1. Origins of Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday for the Chinese people, as it is a time for honoring ancestors and reuniting family members together. The Chinese New Year originated centuries ago from the fear of the great beast Nián (年).This terrible monster resembled a huge ox with the head of a lion. Every year, on New Year’s Eve, this creature would come out and devour the terrified Chinese villagers. Numerous homes and animals were destroyed. Eventually, a wise old man counseled the villagers and instructed them on how to get rid of the horrible Nián. He told the people to hang red paper cutouts on their doors because the monster was scared of the color red. Also, the man advised the villagers to light torches and firecrackers, as Nián was frightened of fire and loud noises. The Chinese followed the wise man’s directions and finally conquered the great beast. After Nián’s defeat, the Chinese called this date “the passing of Nián”, known as Guònián (过年). This symbolizes the celebration of the coming New Year. In addition, in keeping the monster away for a year, the Chinese say Gōngxǐ fācái (恭喜发财), which means “congratulations” This represents congratulating each other for making it safely to another New Year.
2. The 15 Day Celebration of Chinese New Year
The Chinese usually celebrate the New Year in a period of 15 days. On the first day, the New Year is celebrated and the gods of heaven and earth are welcomed by the people. On the second day, the people pray to their ancestors and to the gods for good fortune in the coming year. During the third day, the Chinese stay inside the house, believing that it is unlucky to be outdoors. On the fourth day, Chinese families clean their homes, throw...
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...assistance. The man instructed him to make small dumplings, or Tāngyuán (湯圓), for the God of Fire. Also, he told him to tell the people to hang up lanterns and light firecrackers. The emperor obeyed the man’s commands and the city was saved. While the people were admiring the decorations in the city, Yuánxiāo was finally reunited with her family. During the Lantern Festival, the Chinese people enjoy eating Tāngyuán (汤圆). Tāngyuán are small, sticky dumplings filled on the inside with sweet stuffing. Eating these dumplings represent family unity and togetherness. After eating, the people enjoy the craft of making large, elaborate lanterns from colored paper. They enjoy watching the beautiful lanterns in the night along with the full moon. Another popular activity involves guessing lantern riddles. These riddles have messages that indicate good fortune and prosperity.
Gus Lee, who was born in San Francisco in 1946, a pace about his childhood. He wrote a novel named China Boy in 1991 and did a great job in describing a boy who was grow up in San Francisco and the hardships that the little Chinese boy experienced. Based on the history, the push factors that brought the Chinese to America are unemployment, poverty, famine, overpopulation, and political persecution. In another way, the pull factors are the United States has plenty of work opportunities, the idea of the gold mountain, steamboat ads and the illusion of equality. Gus Lee describes Kai Ting as a representative Chinese boy and growing up in the United Sates, and how he overcomes the difficulties that he faced in the United States. The novel shows
In the book, American Born Chinese, there are multiple plot elements. Conflict, Parallel plots, Foreshadowing, Flashback, Exposition, and Inciting incident. Three plot elements I’ve noticed in American Born Chinese is Conflict in the story about the Monkey King, Flashback in the Jin Wang’s story, and foreshadowing in Danny Lee’s story. A conflict is the part of the plot where the rising action starts and when the conflict ends the falling action begins. A flashback is a literacy device that helps us understand a character past or in this case their parents past. Foreshadowing is event in a story’s exposition that gives you an idea what will happen in the future.
Since I grew in traditional chinese family, so I don’t know much about religions. In my family, we don’t go to church or temple. In my family, we do have some special customs that we follow during holidays,
There are only ten more days until we celebrate our biggest holiday of the year, Chinese New Year. It is the year of the monkey, the monkey in our culture is supposed to be very lively and mischievous and full of energy. It has been three months since I had chicken, I have been eating fish and vegetables, but I really miss eating chicken meat.
Today marriage is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the relationship between a husband and a wife or a similar relationship between people of the same sex. For the purposes of this paper, it will focus on marriage between a man and a woman and how marriage is differently defined between the American and Chinese cultures. This paper will discuss the cultural differences found between the American and Chinese culture with emphasis on age and mate-selection. The cultural differences between American and Chinese culture related to marriage practices shows that Americans value individualism and Chinese historically value collectivism.
In many countries, religion is very important, so important that some cultures use it in every aspect of their lives. China, like some other countries, is a multi-religious country.... ... middle of paper ... ...
