Pictured: Nicole Valli, author.
“Gung Hay Fat Choy” was one of the first Chinese phrases I learned as a child. Gung hay fat choy is how Cantonese speakers wish you a Happy New Year, a phrase which literally translates to "wishing you great happiness and prosperity." Chinese New Year, which is also called the Spring Festival, happens every year between January 21 and February 20 when the second new moon occurs after the winter solstice, as determined by the lunar calendar. Usually the holiday is spent with a two week celebration of food, family, and friends followed with fireworks and parades. It lasts for fifteen days until the first new moon of the new year. The Spring Festival marks a new year on the lunar calendar and represents the desire for a new life.
My mom is 100% Chinese and my dad is 100% Finnish, so I am half Chinese. I grew up spending Chinese New Year with my grandparents and aunt at their home in Southern Connecticut; my family’s celebration happens within the first couple days of the holiday and lasts for the weekend. I have fond memories from the small surprises my grandma would have for me when I arrived at their house as a child. She would often have my favorite asian snacks like Pocky, Hello Panda cookies, shrimp chips and sesame balls. Every year is full of delicious food like: goks (fried dumplings), lai see (red envelopes), nian gao (crispy red bean pancake), and a hot pot dinner. Food is an especially central part of Chinese culture. There are many traditional foods eaten during Chinese New Year that have significant meaning attached to them and are considered good luck. The most common lucky foods to eat during Chinese New Year are fish, dumplings, spring rolls, tangyuan (sweet rice balls), nian gao, and longevity noodles.
In Chinese, "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'. It is believed to bring an increase in prosperity to those who eat it. Another popular food, Chinese dumplings, can be made to look like Chinese silver ingots (which are not bars, but boat-shaped, oval, and turned up at the two ends). Legend has it that the more dumplings you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year. Along with dumplings, spring rolls are also tied to wealth. They get their name because they are usually eaten during China’s Spring Festival. Nian gao are a type of glutinous rice cake, a sweet dessert made with sticky rice and sugar filled with either dates or red bean paste. In Chinese, the phrase glutinous rice cake sounds like it means “getting higher year-on-by year” so it is believed to bring a higher income or position. In a similar fashion, sweet rice balls are associated with reunion and being together as family because of the way it is pronounced in Chinese. Finally, the most symbolic food of all, and my favorite– longevity noodles. Thought to bring happiness and a long life, these noodles are longer than usual and a staple dish on every table.
A common way for families to enjoy these foods is through having a hot pot dinner. Hot Pot is quite literally a dinner where there are one or two hot pots of boiling water at the center of the table for each person to cook their food in. Each person gets a small basket where they can put pieces of chicken, fish, or steak into. Then you just rest the basket in the hot water till it cooks. In the meantime everyone can grab noodles, rice, or veggies to put on their plate. At the end of the cooking, my grandfather often dumps in all the leftover meat and veggies to cook all at once. It’s a ton of fun and was always a highlight when I was a kid.
You may have seen or heard of “red envelopes” being associated with Chinese New Year. In Cantonese, we call them “lai see.”The colors red and gold are considered good luck, hence why the holiday is decorated with these colors. Elders give children money in these red envelopes in hopes of passing on blessing and good fortune. My grandma would always give me two envelopes with an even amount of money in each. In Chinese culture, even numbers are good luck, and odd numbers bring bad luck. That is also why $2 bills are seen as good luck.
I don’t get to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family as often anymore since I’ve been at college. However, last year I was able to and the holiday happened to tie in with Valentine’s Day, which was fun because both holidays are full of red, lively colors. As I get older, I have a greater appreciation for my cultural background and I love to ask my grandparents about the stories they have from when they were my age. I only know a few phrases in Cantonese, and I regret not learning more, but my mom can speak pretty fluently with my grandparents. I love listening to them converse. My favorite part of it all is just sitting around the red tablecloth with chopsticks and chicken hearts in front of us but all laughing and having a good time losing our food in the hot pot together.
I am so thankful that I’m able to celebrate such a special holiday with my family; I can only hope to pass on some of the same traditions with my own family someday. Here’s to a 2021 full of happiness and prosperity… Gung Hay Fat Choy!