I have to admit that I already
went to Chinatown or Binondo countless times because whenever we have family
reunions, we always go there to eat at their restaurants. We are really fond of
Chinese cuisines. My mother is half Chinese so she loves Chinese food. Nevertheless,
my grandparents on my father side love the food all the same. Since everybody
loves food, that was what I first checked. The common Chinese foods at Chinese New
Year are:
FOOD
Chicken
or ji. This must be served ‘whole’ or
with the head and the feet still attached because it signifies completeness.
They believe that it means unison and good marriage between families.
Spring
rolls or chun juan. The golden color
of the fried spring rolls represent gold bars which, of course, symbolizes
wealth.
Fruits
or shui guo. New Year will never be
complete without round fruits on the table. Even we, Filipinos believe that
these connotes wealth. In Chinese beliefs, these round fruits means life and
new beginnings.
Long
noodles or mian tiao. I saw their noodles
were served uncut because as we all know, noodles signifies longevity or long
life.
Dumplings
or jiao zhi. I was told that they
believe the more dumplings you eat during New Year celebration, the more money
you can make in the upcoming cycle because it is shaped like an ingot, which symbolizes
wealth. Families traditionally spend New Year's Eve preparing the dumplings and
will eat them at midnight. Sometimes, a coin is hidden in one dumpling, and the
person who will find it is supposed to be showered with good fortune and
wealth.
Fish
or yu. Most Chinese families order
whole fish at restaurants because they believe that it connotes unity. Also, I
found out that it is important for them to leave leftovers for the next day
since it will signifies that prosperity will overflow.
Tikoy
or nian gao. They believe that it
means increasing prosperity year after year. It also means safety, good fortune
and their “sweetener” of the year.
PLACE, BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND TRADITIONS
The place was so crowded that I
had a hard time breathing. With all the people there walking and the vendors on
each side of the street but I felt great being there. I smelled good vibes hung
in the air. I saw people carrying stuff that they think they need to have
before the Chinese New Year starts. Or some still buying goods and charms.
Speaking of charms, I saw a lot
of establishment selling different kinds of it. They believe that it was for
good luck, feng shui. I was told that it was to boost different type of things
in our life like wealth, career, money, love, health, family and a lot more.
They say it we need to have these good luck charms to avoid or weaken the bad
vibes and strengthen the good vibes in our home, office or garden. I saw a lot
of laughing Buddha which sometimes called as the Happy Buddha. It has round
belly and big smile. It is a symbol of good luck, abundance, and prosperity. Also,
there were a lot of dragons, of course. They’re everywhere! But the two most
common color I saw was green and gold. I asked different vendors about the dissimilarity
between the two colors, then the vendors said that the green one means growing,
striving, balancing, calming, healing, self-assurance, generosity, health,
harmony, sensitivity, and patience. On the other hand, the gold means completeness,
wealth, wisdom and God consciousness.
As
dragons were everywhere, red envelopes, which we all know as Ang Pao, were also
all over the place. A lot of vendors were selling this stuff. They said that it
symbolizes blessings, good fortune and prosperity. As I was told, Chinese
Filipinos exchange Ang Pao in exactly 12mn, the start of Chinese New Year.
As I was walking, I kept on
seeing Chinese lanterns above me and I was so fascinated. I love it. It was
like a big, red snowball when I looked up. The most common Chinese lanterns I saw
were red, oval shape, and decorated with red or golden tassels. Since I was
with my uncle when I went to Binondo, I was told that Chinese lanterns have a lengthy
history and it has riddled with mystery. He said that before, these lanterns
have riddles and the one who can answer that will have a prize. He also told me
that in Chinese culture, an uncle must buy his nephew (must be under 12 years
of age) a lantern before the festival because the red lanterns are the best
wishes of uncles to their nephews.
I enjoyed watching the lion and
the dragon dance. They went from one establishment to the other. I guess the
difference between the two were that the lion dance needed only two people and
I found out that the steps are considered martial arts. It’s harder to dance
than the dragon dance. On the other hand, the dragon dance needs 10 people to
lift and dance the dragon. It obviously longer and needed more space.
PEOPLE, TEMPLES
As New Year is mostly celebrated
with great noise from fireworks or anything that can cause explosion of noise,
some people like my uncle opted to just go to temples. These are the temples he
visited when he stayed in China last year for the New Year.