To begin with, one of the major problems that hindered the Chinese family is customs and rituals. On the other hand, some of these family traditions allowed the family to flourish as a group. In the movie Raise the Red Lantern, many types of customs and rituals were shown. For example, according to the master’s tradition, lanterns are lit outside the house of which the master chooses to join for the night. Each night the wives wait to be honored with his presence, bowing in resignation when they aren’t chosen, often scheming to be noticed next time. The women soon begin to compete for the lanterns. They are jealous of one another and double cross one another. This brings out a darker side of the women capable of anything in order that their needs are met. This example shows a negative aspect. It is a humiliation of the neglected mistresses. The positive aspect may be the power of the wife who gets chosen. Her needs are being met and she gets to pick the meal for the night.
Williams, C. A. S., and C. A. S. Williams. Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs: An Alphabetical Compendium of Antique Legends and Beliefs, as Reflected in the Manners and Customs of the Chinese. Rutland, VT: C.E. Tuttle, 1988. Print.
Conflict resolution in Chinese societies is mainly based on Confucianism. The overriding principle of society is that the superior in a group is to be respected. When a conflict arises, Chinese will consider the nature of their relationship. Within a family structure, the superior should be obeyed, so a subordinating family member may have to be willing to sacrifice their own comfort or desire in order to maintain peace (Hwang, 1998). Sometimes a subordinating family member will simply change or forsake their original goal. In Chinese culture it is important for society to believe all is well in a family even if it is not (Hwang, 1998).
When the Chinese were immigrating to the United States in the 1880’s. There was as many as 75,000 Chinese immigrants. Most Chinese immigrants moved to the United States to avoid starvation, because in china they didn’t eat much because there wasn’t much to eat in China. Some moved just to seek an adventure, because many Chinese had never been to the United States. In the 1840s and 1850s, China was hit with a series of natural disasters. One disaster that china suffered was in 1847, Henen suffered a substantial draught. Then two years later, a famine struck Guangxi. The provinces of Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang were flooded by the Yangtze River . The Taiping Revolution from 1850 to 1864, caused partially by flood and famine in Guangdong, disturbed the land and the created a financial problem for the people.
In Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is the greatest and biggest time of the year. Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days. Chinese New
Chinese mythology began in the first dynasty of China. Their were many many many gods and goddess of the Chinese myths. Some important factors in Chinese mythology include Taoism(the search for immortality - literal, physical immortality) Confucianism(He taught the virtues of order, structure and correct behavior) And Buddism(the main religion of China) And some God’s and Goddesses’ are Heng-O, The Chinese moon goddess, Heng-O was the mother of the 12 moons and 10 suns. Mu GongYang counterpart of Yin goddess Si-wang-mu, creator god Mu Gong was the Lord of the East. Nugua, a Chinese creator goddess who made man from area mud. Pangu, the Chinese creator god who emerged from the cosmic egg. Shangdi was the supreme deity during the Shang dynasty and creator god before Pangu.
The Yulin festival shines a light on a changing Chinese culture. What is happening on the small scale depicts the reality of what is happening on the large scale. China is changing, and one of the most vivid examples of this change is how Chinese treat dogs. In 1980, Keeping dogs as pets was banned because having dog as pets was considered as bourgeois affectation (Peter). Also, because the government thought people should focus on improving their own lives instead of raising dogs and because raising dogs weren’t part of their culture because dogs used to be guards, herders or meals than companions. Moreover, keeping dogs as pet would cost a lot of money. However, Chinese restrictions were loosened in the 1990s and early 2000. In 2003 Chinese were allowed to own dogs (Peter).
Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional holidays in China. Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year and it is the longest celebration in the Chinese calendar. Chinese New Year is very different from other New Year because it is a more traditional celebration. Chinese New Year day falls on a different day each year, unlike the regular New Year. Chinese New Year helps bring family together. It is the day where everyone stop working and everyone travel back home where all the family members come together for an annual reunion and dinner. This gathering and reunion help build family relationships and family bonding.
Chinese New Year is the most widely celebrated tradition in Asia. The tradition is usually celebrated on the first day of the first month on the Chinese Lunar calendar. This tradition is rooted in centuries-old customs and is one of the most popular public holidays in China. Apart from China, this tradition is also celebrated in many Asian countries like Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan. There are many values and rituals tied with this tradition. For example, people would wear red clothing, decorate the house with red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. According to legend, it is said that red can drive away bad luck, which is why the color red is highly emphasized. In myths, our ancestors would light bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would scare off evil spirits. This is why fireworks and firecrackers are set off during this special tradition. Other values and traditions during Chinese New Year dinner such as eating specific dishes during the New Years Eve Dinner, exchanging red envelopes, and cleaning the house. These traditions all emphasize one value: the importance of family reunion during Chinese New Year. Family reunion is essential because it is a time to interact with family and friends who often times do not live nearby. Family and relatives will plan their schedules around Chinese New Year dinner, instead of taking family for granted. Adults also teach children important tradition and lessons during Chinese New Year so that when they grow older, they would continue this tradition with their families.