Ramblings    
Celebrating Culture
by Neha Girotra 

As an Indian living in New Zealand I’ve never felt like a foreigner, in spite of being a part of the smallest minority here. Kiwis celebrate the festivals of different cultures with as much gusto and excitement as they would their own. The city council gets involved and works with the specific cultural organizations to host week long celebrations for different cultural festivals of various originalities.

So this year, when it was time for the Chinese New year the whole city picked up its pace in preparation of the celebration of the ‘Year of the Dog’ which began on the 29th of January 2006. For all those astrology buffs, the Dog is one of the twelve animals that represent the Chinese zodiac. Each animal ha its own distinctive characteristic and fate. The Chinese New Year is always marked by one of 12 animals. According to Chinese legend, Buddha invited all the creatures in his kingdom to appear before him. The 12 animals who completed the journey - the rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, serpent, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog and pig - were each honored for their presence with rotating names of the year: 2006 is the Year of the Dog. At midnight the year of the Dog came alive – people who share characteristics of the dog are said to be loyal, honest and generous, stubborn yet selfish.

The Chinese New Year (also known as the Spring Festival) starts at the beginning of spring and celebrations last 15 days. The Festival of Lanterns marks the end of the New Year. It is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. It is a festival ,quiet with the hope of good fortune, yet booming with the spectacle of exploding firecrackers and dancing dragons. While January 1st is easy to remember, the specific date of Chinese New Year changes each year, as it falls on the first day of the lunar calendar. The calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. People prepare for the holiday by cleaning their homes, paying their debts, buying new clothing and cooking enormous feasts. Many individuals spiritually and physically sweep away all traces of bad luck from the previous year. Presents of money are given at New Year in a red envelope with good luck characters on it. Red is a lucky color and is thought to bring good luck to the person receiving it.

The Lunar New Year is the most significant festival for ethnic Chinese around the world, wherever they come from. It is a very jubilant occasion mainly because it is the time when people take a break from work to get together with family and friends.
The origin of the Lunar New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years, involving a series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is Nian , who was an extremely cruel and ferocious beast that the ancients believed would devour people on New Year's Eve. To keep Nian away, red-paper couplets were and still are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nian is said to fear the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nian away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is gong si or "congratulations."

Here in Wellington, the Chinese New Year celebration offers everyone the chance to celebrate the New Year all over again! Its emphasis is on culture and entertainment from the local Asian community. The event kicked off with a colorful parade of dragons and fire-eaters. The parade started on a park at the waterfront and progressed through the city in a flurry of color dance and music. The event also included a large weekend market with a range of Asian food stalls – Chinese, Korean, Indian, Filipino, Thai and many more. There were a variety of gift and novelty stalls ranging from Feng Shui to kites. The market, bought the sights, sounds and foods of Asia to life. To top it of f the city enjoyed brilliant summer weather. People of all nationalities were walking around, enjoying the festivities and making merry. So be it Diwali, St-Patrick’s-Day or the Chinese New Year, nobody knows how to celebrate culture like the Kiwi’s. 

April 9, 2006

Image by Neha Girotra 

Top | Ramblings    

The Week of April 9, 2006      
United States Congress at Critical Crossroads with India Dr. Subhash Kapila
Nuclear Deal Hurdles : It's The Politics, Stupid! by Rajinder Puri
Bangladesh's Foreign Policy Approaches to India by Dr. Subhash Kapila
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Of Spices and Magical Realism by Rajgopal Nidamboor
Post Colonial India and its Architecture - III  by Ashish Nangia
Ancient Mangroves in the Womb of the Present by V.K. Joshi 
Celebrating Culture by Neha Girotra  
Sharing and Young Children by Garima Gupta 
The Poetry in the Moors by Dr. Amitabh Mitra 
Ain't No Cure For Love by Vinay Chandran
The 'Feminization' of Menswear by MH Ahsan
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Router : An Introduction by Ruchi Gupta 
Lakhnawi Itar by Rajsaran Varma
  

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