The largest annual migration of man or beast on the planet

A checklist to decode the symbolism around Chinese New Year as you wish your Chinesefriends for the year of the rooster

Today is the Lunar New Year, and if you didn’t already know, this year will account for the largest annual migration of man or beast on the planet. Migrant workers will clock over 2.9 billion trips as they make their way home across China for the reunion feast with their families. Trains are filled to the gills with people headed home for the holidays.
In a rapidly modernising China, filial piety and family gatherings to wish each other prosperity in the new year is de rigueur. Many of the millenials working far from home will groan about the ‘aunties’ who will pounce on them to ask searching, embarrassing questions about their marital status or lack thereof. Many amusing anecdotes — and movies — are available about young people who have had to resort to renting an ‘intended’ to fob off such queries.
You can look forward to the year of the rooster, which is one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac. Since the Chinese New Year falls on January 28 — today, celebrations will have started with the reunion feast last evening.
Families gather to clean the house in time for the new year, the action symbolising the sweeping away of bad luck and to clean the space for good fortune to enter. The house is not, however, cleaned on new year day itself, as that might sweep away any accumulated good fortune (this might sound familiar to readers from the subcontinent who celebrate Deepawali). Brooms are hidden out of sight on this day. In addition, the use of sharp objects such as scissors, knives and blades is avoided as the sharp edge could cut into your fortune in the coming year! It is customary to be done with haircuts and such before the new year — again, you could lop off some of your good fortune with that precious lock of hair, and nobody plans to tempt fate any time soon.
Food has a starring role as in any celebration around family or festival in Asian cultures.
Fish is an auspicious addition to the feast, and signifies plenty. The word itself in Mandarin means surplus. To ensure surplus going forward, half the fish is consumed on New Year’s day and the remainder is saved to be eaten on the following day.
Eight Treasures rice: in some provinces in China, this is a pudding, which will include raisins, dried plums and other dry fruits and nuts. In some other places, the eight treasures denote a mix of eight different meats and vegetables that are the jewels so to speak, in the rice. Yes, but why eight? This number in Chinese sounds like another word that means wealthy, and the more objects and symbols that denote good fortune and prosperity, the better the chances of these being a part of your life in the new year.
Seaweed called fat choy is incorporated into a dish as its name also sounds like the name for prosperity. Longevity vegetable is a dish of stir-fried mustard greens.
Oranges: these signify prosperity and stand in for gold coins. While not exchanging the precious metal itself, people offer each other a certain number of oranges to wish wealth and prosperity.
The ubiquitous and loud Lion dances are meant to scare away evil spirits, as does the bursting of firecrackers.
Hong Bao/ Ang Pao is the traditional red packet that contains money for good luck — you can see kids clamouring around the grandparents or aunts and uncles and receiving these gifts. Of late, a popular inclusion in the packet is chocolate in the shape of gold coins, complete with gleaming gold foil. One interesting fact around this festival is that children stay up for as long as they can to usher in the new year in order to ask for a long life for their parents.
Chinese new year markets spring up wherever there is a large Chinese community. Apart from new clothes, with red being an auspicious colour, another important item on the checklist is peach blossom. The delicate flowers are not just pretty, they represent longevity, and flower stalls do a brisk business in the run-up to the new year. Oranges and kumquats make for a great substitute for gold coins! They make a welcome and thoughtful gift when you visit Chinese friends.
In Singapore, a popular custom that has evolved is Yu sheng, which is a large platter incorporating some of these good luck food totems. It is an urban legend of sorts, but you get together and arm yourself with chopsticks, and swoop the noodles, salmon, pickled veggies, crackers, pomelo et al into the air, before you mix it back again. A bit messy, lots of fun, and a great way to break the ice if you have the rare visitor in the family nest.
A lot of the foods that are consumed at this time have symbolic value, which explains their inclusion in the feast. Who doesn’t want to wash away the cobwebs and unpleasantness of the previous year, and start on a bright new note?
On that note, we wish our readers Gong Xi Fa Chai. Kung Hei Fat Choy – May you be blessed with wealth and prosperity in the new year.
When is Chinese New Year and why does the date change every year?
The Year of the Rooster begins today, January 28, 2017.
The day is traditionally marked with the giving of gifts and celebrations with family. The rooster is one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac and falls every 12 years — 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, 1957...
Celebrations began yesterday, on new year’s eve, and typically last around two weeks, making this the longest holiday in the Chinese calendar.
— harveena@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining