Instead of setting off firecrackers and eating special food to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family today, Scott Wu will be attending Business Administration 399 and Japanese 102.
In America, there is no break for this holiday, but in China, the winter break for students would be centered around the Chinese New Year.
“We have a break like it’s Christmas in America,” said Lisa Tsai, co-director of the Chinese Student Association. “Parents don’t have to work.”The 12 years in the Chinese calendar are named for animals of the Chinese zodiac. The year 2001 falls under the year of the snake, which signifies a year of preparation for potential hardships and difficulties.
This will be Wu’s second Chinese New Year in America. He said the festivities for 2001 that he would normally enjoy in his home country of Taiwan differ significantly from the way he will be celebrating the holiday in Eugene.
If he were home, Wu said he would get together with his entire family at his grandparents’ house in Taipei for a special dinner the night before the Chinese New Year, similar to New Year’s Eve in America. Wu said another treat would be a visit from his aunt and uncle who live in Taichung.
Wu’s grandmother, mother and aunts would prepare holiday dishes such as chun-gin, vegetables and seasoning wrapped and fried in a thin tortilla. Wu also said his house would be cleaned thoroughly.
“Chinese New Year means everything is new for us,” Wu said. “It’s a new start, so everything is clean.”
Wu has faced other differences in America besides holidays away from his family. He said adapting to eating American burgers and spaghetti instead of rice and noodles has been easy compared to the challenge of speaking English daily. Wu began studying English in Taiwan when he was 13, and he became proficient in reading and writing, but not in speaking the language.
Wu, a sophomore pre-business major, said he plans to finish his college education studying abroad at the University. He has been helping his younger sister, Iris, a freshman, adjust to life in the residence halls and her first Chinese New Year in America.
For Chinese New Year’s Eve, Wu and Tsai said they will gather with a small group of their college friends to celebrate at midnight and stay awake all night. As an alternative to setting off firecrackers, they will share a meal out of a hot pot, a large boiling pot of soup into which raw meat is dipped.
Another tradition Wu said he can’t participate in during his stay in America is putting up red paper around the frame of his family’s front door. The paper is adorned with wishes for a prosperous new year and good fortune.
“A long, long time ago, people thought the red paper was put around the door so a monster wouldn’t get into the house,” said Wu, who was born in the year of the rooster.
The monster, called “nein” in Chinese, was thought to have eaten people each year on Jan. 24. Wu said devices such as fireworks are meant to scare off the monster. But times have changed, and the traditional ceremonies are now performed out of respect toward Chinese ancestors, not out of fear of the monster.
Xiao-Yu Fan, a sophomore from China and a volunteer with CSA, said for her, Chinese New Year is a special occasion for her to get together with her friends from the University.
“I get homesick and think about my family a lot,” Fan said. “I miss the food. I’m sure they will have better food than here.”
Tsai said the one aspect she will miss most celebrating Chinese New Year in America is the red envelope, which contains money and is usually given to children from their elders. The color red stands for congratulations and celebration in Chinese.
Wu said he will also miss gambling, another highlight for youths during the Chinese New Year celebration.
The CSA will host the Chinese New Year Festival 2001 at 5 p.m. on Jan. 28 in the EMU Skylight and Ballroom. Tsai said the annual cultural presentation will provide students, faculty and the community the opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture and traditions through exhibitions, a dinner reception and performances.
Features of the evening will include Chinese calligraphy demonstrations, costumes, martial arts, folk music and travel information.
More than 50 volunteers will prepare specialty dishes such as “bien-dang” and “dumping,” often served during the Dragon Boat festival in May. Even though the activities fall on the same day as the Super Bowl, members of CSA said they expect more than 300 people to attend the events Sunday.
“We would like to introduce to everyone how we celebrate Chinese New Year,” Tsai said.