Year of the sheep, goat or ram?
Lunar New Year, by any name, calls for a party
If you ask three Asian groups, you will probably get three different answers.
There is no agreement in Chicago: The Vietnamese community calls it the Year of the Goat; a Taiwanese and one Chinese group says it is the Year of the Sheep, while another Chinese organization names 2003 the Year of the Goat. Most Koreans call it the Year of the Ram.
"Technically, I think all three versions are correct," says Allen Wong at the Chinese Mutual Aid Association in Chicago. Wong says the original Chinese word for this year is "yang," a generic term for the various horned ruminating mammals. During the translation process, different people have interpreted the word differently. According to Wong, many Chinese prefer to translate "yang" into "sheep" because the sheep is mild in nature. Chinese see mildness and moderation as virtues in a person.
Not that Wong sees it that way. "As a Chinese myself, I personally like the word `ram' because sheep connotes docility and weakness," he said.
To avoid confusion and various personal interpretations, why not simply call it "Year of the Yang"?
Based on the lunar calendar, New Year's Day will fall on Saturday, and will be the year 4701. The lunar calendar dates from 2600 B.C., when China began to adopt the cycle of the zodiac based on the movement of the moon. As a result, the new year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February.
Naming the years after animals comes from an ancient legend. According to the story, Lord Buddha summoned all the animals before he departed from earth. Only 12 came to bid him farewell. As a reward, he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. They are: rat, cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (yang), monkey, chicken, dog and pig.
The Chinese believe the animal, which rules the birth year of a person, has a profound influence on his or her personality. Those born in the Year of the Yang (2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931) are thought to be charming, elegant and artistic, and strongly family-oriented. The Chinese think of them as the harbingers of gentleness and peace. They can also throw themselves passionately into what they do. So they seem to have elements of both rams and sheep.
In China, Korea, and Vietnam, the month-long new year's celebrations kick off on Dec. 23 (lunar calendar), when people prepare a feast of sweets and put it in front of the statues or portraits of the Kitchen God (in popular legends, the Kitchen God was sent from Heaven on that day to take charge of family's affairs). Families prepare sweet sticky rice cakes and homemade candies to sweeten him up. On the other hand, if he speaks ill of the family, the food will make his mouth sticky and shut him up.
New Year's Eve marks the climax of the celebrations. Families get together for a big tuanyuanfan (reunion dinner), where every dish served is laden with meaning. Jiaozi, boiled Chinese dumplings, are popular because it has the shape of ancient Chinese gold ingots. It also sounds the same as the word for "change of the year." Fish and chicken are also served because they sound the same as the words "abundance" and "auspicious."
When the gong in the temple begins to strike midnight, families light long strings of firecrackers in front of the house to scare away the evil spirits and usher in auspicious tidings of the new year.
In Chicago, while most Asian-Americans would not go all out to follow these customs during the New Year, they still manage to observe a version of the celebration on a smaller scale. Here are some events for all to sample:
Events
"Art of the Zodiac: Celebrating the Year of the Sheep," an art exhibit sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, will be on display through Feb. 21 at the Daley Civic Center, 50 W. Washington St.; 312-616-6716. The exhibit features more than 60 works, including watercolors, stone carvings, stone printing, pottery, crystal, glass, wood carvings, bronzes, bamboo weavings by distinguished artists and craftsmen from Taiwan.
Unity 2003: The Greater Chicago Chinese New Year Party: 4-10 p.m. Sunday at the International Ballroom, Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan Ave. $10-$75; 630-543-2882. The event will feature dinner and traditional Chinese performances, such as Cantonese operas, traditional Chinese dances, and Chinese gongs and drums.
New Year's Golden Award Chinese Cuisine Show 2003: 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sunday at Furama Seafood Restaurant, 2828 S. Wentworth Ave.; free admission; 312-842-8944. Local chefs will demonstrate Chinese cooking methods; the event will feature New Year's food and snacks as well as folk artifacts from local merchants and lion dancing, calligraphy and water paintings.
The Vietnamese Association of Illinois New Year Party: Noon Feb. 8 at Armory Hall, 5917 N. Broadway Ave.; 773-728-3700. The event will include a traditional ceremony presided over by the senior members of the Vietnamese Community followed by traditional Vietnamese performances, food sampling and games. The daytime event is free. A $25 charge for the dance party in the evening, with live music by The Trance Band and other popular Vietnamese singers.
New Year Parades: Two New Year's parades have been organized this year. The new Chinatown parade steps off at noon Sunday from Argyle Street and Broadway. The old Chinatown procession steps off at 1 p.m. Saturday, starting from 24th Street/Wentworth Avenue, goes north to Cermak, and then turns west on Cermak to Princeton. Both parades will feature lion dancing, firecrackers and traditional Chinese floats. Call 773-334-6537 for the new Chinatown parade; 312-225-6198 for the old Chinatown parade.
Dining events
Some of events for Chinese New Year:
Ben Pao, 52 W. Illinois St. (312-222-1888): Events include Lion Dance, 7 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 1; dinner and a movie, featuring a buffet and "Rush Hour I," 5 p.m. Feb. 2, for $30 per person.
Big Bowl Asian Kitchen, 6 E. Cedar (312-640-8888), 60 E. Ohio St. (312-951-1888), 1950 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg (847-517-8881), and 215 Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire (847-808-8880): Special events and menu items through Feb. 2, including Lion Dances, dim sum brunch and children's activities.
FlatTop Grill, 5 locations (check Web site at
www.flattopgrill.com): New Year's feast Jan. 31, including stir-fry buffet and Lion Dance.
Karma, 510 E. Illinois Highway 83, Mundelein (847-970-6900): An eight-course degustation menu ($80) served through Feb. 2.
Peninsula Chicago, 108 E. Superior St.: Beginning Jan. 31 and continuing through Feb. 9: Shanghai Terrace (312-573-6764) offers a prixe-fixe menu of "unique cultural significance" for $118 per person, and an abalone degustation menu, which must be ordered two days in advance, for $158 per person. Packaged pair of Shanghai Terrace chopsticks included. The Lobby (312-573-6760) offers Chinese New Year afternoon tea ($23), with music performed on traditional Chinese instruments.
Szechwan East, 340 E. Ohio St. (312-255-9200): Five-day festival beginning Feb. 1; includes New Year buffet and the 27-course Chinese president's dinner.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-01-31/entertainment/0301310448_1/2
