Year of the Tiger Celebrations Sweep Away 2021's Evils
No passerby can resist the allure of the lion or dragon dance. Photo: Tammy Chan
By TAMMY CHAN, EMILY LAW, and JIA YU WU
As the firecrackers crackled and whistled, loud cheers erupted from the large crowd gathered at the Sara D. Roosevelt Park in Manhattan’s Lower East Side on January 22. Drums roared and Chinese cymbals clanged as people paraded yellow and red dragons and danced in lion suits. Chinese pop songs blasted out of speakers as groups of young women danced in unison on the streets. Even through the obligatory face masks, the wafting smell of pork fried dumplings drifted through the air, creating a warm atmosphere to announce the arrival of the Year of the Tiger, symbolizing strength, bravery, and the exorcizing of evils.
This year represented a return to how a lot of Asian Americans celebrated Lunar New Year before the pandemic, by going outside, sharing laughs, watching traditional dances together, and enjoying the sense of familiarity that the holiday brings. This year the fun was back, though not quite in full force, as some pandemic concerns still linger.
“We can’t all gather at a dim sum or a fancy restaurant anymore,” said Jin Wei Lian ‘23. “The pandemic has also canceled plenty of flights so not everyone can come home for Lunar New Year.”
Jiaxin Liu ‘23 said, “We used to go out to eat if the weather was good, but now due to the pandemic, my parents don’t really want to be in crowds of people, so we just stay home.”
There are several Lunar New Year parades throughout the Asian American neighborhoods of New York, but the most famous starts off on the corner of Hester Street and Mott Street in Manhattan’s Chinatown and continues towards the Manhattan Bridge, ending on Eldrige and Forsyth Street.
With red lanterns thrown onto the streetlights, the booming vibrations of the red Bolang Gu, and of course, the crowded dances driving away evil spirits to make way for the new year, the festival brought some life back to Chinatown, a neighborhood that was severely damaged by lost business and tourism over the last two years.
In addition to watching the parade, many other traditions are done at home to create a “clean slate” for the coming year, such as doing a clean sweep of your house and adorning it with red and gold decorations.
Multigenerational family reunions and big family dinners are also a centerpiece of Lunar New Year, but this year, like last, didn’t see the same levels of reunion, many students said.
“I love being able to be with my family,” said Lian. “We aren’t able to gather together much, so this once-a-year meetup to celebrate the new year is really special to me.”
The dialing back of family get-togethers has been disappointing for many. “It’s causing me to feel less connected to my own culture because the family reunion is a huge part of Lunar New Year, and stripping it makes Lunar New Year almost impossible,” said Christine Liu. “I barely see my cousins and relatives anymore. I miss talking to them.”
“My family wasn’t able to do much this year because of Covid,” junior Tiffany Lin said. “With the pandemic still going on, many of my family gatherings were shortened to only close relatives.”
“It’s like the same year repeated,” said Liu.
One thing that hasn’t changed much though is the New Year’s feast: broiled fish filets with pickled sour lettuce topped with chili peppers, beef boiled in star anise and bay leaf, sweet rice cakes, ginseng chicken soup, fried spring rolls, braised pork belly with eggs – the menus described by students of different Asian backgrounds sounded mouth-watering.
“Drinking ginseng chicken soup makes me realize that a whole year has passed and makes me excited for the new year,” said junior Viny Li.
Arguably the most popular tradition amongst teens is the giving of red envelopes packed with cash. Originally given to young children to protect them from evil spirits, these “hongbao” — decorative envelopes featuring their family name or other motivational phrases — are now given to children of all ages.
“My close relatives give me red envelopes, and personally, it means I have grown a little older and that this is the elders' way of supporting me in a new year as I become more mature,” said Lian.
“People call it yā suì qián – ‘lucky money’ – and what that means is similar to yā shuì qián – ‘sleeping on money,’” said Jiaen Chen. “My parents would give it to me and put it under my pillow. This means that the bad things will go away and I will be safe.”
Despite some limitations, Lunar New Year 2022 “was still a great time,” said Junior Fenny Cao. “My mom cooked a lot of yummy food and I got to eat cake, cook, and go outside.”
“I enjoy it a lot, more than Christmas or anything else because so much happens in such a short amount of time. It’s insane, and I love it,” said Lian.
“It’s a sign of rebirth to me,” said Christine Liu. “Lunar New Year is a new start with new ideas, plans, and a bigger future.”