Chinese New Year Starts on February 16, 2018 !

Xin Nian Kuai Le–Locals Celebrate the Chinese New Year

By Pat Carter,  member Sonoma–Penglai Sister City Committee

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival (Chun Jie, 春节), starts this year on Friday, February 16, 2018. It remains the most important holiday for families in China and is celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide. In China, people who work and live far from their hometowns must purchase transportation tickets a few months in advance and travel long distances to be with their families to celebrate together. For many parents who pursue a better chance in the big cities and left their children behind with the grandparents, it could be the only time in the year they get to see each other.

The Spring Festival is centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and customs. It represents “new year, new aspects of all.” It is a time to honor deities and ancestors, as well as paying respect to older generations. Before the new year, it is customary for every family to clean the house thoroughly, to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. On New Year’s Eve, the family gathers for a big feast, then spends the next few days visiting other families and friends with gifts. The celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the 15^th day of the new year; this year it is the 2^nd of March.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, this year we celebrate the Year of the Dog. The personalities of people born in Dog years are supposed to share certain attributes associated with Dogs, such as loyalty, generosity and working well with others.

Here in Sonoma, we are fortunate to have a Sister City in Penglai, China. I recently met with Jack Ding and Gigi Pfleger, two native Chinese members of the Sonoma–Penglai Sister City Committee. I also visited with Dr. Kimberly Hubenette, a local dentist of Chinese heritage. I asked them to share their memories of celebrating the New Year with their families.

Gigi is a native of Suzhou in southern Jiangsu Province. Along with the city of Shanghai, southern Jiangsu Province and northern Zhejiang Province are located on the Yangtze River Delta. This area is arguably the richest area of China, rich in agriculture, manufacturing, literature, and art. Gigi left for the United States when she was 28 years old. She described the traditions in her family when she was growing up in China.

“For the New Year’s Eve feast, it took a week ahead of time to make all the preparations! We had no refrigeration, so we used salt to keep meat and fish fresh.

“Besides the meats and fish, the Egg Dumpling was the must-have addition to the soup because it symbolizes gold nuggets. My role as a little girl was to help make the dumplings which was a very tedious job. The most things I looked forward to every Spring Festival as a kid were the Red Envelopes and being a year older. I never received a new outfit for the new year since I was the youngest of three girls.

“There were lots of fireworks all across China. The fireworks were to get rid of the bad spirits. However, in recent years, the fireworks have become Chinese government’s new environmental concern, and many cities have posted bans on the fireworks.”

Jack grew up in Changzhou, also in southern Jiangsu Province, less than 100 Km (about 60 miles) from where Gigi lived in Suzhou. Both Gigi’s and Jack’s childhoods took place in the era when most food and cooking ingredients were purchased with coupons or stamps which were distributed by the government based on the family size. Jack moved to the United States when he was 35 years old. He was generous enough to bring two bottles of Chinese wine to our meeting: one made from rice and the other from grapes. Jack was raised by his grandparents, as his parents had to work as doctors in other cities.

“My memory is that the Spring Festivals were always very cold. I would get up at three in the morning to help purchase food like pork stomach and head, and even tofu. We lived in a more affluent region of China and had access to food not available in the rural areas, such as rice, fresh veggies, and fish from the river.

“We would dress the table with beautiful silks from our ancestors and allow space to honor them. The head of the household would represent the family and burn fake money for them to use in their afterlife.”

Gigi and Jack both have continued the New Year traditions here in the United States with their families, such as giving their children red envelopes with money and calling their families in China on every New Year’s Day.

Kimberly is a third generation Chinese, and unlike Gigi and Jack, was not born in China, does not speak the language, and has never visited China. She was raised in the Imperial Valley in southern California. Her family was from the Canton region of China. Her father wanted to embrace the American lifestyle and language and refused to speak Chinese or to use chopsticks. But her mother wanted to preserve the traditions in the Chinese culture, including the New Year celebrations.

I asked Kimberly about those childhood memories.

“On New Year’s Day, we were not allowed to do any work. We could not do any cleaning, and we could not even wash our hair. The most important food for the feast was a vegetarian dish that contained nine ingredients, the most important being long noodles (which we were not allowed to cut as they represented longevity). Also, there was cabbage, lily flower, hair fungus, oysters, tofu, hoisin sauce, red berry, and mushrooms. Each ingredient meant something. I still make this dish every year.

“We would drink hot tea in the morning with melon for sweetness. We too would burn fake money for our ancestors to use in the next life and give the red envelopes with money for children and unmarried relatives. That was the only day that we would bow three times to our father to show respect.”

Kimberly still has silk fabrics and clothing from her grandmother as well as some heirloom jewelry.

These stories have a common thread. In each celebration, homage is paid to elders and ancestors, and special food is prepared for the feast. It is not unlike the Mexican culture and tradition of the Day of the Dead.

We are proud to have Gigi,  Jack, and Kimberly living here in Sonoma.

For more information on the Sonoma Sister Cities Association and the Penglai Committee, go to the website at: https://sscasonoma.org