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Hong Li and Chihiro Watanabe |
Chinese Lantern Festival
AES 130 Communications Skills
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Hong Li and Chihiro Watanabe |
Chinese Lantern Festival
In China, there are many traditional festivals, such as Chinese New Year, Moon Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and so on. One of the most interesting festivals is Lantern Festival.
On the 15 th of the first month of every year is Chinese Lantern Festival. It is also call YuanXiaoJie, which marks the end of the New Year's celebration and life goes back to normal. In this day, the people can appreciate the first full moon, many kinds of beautiful lanterns, and traditional Chinese fork performances. At the same time, you can taste special festival food.
Why it was called "Lantern Festival"
Like most other Chinese Festivals, there is also a story behind the lantern festival. As early as the Western Han Dynasty (206BC---AD25) it had become a festival. There are many different beliefs about the origin of the Lantern Festival. One legend tells us that it was a time to worship the God of Heaven in ancient times because the people thought that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. The second legend associates the Lantern Festival with Taoism that the Taoist god provided good fortune for the people, and his birthday falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The third story was to say that Buddhism first entered China during the reign of Emperor Mingdi of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which flourished in China. Emperor Mingdi ordered to light lanterns in the imperial palace and temples to show respect to Buddha on this day. Later, it became a grand festival among common people.
Lantern Shows and Lantern Riddles
One of the most interesting aspects, you can appreciate many beautiful lantern shows. During the night, lanterns of various shapes and sizes are hung in the street attracting countless visitors. Many families' houses display big red lanterns. Each different color lantern has a different meaning, such as, a red lantern placed outside a doorway tells of a birthday or marriage or it symbolizes good luck; a blue lantern, representing declining energy or sickness, indicates there is illness in the household. These lanterns, in beautiful colors and all kinds of shapes, show off the wonderful skill of the craftsmen who make them. Guessing the lantern riddles is an essential part of the festival. The posting of riddles called "Lantern Riddles", are written on pieces of paper and posted on lanterns or walls. If somebody solves the riddles he or she can get little gifts, and many kids love it very much.
Traditional Chinese Folk Performances
Anther interesting thing is traditional Chinese Folk Performances;
such as a dragon lantern dance( This exhibit features the legendary dragons of China. In their earliest form, dragons were associated with Great Mother, the Water God and Warrior Sun God. ) , a lion dance, a land boat dance and a yangge dance. Some kids go on the street with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, watching performances. Fireworks form a beautiful scene. Some local governments will even organize a fireworks party, which are shown in public.
Special food
Last, the traditional food - "YuanXiao" is very important, which is kind of dumping made of sweet rice rolled into balls and stuffed with either sweet or spicy fillings. In China, "Yuan" has the meaning of "reunion." Tang Yuan are often cooked in red-bean or other kinds of soup. The round shape symbolizes wholeness and unity. It is very easy to cook - simply dump them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes - and eaten as a desert.
There is really a lot of fun for the young and the old in the Lantern Festival. Some people also regard it as the Chinese Valentine's Day, and the youngest celebrate the festival with their lovers at such a beautiful and romantic evening.
Image Sources
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa070998.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival
http://www.olvera-street.com/html/lantern_festival.html
http://www.womenofchina.cn/quintessential_china/travel/tour_attractions/4288.jsp
http://www.sinica.edu.tw/tit/festivals/0296_Lantern.html
Japanese New Year
Chihiro Watanabe
Japanese New Year
New Year is called shogatsu and is the most important holiday of the year in Japan. Most people celebrate shogatsu with their family for the first three days or the first week of January. They believe the celebrations of shogatsu bring a good harvest and health and prosperity to one's family. Shogatsu has been celebrated since the 17 th , and there are a lot of shogatsu customs.
Japanese New Year's Food
Japanese people eat a variety of dishes ( osechi-ryori) for the first three days of shogatsu . Osechi-ryori was developed to lighten housewives' work for three days, so the food of osechi-ryori is sweet and sour to prevent it from spoiling. The food is put in lacquered boxes ( jubako), and each food symbolize s prosperity and good health. For example, herring roe ( kazunoko) means prosperity for one's descendants because it has many eggs. Sweet potatoes with chestnuts ( kurikinton) represent happiness because of the appearance like golden treasures. However, purchased osechi-ryori is getting popular now a days, and some people eat pizza and fried chicken on New Year's Day. In fact, in my home, we eat sushi and fried chicken in addit i on to osechi-ryori . Also, a soup with rice cakes ( zoni) is eaten.
