nathan chow:

I made a few additions to last year’s note:

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Tonight (January 25th) is New Year’s Eve, often celebrated by a big feast with family and friends. In fact, as hundreds of millions of Asians travel to see their relatives, the period around Chinese New Year is considered the largest human migration.

The Chinese Zodiac cycles through 12 years, each one associated with an animal. Tomorrow marks the first day of the new year of the ox.

The famous phrase “Gung Hay Fat Choy,” which most people use to mean “Happy New Year” actually literally translates to “Congratulations and Be Prosperous.” According to an ancient myth, the Nian monster (which translates to Year) looked like an ugly dragon and liked to eat people and livestock but was afraid of the color red, loud sounds, and light.

When people were lucky enough to survive another cold winter and another Nian and Year, they were congratulated. Over time, traditions to start off the new year have evolved. Today they include scaring off evil spirits and Nian by wearing red, passing out lucky red envelopes with money, lighting loud firecrackers, and leaving the lights on for the first night of the year–all activities the Nian monster would be afraid of.

Also, to symbolize a fresh start in the days leading up to the New Year, the Chinese get new haircuts, buy new clothes, and clean their houses.

Unlike the Western New Year, in which people make resolutions and try to be more proactive in the days following the new year, in the Chinese New Year, we simply ask the precious spirits of dead ancestors for blessings, including good health and prosperity. Then we hope for the best.

While proactivity is for the whole year and not just the start of the year, some Chinese, especially the Buddhists, also understand that some things are just meant to be and shouldn’t be bothered with. We can ask for the best and work towards it, but we are content with whatever we are given. There are few things more worthy of gratefulness than surviving another year and still being on this beautiful planet.

So to all my friends who celebrate Chinese New Year or any other Lunar New Year, I wish you all the best blessings possible.

Be healthy. Be prosperous. Be happy. Be hopeful. But most of all: Be grateful.

Enjoy the new year!!!!!!!!

(And yes, that would be a lucky 8 exclamation points.)

Love Always,
Nathan

P.S. Sorry I couldn’t tag everyone! I tried to switch it up a bit with who I tagged this year.

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