Kiong Hee Huat Tsai

New Year is one of China's oldest and prominent festivals throughout the world. It marks the beginning of a new year and a new agricultural season, and is considered a time for loved ones to reunite and take part in traditions designed to bring good fortune and prosperity for the next year.

Chinese New Year is held each year between 21 January and 20 February. And this year, the main celebration was held on January 31. The Chinese calendar's origins can be traced back as far as the 14th century BC. This year's celebrations marked the beginning of the year 4712 on the Chinese calendar.

The Chinese calendar is patterned basically from the lunisolar cycle, meaning to say, their calendar is based on exact astronomical observations of the sun's longitude and moon phases.

The celebration largely takes place in China, naturally, but there are also other countries with a large Chinese population that also mark the day and welcomed the Year of the Wooden Horse. The biggest celebrations outside of mainland China are in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Chinese New Year is one of the most anticipated celebrations here in the Philippines. Even we are Filipinos, we thoroughly embraced the Chinese way of welcoming New Year. Well, it’s not a surprise anymore because of the fact that Manila Chinatown is actually the oldest Chinatown in the world. It’s been here since the 1590’s and so Chinese people have lived here for at least five centuries.

It only proves that there has been a significant Chinese presence in the Philippines even before the Spaniards arrived in the 15th century. In fact, Chinese Filipinos currently number four million, making up five percent of the Philippine population.

Hence, there has been harmonious relationship built among Filipinos and Chinese, way back then. More so, there is a great deal of mutual respect between the local Chinese and Filipinos and because of that, Chinese New Year is actually an official non-working holiday here.

During the Chinese Lunar New Year, Filipino-Chinese communities rejoice the event with festive parades of dancing lions and dragons in Binondo and other part of the country with sizable Chinese presence. This practice is said to attract prosperity, health and wisdom. They also clean the house thoroughly to fend off evil spirits.

A prominent feature of the Chinese New Year festivities in the Philippines is the Chinese sticky sweet treat known as tikoy or Chinese New Year pudding. It is sold in the months of January and February especially for the occasion. Made up of glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, sugar and water, it symbolizes the unity and harmony among friends and family members.

Red envelopes known as “ang pao” are prepared with money inside for wealth. And the same with our tradition, they also prepare various fruits and foods are set out on a table which is believed to bring in good fortune, but the difference is they only provide eight fruits unlike us with twelve. This is because number eight signifies good luck in Chinese.

The traditional lucky charms are also bought and displayed in the home in order to usher in abundance and good energy and to sweep away the bad lucks.

Feng shui is one of the famous customs during Chinese New Year. Feng shui experts are very famous in foretelling the year ahead as well as in providing lucky charms and advices on how to keep the good fortune.

These are just some of the famous practices and beliefs that prevail during this season of Chinese New Year. Filipinos actually adapt most of the Chinese belief most specially the concept of luck and fortune. But at the end of the day, no one can predict the future ahead of us, only God. And most importantly, hard work, perseverance and faith will be the best lucky charm in the world to pursue our dreams.