Chinese New Year and Talking Fish

Let’s Get This Chinese New Year Party Started!

February 5, 2019 marked the start of the Chinese New Year. It’s the Year of the Pig and it was celebrated at my house for the first time ever this year. It was the joyful riot of colors, people, and food that I was hoping it would be. There was laughter and smiles throughout the day. It’s a little like Christmas, American Thanksgiving, and a New Year’s Eve party all rolled into one.

The dining room was dressed in red and gold, representing good fortune and money respectively. I did my best to set the table with that color scheme in mind. Ransacking my Christmas and Valentines Day decorations in the process looking for anything that fit that color bill. Bonus points that I have gold utensils and was able to use those for the occasion. Fish, firecrackers, coins, red lanterns and pigs were part of the decorations on or around the table. Each item symbolic of something different in Chinese New Year tradition.

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Here’s Your Sign: 財源廣進

Last, but certainly not least, a Mandarin character  was affixed to the front door. This character is a contraction of the four separate Mandarin characters 財源廣進 (Cai yuan guang jin). It’s closest English translation is “Money will come with no end”. Sounds great to me.  This will stay on the door through the 16 days of the Chinese New Year celebration or beyond. It’s pretty. I like it there.

Off To Market We Go

We kicked off the celebratory process with a trip to two Asian markets looking for the right ingredients and decorations. If I hadn’t know it was Chinese New Year, the commotion in the stores would’ve clued me in. Red and gold decorations of every shape and description were placed prominently near the front doors. People in record numbers crowded both stores. It required finesse to maneuver through the produce section, down the aisles, and past the besieged meat and seafood counters. Finally, we made it to the checkout lines where every register was open. I’d seen these markets crowded before, but not like this. The atmosphere wasn’t hurried or rushed, despite the number of people. I saw smiles more often than not. It may have just been my overactive imagination, but I’m almost certain there was a happy air of expectancy.

Cooking That Chinese New Year Meal…And Introducing Those Talking Fish

Once back home, the kitchen became a scene of controlled chaos for 3 hours. There were 4 of us putting this meal together. Joseph, Chloe, me, and Joseph’s friend and fellow international student who came along for the festivities. We ducked and weaved around each other performing our various tasks related to cooking the Chinese New Year meal. The happy expectancy that I had experienced at the market was present in the kitchen. When the two, purchased fish were brought out and unwrapped, Joseph grabbed one and provided a voice for it. He moved its mouth with his finger to match the hilarious nonsense words it “spoke”. Joseph’s friend grabbed the second fish and did the same thing. Just like that my kitchen became a Monty Python skit with talking fish. Fortunately, there was no fish slapping. Great. Now we have to cook the aquatic entertainment?!

Turkey For American Thanksgiving, Fish For Chinese New Year

I’m not really sure how Joseph kept tabs on all the different things going on in the kitchen. Somehow he did and somehow the meal came together, dish by dish. Their short lived comedy careers at an end, the fish moved on to their starring role of Hong Shao Wu Guo Yu (紅燒吳郭魚). Fish are the centerpiece of the meal in Chinese New Year tradition. They symbolize an increase in prosperity, hence their centrality in the meal and their liberal use in decorations for Chinese New Year.

The centerpiece fish were accompanied by several other dishes. Cong Bao Sha Cha Zhu (蔥爆沙茶豬) a salty pork dish with garlic plant. Larou Fan (臘肉飯), or rice with Chinese sausage. A shrimp and pineapple dish which is one of my favorite things Joseph cooks. Also dumplings, which signify wealth. In my book, it was an amazing feat of culinary logistics.

Dishes were shuttled out into the dining room just as the family invited to share our meal arrived. A few finishing touches were added to the last dishes as they were brought out of the kitchen. Then the 10 of us squeezed around the table. As we did, Joseph’s friend informed me that the beginning of the meal is the traditional time when toasts are made. What?! I didn’t read anything like that in my research on Chinese New Year! Completely unprepared with no idea what to say, I let this one pass. Praying our customary blessing over the meal, I vowed to figure this part of the tradition out before next year. I have since learned that toasts include well wishes in health, fortune, and prosperity for all those present. Right. Note to self: learn how to say this properly in Mandarin.

The Highly Coveted Red Envelopes: The Most Anticipated Part Of Chinese New Year

I was also informed that red envelopes are given out at the beginning or end of the meal. I kind of messed this one up too and gave them out earlier in the day. I’ll eventually get this right. Anyway, comedic fish are the star of the dinner table, but red envelopes are the star of Chinese New Year. Just ask the kids and young adults.

Red is a lucky color, so giving a red envelope is a way to give good wishes and a monetary present. It’s similar to the Western custom of giving a card with money in it. Only there’s no card because the greeting or wish for happiness and good fortune is printed on the envelope itself. How much money goes into the envelope depends on who is giving it and who is receiving it. I actually found a helpful matrix online that explains how this works. Typically, those giving the envelopes are elders and those receiving are children or young adults.

Red Envelope Etiquette

When receiving a red envelope, the rule of etiquette is you DON’T open the envelope in front of the giver. This is in direct opposition to how I was brought up. Not opening a present in front of the person who gave it deprived them of the joy of giving. But in East Asian culture it is about preserving the dignity of the person giving that red envelope. If the giver doesn’t have much money and they can’t give the recommended amount, you don’t want to embarrass them. Exposing them, especially if others give a larger amount of money, is rude. Regardless of the amount received, it’s really the envelope in that lucky red color that imparts the giver’s well wishes. The last thing you want to do is offend the person wanting to bestow a blessing on you. Huh. That’s a world view I could get used to.

Complex Traditions And Helpful Matrices

Chinese New Year starts with this celebratory meal we’ve participated in for the first time this year. It continues on until the Lantern Festival 16 days later. Another matrix I found describes the activities during each day. Most of it centers around family and friends. People celebrating Chinese New Year take their winter vacations at this time. They renew contact with loved ones, eat lots of traditional food, and set off firecrackers. Judging from the childhood stories I heard from two East-Asians-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, an occasional banana tree or shoe may have caught on fire from said firecrackers.

Like so much in East Asian culture, Chinese New Year has developed over centuries. It is chock full of tradition, symbolism, and meaning, and I have only scratched the surface in this brief description. Like an onion, I peel back one layer only to find another layer beneath. It is rich and complex and, well, fun. I will cherish the memories of this very first Chinese New Year my family has celebrated. I’m very much look forward to more and I’m hopeful the talking fish will make future appearances.