. . . to Celebrate Year of the Tiger

Gung hay fat choy (best wishes, congratulations and prosperity) is being heard throughout the Chinese community this week as the Year of the Tiger, 4684, begins. Although Chinese New Year’s Day was Sunday, the celebration goes on for several weeks, with special events in Chinatown slated for Friday through Sunday.

For Chinese all over the world the celebration of the New Year marks the community’s most important holiday.

Tessie Dong, a Los Angeles artist who was born in a village near Canton, recalls the excitement and festivities of her childhood. She recalls: “This was the best time of the year for everyone, even the poorest peasants who would save extra food for New Year’s Day. People would give some of what they had to the beggars, so even for them it was a special time.”

Ella Quan, president of the Chinese Historical Society, says Chinese New Year is the strongest link that joins the Chinese in America with their heritage and culture in China and Taiwan, although in the People’s Republic, celebrations have been somewhat curtailed.

The Chinese lunar calendar was developed by an agricultural society to coincide with the planting season. Every month begins with a new moon, and the New Year begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, about one or two months after the beginning of winter.

In traditional Chinese homes and businesses, the preparation and celebrations spread over two months. The month before the new year is a time of preparation; the house is thoroughly cleaned to get rid of any evil influences lurking in the dust and all debts must be paid. Matriarchs and patriarchs of the family distribute money in bright red paper envelopes called lai see to unmarried children and grandchildren.

On New Year’s Eve, families gather for a meal featuring Chinese dumplings, and on New Year’s Day families visit friends, taking along gifts of fruit, such as oranges, tangerines and pomelos or Chinese grapefruit, a pear-shaped citrus fruit. Quan says: “The reddish-orange color of the fruit symbolizes good luck, and the sweetness of the fruit symbolizes that things will be sweet during the coming year.”

Visiting between friends and relatives continues in this, the first week of the new year. Hostesses serve candied coconut strips and the seed of the lotus called lien tse, literally meaning add sons.

Dolores Wong, an active volunteer in the Chinese community, recommends that visitors to Chinatown should visit bakeries and markets to examine and sample some of the unusual foods that are stocked at this time of year. Bakeries, such as the Phoenix, 926 N. Broadway, and Queen’s, 809 N. Broadway, make special cookies and pastries for the occasion.

Many restaurants feature dishes such as Jai or Buddha’s Fiest, a vegetarian dish made with sea moss.

Wong says: “Chinese people love a play on words and homonyms. The word jai in Cantonese sounds like the word for prosperity.”

Wong also recommends visiting the Food Center, 727 N. Broadway, a complex devoted exclusively to food shops. She suggests a stop at the tea shop, where you can sample the aroma of many unusual teas; a Taiwan bakery, which features unusual pastries; the ice cream store, where exotic flavors range from green tea to mango, and the dumpling shop in the center of the complex, where you can watch bakers in the window making Chinese dumplings.

During the weeks following New Year’s Day, traditional lion dancers visit each store where they are greeted by shopkeepers as a symbol of dignity and good luck.

Ema Lui, a member of the Chinese Historical Society, says the lion is usually carried by two young men, one in the head and one in the tail. She says: “The elaborate mask--weighing up to 100 pounds--is made of papier-mache. The moving eyelids and hinged jaw allow the lion to change expressions. The man in the front holds up the lion’s head. His feet represent the lion’s front paws. The man in the back bends over to form the lion’s back, his feet representing the hind legs. The leaping and gestures require a coordination of movements between the two dancers.”

Although the lion is usually small, sometimes a team of 20 to 30 men combine to make up a larger lion hundreds of yards long. Storekeepers hang a head of lettuce in the doorway along with money placed in the traditional red envelopes. A figure wearing traditional clothing and a head mask waves something green in front of the lion, teasing him to do tricks. A stylized rhythmic beat of drums, gongs and cymbals accompanies the lion’s antics.

After bowing three times in respect to the merchant, the lion takes the lettuce and kicks it high into the air. The lettuce symbolizes prosperity. Money collected by the lion dancers helps special community projects, such as the Chinese Language School. To dispel evil spirits, the merchants set off volleys of firecrackers, a noise that often frightens young children.

This year the Golden Dragon Parade begins at 4 p.m. Saturday on North Spring Street at Ord Street. Combining Oriental and Occidental traditions, the parade features floats, Miss Chinatown and her court, drill teams, bands, celebrities, lion dancers and a dragon. The grand marshal is astronaut Taylor Wang. Councilman Michael Woo of the 13th District will be honorary grand marshal.

An educational souvenir book containing interesting facts about the local Chinese- American community and New Year’s customs, a project of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, will be sold at the parade.

On Saturday and Sunday, outdoor entertainment, featuring traditional and contemporary Asian dancers, martial arts demonstrations and musical groups, is scheduled in front of Hong Kong Low Restaurant in Central Plaza, 945 N. Broadway, and the Mandarin Plaza, 970 N. Broadway, from noon to dusk. Schedules of the event will be posted at each plaza. Pin traders will congregate in the Central Plaza area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A community carnival on the grounds of Castelar Elementary School, 840 Yale St., will feature rides, food and game booths, which are fund-raising projects of Chinese youth clubs at local high school, college and university campuses. The carnival is scheduled Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, noon to midnight, Sunday noon to 10 p.m.