said.Wang also said the beast Nian is supposed to come on New Year’s Eve to eat people.”Tradition says that he can be scared away by fireworks and red paper,” Wang said.

Su said Chinese families set off firecrackers about every 15 minutes the whole night before the New Year, in order to keep the beast away. “Even the children do them,” she said.Rujun Hu, vice president of CSSFA, said the Chinese have 12 zodiacs which help keep track of the years in the Chinese calendar. Each year is given a different zodiac, which is an animal that symbolizes the year, said Hu, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering.According to tradition, a person born in a certain year has the personality traits of the animal that represents the year, he said.

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CSSFA at Iowa State Click Here

Chinese New Year Celebrating in New York City Click Here

Background information about the celebration and its traditional food Click Here