Enter the Rooster

On February 9th millions of people ushered in the Chinese New Year with celebrations around the world. With a large Chinese population, Bangkok was no exception.

“The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year, it falls on February 9, 2005 – Lunar Year 4703…the year of the Rooster.” [src]

Although many westerners associate it with firecrackers and dragon shows, the Chinese New Year is a time for family celebration. It is a time for reunion and thanks giving, and a time to honour one’s ancestors. In a communal feast called weilu–meaning ‘surrounding the stove’–Chinese families will set a place at the table for departed ancestors as a way of symbolizing family unity and honoring the past and present generations.

The 15-Day Celebration of Chinese New Year

The first day of the Lunar New Year is “the welcoming of the gods of the heavens and earth.”Many people abstain from meat on the first day of the new year because it is believed that this will ensure long and happy lives for them.

On the second day, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs.

The third and fourth days are for the sons-in-laws to pay respect to their parents-in-law.

The fifth day is called Po Woo. On that day people stay home to welcome the God of Wealth. No one visits families and friends on the fifth day because it will bring both parties bad luck.

On the sixth to the 10th day, the Chinese visit their relatives and friends freely. They also visit the temples to pray for good fortune and health.

The seventh day of the New Year is the day for farmers to display their produce. These farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetables to celebrate the occasion. The seventh day is also considered the birthday of human beings. Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.

On the eighth day the Fujian people have another family reunion dinner, and at midnight they pray to Tian Gong, the God of Heaven.

The ninth day is to make offerings to the Jade Emperor.

The 10th through the 12th are days that friends and relatives should be invited for dinner. After so much rich food, on the 13th day you should have simple rice congee and mustard greens (choi sum) to cleanse the system.

The 14th day should be for preparations to celebrate the Lantern Festival which is to be held on the 15th night.

All around Bangkok the streets began to take on a festive air as Chinese lanterns and decorations began to appear everywhere, and there were of course dragons and fireworks… if you were lucky enough to run into them.

While walking back from a brief shopping expedition (in case anyone was wondering, computer prices here are equivalent to Canadian prices) and happened across two groups setting up for something. As I watched they set up a wooden platform about 25 feet off the ground and rolled in carts with large drums and cymbals. What grabbed my attention though, was the dragon and lion heads that they brought out. That, and the eight foot long string of fireworks they hung from a long bamboo pole.

Sensing that this was not just early set up for an evening performance, I hung around for about 30 minutes and was rewarded with and ear-splitting barrage of fireworks and loud drumming. The two groups donned their costumes and two shorter lions and a long dragon began their act, dancing and circling the small square where they had set up the platform. At various intervals they would climb atop each other and form human towers. I can only assume that these actions had some sort of significance but I have yet to find anyone who can explain them to me. Whatever the significance, it was a hell of a show.

I was still confused about the tower though… what was the purpose of setting it up if they were just going to dance around it? Ah, there it was. A few of the men and one child began to climb up the side poles to stand on top. After making a tower of three people, some of them returned to the ground while one man put the young child on his shoulders. We watched transfixed, as he walked back and forth along the narrow platform as though displaying the child for all to see. Just as I thought he was going to lift the young boy off of his shoulders he spun sideways to face outwards, dropped his feet through two gaps in the platform and allowed the child to swing underneath it. Locking his legs under the side of the platform he held the child upside-down by his ankles and swung him in a single arc before letting go and catching the end of a ten foot long piece of cloth tied to one ankle. For a few brief moments the child was allowed to pendulum back and forth on the end of his leash before being hauled back up by the men on the platform.

After another five minutes of dancing and drumming the actors made their exit into a side alley and had the platform broken down by assistants. Ten minutes later it was impossible to tell that they had even been there as shoppers and tourists mobbed the sidewalks again on their way through to the next mall, oblivious to the excitement they had just missed.

Later that evening a few of us staying at the same hostel decided to take a trip down to Chinatown where the real action was happening. The area was thronged with people, most wearing red, a colour which wards off evil spirits. Food vendors lined the side of the road and traditional dances and exhibitions took place on various stages set up on the street.

Of particular interest to us was the bug cart. Bug cuisine has been popular in Asia for quite some time, and many people will say that any time is a good time to buy a bag of crickets or butterworms, but it seems that the Chinese New Year celebrations brought the fried bug vendors out in droves. As Chinese and Thais lined up to by their crispy critters by the spoonful, the five of us goaded each other into sampling one or two of the delicacies.

For the curious of you out there: crickets are quite large and take a least a few bites to eat. They crumble in your mouth and taste pretty much like burnt grass. Grubs have more of an earthy flavour and a texture that I can only imagine would be similar to biting into a liquid filled bath bead. Of worthwhile note is the fact that the grasshoppers long hind legs are apparently not normally eaten and will catch in your throat and make the experience decidedly less pleasant. We weren’t given that little tidbit of advice until after the fact though and spent the rest of the evening picking grasshopper bits out of our teeth.

Chinese New Year celebrations are something to be experienced by the whole family and those living near Toronto, Vancouver, or other cities with large Chinese populations should be sure to get out there next year and see what local festivities you can find. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and spot yourself a bug cart!