Stuffed toys in a Chinatown market celebrate the Chinese year of the ox.
Credit: © lennykaiser, Shutterstock

Friday, February 12, marks the first day of the Chinese New Year, the most important festival of the Chinese calendar. The date of the Chinese New Year is based on the cycles of the moon. It begins each year between January 21 and February 20. In ancient China, the monthlong festival marked the end of one farming season and the beginning of a new one. Today, the Chinese New Year festival usually lasts only a few days.

One important part of Chinese New Year is the Chinese zodiac. The Chinese zodiac, also called the Eastern zodiac, is a cycle of 12 animal signs used in a system of astrology practiced in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and some other Asian countries. This system assigns an animal sign to represent each lunar year. A lunar year is a year measured by tracking phases of the moon, rather than changes in the sun’s position in the sky. Each animal sign represents an entire year, and the cycle repeats every 12 years. The 12 animal signs are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (or hare), dragon, snake, horse, goat (or sheep), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (or boar). The year that begins in 2021 is the year of the ox.

Chinese people prepare for the new year by thoroughly cleaning and decorating the house. Decorations include spring couplets, red paper scrolls with phrases praising the renewal of life and the return of spring.

Family reunions are an important part of the celebration. Family members join in a festive New Year’s Eve dinner. Places are set at the table for absent family members to symbolize the unity of the family. Special foods that symbolize good fortune for the new year are served. For example, rice cakes, called nian gao, are a popular food for New Year’s Eve dinners. The Chinese word nian means year, and gao means high. This food signifies achievement in the new year. Children bow to their parents and grandparents to wish them a long life. Gifts of money in red envelopes are given to children to wish them luck and wealth in the new year.

On New Year’s Day, people visit relatives, neighbors, and friends. Dances featuring colorful dragon and lion costumes are often performed on this day. Parades are a popular New Year’s custom among Chinese communities in the United States and Canada.

However, like so many holidays this past year, Chinese New Year might look different than in years past. In many places, efforts are being made to prevent the spread of the pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. Such efforts often include social distancing, meant to limit contact among people and thus the spread of germs. But, limiting the spread of germs doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the holiday!

One socially distant way to enjoy the holiday is to have a virtual cooking class with family and friends. You can make such foods as dumplings or nian gao. Both delicious dishes are traditional lunar New Year foods! To create a festive environment in which to eat your traditional foods, you can make paper lanterns and dragons for the table.

If you must visit friends or relatives, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before and after greeting others. Wearing a protective face mask when not eating can help prevent the spread of disease. However you choose to celebrate, we hope you have a safe and fun New Year!

January 24, 2020

Tomorrow, January 25, is the Chinese New Year, the most important festival of the Chinese calendar. On this holiday, people visit relatives, neighbors, and friends. Dances featuring colorful dragon and lion costumes are often performed on this day. In Chinese communities in the United States and Canada, the holiday is marked by boisterous parades and other festivities. The Chinese New Year also ushers in a new animal sign of the Chinese zodiac (also called the Eastern or East Asian zodiac). In 2020, the 12-year cycle restarts with the first animal on the list, the rat.

The Chinese zodiac rotates through a 12-year cycle. In 2020, the Chinese New Year begins the year of the rat. Credit: © Anatoly Pareev, Shutterstock

The Chinese zodiac is a cycle of 12 animal signs used in a system of astrology practiced in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian countries. This system assigns an animal sign to represent each lunar year. A lunar year is a year measured by tracking phases of the moon, rather than changes in the sun’s position in the sky. Each animal sign represents an entire year, and the cycle repeats every 12 years. The 12 animal signs are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (or hare), dragon, snake, horse, goat (or sheep), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (or boar).

Chinese New Year celebrations in many communities include a dragon dance, like the one shown in this photograph. A team of performers carries an elaborate dragon puppet made of bamboo, paper, and silk, parading the colorful beast through the streets in an festive dance. The dragon symbolizes good luck, and the dance invites success in the coming year. Credit © Shutterstock

Rats are often considered a threat or a nuisance, but in the Chinese zodiac they are associated with wisdom, wealth, and surplus. People born in the year of the rat are often intelligent, quick-witted, and charming—but they can also be devious and greedy.

The Chinese zodiac is deeply rooted in classical Chinese philosophy, religious beliefs, and mythology. A popular folk tale explains how the 12 animals of the zodiac came to represent various aspects of human personality and compatibility. The tale describes a race to cross a river. The race was organized by the Jade Emperor, the highest ranking deity (god) in traditional Chinese folk religion. In some variations of the tale, the Buddha organized the race. The first 12 animals to reach the finish would become symbols of the zodiac.

Many different animals lined up at the riverbank to take part in the race. The rat and cat could not swim, so they asked the ox to carry them across. As they were crossing the river, the rat pushed the cat into the river. The rat then jumped off and was the first to cross. For this reason, the rat is the first sign of the zodiac, and the ox is second. This part of the story also explains why there is no cat in the zodiac.

Shortly after, the tiger made it across the river, taking the third position. The rabbit sat on a log and floated across to finish fourth. The dragon helped by blowing the rabbit across the river. The Jade Emperor was surprised that the dragon finished fifth, since this creature could fly. The dragon explained that it had to stop to make rain for villages in need of water. The horse came next, but a snake that had coiled around the horse’s hoof jumped ahead. The surprised horse took a step back and finished seventh.

A raft appeared next, carrying the rooster, monkey, and goat. The rooster had found the raft, and the goat and monkey had cleared the weeds and pushed the raft to the opposite side. The Jade Emperor was pleased with their teamwork, and declared the goat the eighth in the zodiac, the monkey ninth, and the rooster tenth. The next animal to finish was the dog, which surprised the emperor because that animal was the best swimmer. The dog explained that he had been playing in the water and lost track of time. The last animal to cross was the boar, who had stopped to eat and then fallen asleep.