New Year's Card
Japanese people exchange New Year's cards called nengajo with their friends, relatives, and co-workers during the first days of January. Nengajo started in the Meiji period (1868-1912) when postcards were issued. The postcards are posted until near the end of December to be delivered on January 1 st . There are some common phrases of nengajo such as "Happy New Year" ( akemashite omedeto gozaimasu ) and "I hope for your favor in the coming year" ( kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu ). Also, it's popular to print pictures of the animal for the coming year under the Chinese zodiac. Most postcards have lottery numbers, so it's one of pleasures of nengajo to check winning numbers published in newspapers in mid January. Finally, if there is a death in a family during the year, the family sends a simple postcard instead of nengajo to show respect to the dead.
New Year's Display
One of the New Year's customs is to display kagami-mochi which is formed by two round rice cakes. People display it in a household Shinto altar, a kitchen, and the hall. Kagami means a mirror in Japanese and named after the round shape like a mirror. Japanese people believed that the god visited homes and entered kagam-imochi . Also, an orange on the top is called daidai and means generations in Japanese.
Otoshidama
New Year's Day is a happy day for children because they can get money from their parents and relatives. This custom is called otoshidama . In Kamakura and Muromachi periods, Shinto shrines distributed worshippers kagami-mochi offered to the god, and this was the origin of otoshidama . The money is given in pochibukuro, a small envelope decorated with illustrations. Children receive otoshidama from close adults during shogatsu .
Hatsumoude
It's also traditional to visit a shrine or temple during shogatsu ( hatsumoude). People make a money offering and play for health, prosperity, and the safety of their families for the coming year. Students who are preparing for an examination pray for success on the examination. Also, people buy a small wooden board called ema and write a wish on it.
In this way, Japanese people celebrate shogatsu in a traditional manner. It has changed with the times, but it has been celebrated for centuries. I think shogatsu is one example of symbolic Japanese culture, so I hope Japanese people maintain it.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogatsu
http://www.japanlink.co.jp/ka/nenc1.htm
http://www.bento.com/fexp-osechi.html
http://www.ajinomoto.com/traditions/main.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2064.html
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/calendar/december/nengajo.html
Chinese Lantern Festival and Japanese New Year
Hong li and Chihiro Watanabe
China and Japan are located in Asia, and New Years is celebrated in both countries. There, there are some similarities between the Japanese New Years celebrations and the Chinese Lantern Festival, but even more differences between them.
There are some similarities between Chinese Lantern Festival and Japanese celebrations of New Year. First, both of the celebrations have a long history. The Lantern Festival started in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD25), while Japanese people have celebrated New Years since the 17 th century. The ways to celebrate New Years are different; however, people in both countries believe the celebrations bring good fortune and prosperity to them. Secondly, people eat traditional food made of rice in both countries on New Years. Chinese traditional food for New Years, called YuanXiao and Tang Yuan is made of rice, and kagami-mochi formed by two round cakes and a soup with rice cakes called zoni are eaten in Japan. In addition, the round shapes of Tang Yuan, and kagami-mochi have special meanings such as wholeness and fulfillment in the family. Finally, the Lantern Festival and shogatsu are most important celebrations in both countries.
Despite the many similarities of the Japanese New Years celebrations and the Chinese Lantern Festival, there are even more differences. First, Chinese Lantern Festival just lasts one day and one night, but Japanese New Year lasts one week. Second, in the Chinese Lantern Festival, people often just eat many kinds of YuaoXiao, but on New Year's Japanese people eat many different kinds of food; also the food of Chinese and Japanese has different meaning. Chinese food represents reunion, but Japanese food symbolized prosperity and good health. Third, Japanese and Chinese celebrate in different ways ; for example, there is a dragon lantern dance, a lion dance, a land boat dance, a yangge dance, lantern shows and lantern riddles; however, Japanese celebrate New Year with cards, display, Otoshidama, and Hatsumoude. Fourth,there are many different beliefs behind the Chinese Lantern Festival, and also it is the Chinese Valentine's day. Most people celebrate with their lovers. Japanese New Year only celebrates the New Year, and it is a family festival.
In conclusion, New Years is celebrated in China and Japan, and there are some interesting similarities and differences between both celebrations. We can learn that celebrations of both countries reflect each history and culture through this project.
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