For Jeff Luo, this time of year means red envelopes, lots of food, dragon dances and a deep cleaning of his house.
“[The cleaning] is a big pain,” Luo said, “[but] it’s a new year.”
Luo, a sophomore in film and media arts, is Chinese American and will participate in the lunar new year on Feb. 8. Luo said his family maintains many of their cultural traditions, especially during the New Year.
“It’s a huge celebration,” Luo said. “For me, it was a heavy emphasis on family, doing things together and really talking about our lives.”
Celebrations traditionally last for the first 15 days of the New Year. Fireworks, large meals and dragon or lion dances are all common sights during the holiday. During this time, red is the traditional color of lanterns, poetry hangings and clothing because it represents good fortune and warding away evil. Red envelopes are often given to children and unmarried youth who pay respect to their ancestors and living relatives. Elders will give envelopes that contain money and possibly other gifts that signify their wish for the youth to grow up healthy and prosperous.
Family and friends are also essential, gathering on New Year’s Eve for large meals typically consisting of chicken, pork and a variety of other meats.
Shin Chi Fame Kao, a coordinator at the Confucius Institute, an organization that promotes Chinese culture, said this meal is meant to be symbolic.
“During those 15 days, people just celebrate,” Fame Kao said. “Hopefully the rest of the year will be abundant and full of money, riches and good luck.”
Fame Kao is helping to prepare and promote awareness of upcoming celebrations for the Confucius Institute. It was established within the U’s college of humanities in 2008, and provides resources for teaching Chinese subjects at the U. Every year, the institute sponsors a Chinese culture week to help students better understand Chinese language, art and traditions.
The lunar calendar determines the date of the holiday, so the event falls on a different day each year. The tradition is centuries old, with a new animal representing each year based on the 12-year-cycle of the Chinese zodiac. 2016 is the year of the monkey; 2015 was the year of the goat.
Several celebrations are planned around Salt Lake. The Salt Lake City Library held an event on Feb. 6. Salt Lake Chinatown, a strip mall of Chinese stores, celebrated with fireworks, dances and food on Feb. 6. Cottonwood High School will host a celebration on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., organized by local Chinese communities, featuring martial arts, educational booths and food.
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