You are invited to a new years party Chinese style. The 2002 Chinese Lunar New Year Party will be Saturday, Feb. 16, from 6 to 11 p.m. at the UNMC Student Life Center, 3908 Jones St. The event is co-sponsored by the UNMC International Studies and Programs, Chinese Student and Scholar Associations at UNMC, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Creighton University, and the Omaha Chinese Professional Association.
The party is open to the public and amenable to the whole family, including children. There will be a selection of original Chinese foods, karaoke singing, games, and popular music for ballroom style dancing. The festivities will begin in the gymnasium with a catered Chinese dinner and Chinese music in the background. Once everyone has been served, there will be a short program featuring several speakers (with Chinese/English interpretation) and a presentation by children from Omaha Chinese school, followed by dancing to Chinese popular music. There will be a separate room for karaoke singing, and a third room for ping-pong and other games.
Advanced tickets are now available. Anyone who plans to eat dinner is required to purchase their tickets in advance to insure adequate meal preparation. The deadline to purchase tickets for dinner is Wednesday, Feb. 13, by noon. There will be a limited number of additional dinners available for people who purchase tickets on the day of the party, but they will distributed on a first come, first served, basis and no additional food will be prepared after those dinners have been served. Advanced tickets are $6 per adult non-student and escort, $4 for students, escorts and children over 10, and $2 for children under 10. On the evening of the celebration, all ticket prices will increase by $1.
The actual day of this years Chinese New Year is Tuesday, Feb. 12. But the day doesnt fall on the same date each year, although it is always in January or February. Today, there are Chinese New Year celebrations all over the world. In Japan, Korea and Vietnam, for example, celebrations are known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. At one point in Chinese history, the current emperor designated the start of the New Year. Contemporary celebrations are based on Emperor Han Wu Dis almanac. It uses the first day of the first month of the Lunar Year as the start of Chinese New Year.
Legend tells of a village in China, thousands of years ago that was ravaged by an evil monster one winters eve. The follow year the monster returned and again ravaged the village. Before it could happen again, the villagers devised a plan to scare the monster away. Red banners were hung everywhere the color red has long been believed to protect against evil. Firecrackers, drums and gongs were used to create loud noises to scare the beast away. The plan worked and the celebration lasted several days during which people visited with each other, exchanged gifts, danced and ate tasty treats.
Celebrations today are both literal and symbolic. Spring-cleaning is started about a month prior to the New Year and must be completed before the celebrations begin. Typically, red packets with money tucked inside are given out as symbol of good luck. The amount is usually an even number as odd numbers are regarded as unlucky. Lions are considered to be good omens. The lion dance is believed to repel demons. Each lion has two dancers, one to maneuver the head, the other the back. During the New Year celebration, people try not fight or be mean to each other, as this will bring a bad, unlucky year.
Foods consumed the holiday are symbolic, as well. Typically, red meat is not served and people are careful not to serve or eat from a chipped or cracked plate. Fish is eaten to ensure long life and good fortune. Red dates bring the hope for prosperity, melon seeds for proliferation and lotus seeds means the family will prosper through time. Oranges and tangerines symbolize wealth and good fortune. Nian gao, a specially prepared rice cake, is always served for New Years. It is believed that the higher the cake rises, the better the year will be. When guests drop by, a prosperity tray is served. The tray has eight sides (another symbol of prosperity) and is filled with goodies like red dates, melon seeds, cookies and New Year cake. [Source material for this history of Chinese New Year is from www.web.holidays.com/lunar.]
Tickets may be purchased from any of the following sources:
· UNMC: Xinying Li, 559-4884; Xiaoguang Luo, 559-4035; Benjamin Xie, 559-3377; Zhenggang Pan, 5597753; Steve Daubendiek, 559-6414.
· UNO: Zheng Liu, 402-215-8315
· Creighton University: Hui Shen, 280-4996.
· Omaha Chinese School, located at Millard Public Library, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2:15 to 4:30 p.m. John Chen, 618-7863.
For more information, contact Daubendiek or the office of International Studies and Programs at 559-2924.