The Year of the Tiger

It’s a time of family, friends and feasting. A time to pay debts, fill red envelopes with money, and for some, a time to ask the gods for good luck.

Wednesday marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year celebration, year 4696 on the ancient Chinese calendar. The new year begins at sunset on the day of the second new moon following the winter solstice, which means it falls somewhere between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19 on Western calendars.

Festivities include parades featuring dragons, firecrackers and drums, and phrases such as “Gung hay fat choy,” meaning “May prosperity and happiness be with you” in Cantonese, and “Xin Nian Kuai Le,” which translates to “Happy New Year” in Mandarin.

“Chinese New Year in China is as big as Christmas is here. The whole year is built around it,” said Clayton Dube, education outreach director of the USC-UCLA Joint Center in East Asian Studies.

Tradition calls for giving the house a thorough cleaning, as it’s considered bad luck for last year’s dust to remain. Sweets are offered to the Kitchen God before he departs to heaven to give his annual report on the family’s behavior. Lai-see, lucky money, is given in red envelopes to younger family members by their elders.

Popular foods eaten for Chinese New Year include fish, chicken, tangerines, oranges, long noodles and lotus seeds.

More than 1.4 billion Chinese, Vietnamese, Koreans and Cambodians, whose cultures were influenced by China, observe the lunar new year around the world. In Los Angeles County, more than 480,000 people will probably celebrate.

Tiger

Characteristics: Confident, enthusiastic, sensitive, sometimes impatient

Suitable careers: Pilot, musician, politician, actor

Famous people: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Marilyn Monroe, Groucho Marx, Beatrix Potter

Years: 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

Area Celebrations

Today:

Monterey Park’s 7th Annual Flower Market Festival: The two-day festival, which began Saturday is sponsored by the Monterey Park Downtown Merchants. It will include martial arts demonstrations, a karaoke contest, carnival rides, games, food and entertainment. Garvey Avenue from Garfield Avenue to Nicholson Avenue, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (626) 280-6860.

Saturday, Jan. 31

Chinatown’s 99th Golden Dragon Parade: The dragon, a symbol of power, authority and royalty, comes out once a year to wish everyone good fortune. The parade, sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Kaiser Permanente, begins at noon from City Hall and travels down Broadway into Chinatown.

Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 7-8

San Gabriel/Alhambra Parade and Festival: The two-day festival sponsored by the San Gabriel and Alhambra chambers of commerce is in its seventh year. A parade begins at Valley Boulevard and Del Mar Avenue at 11 a.m. on Feb. 7. The festival features live entertainment, a carnival, arts and crafts and food vendors and cultural performances from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Almansor Park, 800 S. Almansor St., Alhambra. Call (626) 282-8481.

Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21-22

Pacific Asia Museum: A two-day celebration of the art and culture of China, hosted by the Chinese Arts Council of Pacific Asia Museum and Chinese Culture Center. Includes dance per-formances, workshops for children and music. 1 to 5 p.m., 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 449-2742.

CHINESE ASTROLOGY

Unlike the Western zodiac, which is based on a monthly cycle, the Chinese zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle. Each year corresponds to an animal and is believed to influence personalities.

Legend has it the 12 animals are those who joined Buddha for a feast before he left this world.

Each animal’s year begins with the Chinese New Year, which typically falls in late January or mid-February on Western calendars.

THE GOLDEN DRAGON

A typical Chinese New Year parade features a lengthy dragon and several lions, who perform the lion dance. The dragon is manipulated by 21 people, holding up the 200-foot-long body with long poles. The lion involves two people, one who wears the elaborate head and another who portrays the body hidden by a decorated piece of material. Lion dancing involves the use of martial arts moves.

Sources: “The Complete Book of Chinese Horoscopes” by Lori Reid; “Happy New Year Around the World” by Lois S. Johnson; Jeff Chan, founder of Immortals Gung-Fu Lion Dancers; 1990 U.S. Census. Researched by STEPHANIE STASSEL/Los Angeles Times