Chinese
New Year is the longest and most important celebration
in the Chinese Lunar Calender.
The word nian (year) was originally the name of a monster
that started to prey on people the night before the beginning
of a new year in accordance with the Chinese calendar.
Its origin can be traced back thousands of years, to
the legend which tells of a fearsome mythological creature
known as Nian that is said to have once terrorised China,
devouring people on the eve of Chinese New Year. To frighten
off the beast, red-paper couplets were pasted on doors,
firecrackers were set off throughout the night, and huge
fires were lit
Today, the prevalence of the colour red, and firecrackers,
form part of the Chinese New Year celebrations throughout
the world, as a part of custom and tradition.
The
Lantern Festival - (Thurs, 21st Feb )
The
celebration of Chinese New Year is a month long observance
that begins on the sixteenth day of the last month of the
old year and culminates on the fifteenth day of the first
month of the new year with the celebration called Yuan
Hsiao Chie - the Festival of the Night of the First Full
Moon. In English this celebration has, over time, come
to be known as the Lantern Festival, due to the custom
of carrying illuminated lanterns outside to parks and temples.
Kuan
Yin 's Birthday -The Goddess of Mercy - (Sat,
4th Aug )
The
Goddess that is now known the world over as Kuan Yin
was first know from a work titled the Saddharma Pundarika
Sutra that was written around the first century in Northern
India. It told of Bodhisattva named Avalokitesvara who
had eliminated all his karma and yet stayed embodied
so that he could pore out his compassion to the world.
By the 5th century this Bodhisattva
had become female and was known as Kuan Yin the One Who
Hears the Cries of the World. It was no long after that,
that she became the embodiment of mercy and compassion.
She is said to be able to take any form and come to the
aid of those who call on her aid. In fact just saying
her name is said to be a profound blessing.
Ching
Ming (Tomb Sweeping) Festival - (Fri, 4th Apr)
The
date is indicated on the Chinese calendar with the two
characters: ching , meaning pure or clean, and ming ,
meaning brightness. Combined together, Ching Ming means
clean and just. This date is also indicated on traditional
Japanese calendars, where their culture has a similar
observance. In Korean culture, the observance is known
as Hansik.
It falls around
the 5th day of the fourth lunar month. Traditionally,
this is an occasion for people to go to their ancestor's
tomb and pay their respects. The Chinese believe
that the generations of their family start from their
ancesters. A visit to the tombs is a sign of memory
and respect.
Duan
Wu - Dragonboat Festival - (Sun, 08th Jun )
Every
year the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth
day of the fifth lunar month. Chinese folks celebrate their "Duan
Wu" (Mandarin) Dragon boat Festival. As the legend
goes, the festival was a memorial ceremony in remembrance
of a Chinese patriotic poet. "Qu Yuen", in ancient
times.
Qu Yuen was an official in the Kingdom of Chuo during
the era of the “Kingdoms of Warriors” in
China. His advocation idea that their kingdom should
form an alliance with others to ward off the almighty
Kingdom of Chuan, was not being taken up. Instead, his
king listened to the slander from the opposition party
who favoured Chuan. As a result, not only was his sensible
political view being ignored, Qu Yuen was twice marooned
to remote places as a punishment. As history unfolded,
the Chuan army captured the capital of Chuo. Qu Yuen
was so frustrated, angry and heart-broken. On the fifth
day of the month in the lunar calendar, he jumped into
the “Mik Law River” and ended his life. When
the ordinary folks heard of what had happened, they all
rushed to the river trying to save him, but in vain.
So in his remembrance, on that day every year, people
hold Dragon Boat Races.
There is another tradition which is related to Qu Yuen
in the Duan Qu Festival. It is the making of a special
dumpling type of food called “Jung-gi”. People
wrap desert glutinous rice recipes with bamboo leaves,
making them into pyramidal shapes and tie them up with
thin string before cooking. Qu Yuen’s body was
never found from the river. People believed that by putting
rice into tubes of bamboo and threw them into the river
to feed the fish and shrimps and in return these water
creatures will leave Qu Yuen’s body alone. This
was the original type of Jung-gi called “Tubular
Jung-gi”. The bamboo tubes were later replaced
by leaves. This is how we make it today.
Chinese
Valentine's Day - (Thurs, 07th Aug )
The
legend behind Chinese Valentine's Day is about a cowboy
and weaving girl who fell in love.The Emperor of Heaven
decided that as their punishment, these two lovers had
to be separated and could only meet once a year.
The cowboy (a star formation in the
constellation Aquila, west of the Milky Way) and the
weaving girl (the star Vega in the constellation Lyra,
east of the Milky Way) appear closest together in the
sky on this night and all the magpies on earth are said
to ascend to the sky to form a bridge across the Milky
way so that the lovers may cross over for their brief
once-a-year tryst.
This is a festival for young unmarried
girls and for young lovers who observe the romantic occasion
by exchanging gifts, strolling in moonlit parks, and
praying in temples for future matrimonial bliss.
Hungry
Ghost Festival - (Thurs, 14th Aug )
The
Chung Yuan Festival occurs on the 15th (full moon) day
of the 7th month. Sacrificial feasts are set out in temples
and elaborate chanting ceremonies for the dead are conducted
by Taoist and Buddhist priests. The whole of the 7th month
is dedicated to the spirits of the dead because the gates
of hell are open during this time and they are free to
roam the earth at will. It is sometimes translated as the "festival
of the hungry ghosts"
Mid-Autum
(Mooncake) Festival - (Sun, 14th Sep )
Known
also the mid-autumn festival which falls on the 15th day
of the eighth Chinese Lunar Calendar. This is a historical
festival rather than a religious one. The legend tells
how the beginning of a new dynasty was established. Invading
Mongolians from the north had destroyed the Song Dynasty
establishing the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1280-1368). The people
of China were treated like slaves; they were oppressed
and persecuted. In a daring attempt to overthrow the Mongolian
rule, rebel leaders sent hidden messages to each household
baked in mooncakes. The mooncakes were part of the harvest
festival and so the Mongolians would never partake of these
pastries. The message instructed everyone to strike and
kill the Mongolians during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The
attack was successful and the Ming Dynasty was established.
Today, this festival is celebrated with
moon cakes and latern hanging on the house. The lantern
and the moon cakes have attracted many children and adults
attention. In certain area, lantern procession and competition
are held.
Chun
Yeung (Elder's day) Festival - (Tue, 07th Oct)
This
festival takes place on the ninth day of the ninth month
of the Chinese lunar calendar and actually commemorates
two occasions
Chung Yeung Jit is also known as "Chung
Gau" (Chung means Double and Gau means nine). Being the
ninth day of the ninth month, it is the DOUBLE NINE,
also means forever and is the day on which Chinese people
go to the hillsides to tend their ancestors graves, make
sacrifices of special paper money and paper winter clothing,
after which a picnic is held.
It also commemorates the day during the Han Dynasty (B.C.
221 - 206) when a Taoist soothsays, Fei Chang-fei advised
a scholar, Huan Jing, to escape to the hills with his family
to avoid an impending disaster. Huan Jing took the advice
and went to the hillside with his family, taking food and
chrysanthemum wine. When returned home all his livestock
dead from a plague and realized the soothsayer had saved
the lives of himself and his family.
