Amy Tan Fish Cheeks

Chinese New Year is the most significant and longest Chinese festival celebrated in Chinese communities worldwide (Chinese New Year 1). Chinese New Year is significant to the Chinese as the fourth of July is to United States Americans. In the short story Fish Cheeks by Amy Tan the main character celebrates Christmas: “What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas” (Tan 184). The American holiday, the fourth of July will be compared to the Chinese Christmas New Year. Why the holidays are important to each culture and the traditional activities will be evaluated and compared to Amy Tan’s short story Fish Cheeks.

Over accumulated years, Chinese New Year and the Fourth of July have become holidays. Chinese New Year is a holiday celebrated

by the Chinese every year for 15 days (Wu). The Chinese New Year is meaningful because it is the first day of the first month of the year. The Chinese lunisolar calendar determines when Chinese New Year is every year. Dates are indicated by the moon phase and the time of the solar year (Chinese New Year 2). To prepare for the New Year week the Chinese begin by cleaning their house. Sweeping the dust is the phrase the Chinese use when referring to their pre-clean up ritual (Wu). Once cleaning is done families arrive at relatives houses for their reunion dinner. The reunion dinner is known for having many different types of foods that are symbolic in some way. In northern China there is a dish called jiaozi. This dish is resembled as wealth and is also called dumplings in America (Wu). A tradition that is participated by children is Hong Bao. This activity involves children receiving red envelopes with money inside. Envelopes are red to signify happiness and to ward of evil spirits (Chinese New Year 1). Americans also have parties and traditions revolving around the fourth of July. The fourth of July is celebrated by United States Americans. The day is to rejoice over the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States becoming an independent country. July fourth started becoming a more wide spread holiday in America when it became a national holiday in 1870 (The Story of the Fourth of July). Now in today’s time the fourth of July is celebrated with fireworks and tables full of food such as watermelon, hotdogs, burgers and corn on the cob (History of July 4 Celebrations). Both holidays have traditions and reasons why they are celebrated just like the Christmas holiday celebrated in Amy Tan’s short story Fish Cheeks.
Christmas the holiday in Fish Cheeks represents a celebration of the religious believes of Christianity.

The tradition of making large quantities of food runs through Christmas and Chinese New year backgrounds. On Chinese New Year they have a reunion meal with family. From reading the story Fish Cheeks there is evidence showing that family and friends get together to have Christmas dinner: “When I found out that my parents had invited the minister’s family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried” (Tan 184). Chinese food is symbolized during the weeks of Chinese New year just like some dishes in the story. On Chinese New Year the dumpling dish jiaoz can be compared to the squid dish the main character Amy is served: “A plate of squid, their backs crisscrossed with knife markings so they resembled bicycle tires” (Tan 184). The story’s food is not as symbolic as Chinese New Year, but can be related or translated back to the Chinese idea of symbolizing food. The fourth of July can also be related to the Fish Cheeks short story because the fourth of July celebration also revolves around food and family. The burping that is produced by Amy’s father is a form of respect, gratitude, and happiness: “At the end of the meal my father leaned back and belched loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking” (Tan 185). Chinese New Year envelopes that are red also mean happiness and can be easily compared through the traditions practice of one’s

happiness.
The importance of the holiday’s Chinese New Year, and the United States Fourth of July, and traditions is compared to the short story Fish Cheeks by Amy tan. Once evidence is evaluated and compared there are many relatable subjects through the short story and holidays. Food and happiness are the two most connectable subjects between Fish Cheeks and the holiday’s Chinese New Year and the fourth of July.