As the sun goes down on
February 7th, so ends the Year of the Rat. In the days prior to the
last sunset of the Chinese calendar, Chinese-Canadians across the country
will ritually clean their homes to banish the malevolent spirits. They
will cook meals for the days to come and families and friends will join
together to lay the way for a new year. When the sun has fully set, the
Year of the Ox begins.
The traditional Chinese lunar year begins at sunset on the day of the
second new moon following the winter solstice and is marked by fifteen
days of celebrations, culminating at the first full moon of the year.
Festivities commence with foods and rituals meant to invoke good luck,
prosperity, good health and longevity. Apples are for peace, oranges for
wealth and, the lotus seed for fertility. At midnight, firecrackers
explode in the streets to give the bad spirits their final send off.
Families stay awake through the night, eating, talking and reaffirming
their family ties.
New Year's Day is a family affair devoted to feasting and good cheer.
On the second day, married women visit their paternal homes, bringing
along their husbands and children. Shops and businesses reopen on the
fifth day, and life returns to normal. On the fifteenth day, celebrations
end when costumes of lions and dragons dance through the street during the
famous Lantern Festival.
Canada Salutes the Tradition
In Canada, these traditions may be slightly adapted
depending on the individual communities but the importance of reconfirming
the Chinese heritage remains the same. As Canada moves into the 21st
century, the contribution of Chinese-Canadians to our wonderful country
has never been greater. Canada Post has chosen to join with this vast and
vital community in celebrating the Year of the Ox. A special 45¢
stamp has been designed by two Chinese-Canadian artists and it will be
issued on January 7th in conjunction with the Hong Kong Postal
Administration and the People's Republic of China.
Chinese immigrants first arrived in search of gold in 1858. They
founded the first Chinese community in Canada at Barkerville, just south
of Prince George in British Columbia. The majority of these gold seekers
came from Guangdong province, an area between Canton and Hong Kong.
The Chinese community remained small until the 1880s, when 15,000 men
were brought into the country under contract to work on the B.C. section
of the Canadian Pacific Railway. When the trans-continental railway was
completed in 1885 many of these men returned to China, went to the USA, or
moved to other parts of Canada. Restrictive government policies of the
early part of this century prohibited further major immigration and it was
not until 1947 that these restrictions were relaxed.
To understand the phenomenal contribution to Canada of the
Chinese-Canadians one need only look at the prosperity of the areas in
which they have settled in the last 25 years. In the last four years alone
nearly 200,000 Chinese have entered Canada, making a national community of
almost 800,000 Canadians with Chinese heritage. Whereas their communities
in Vancouver and Toronto used to be concentrated in certain districts,
Chinese-Canadians now live side-by-side with the other cultural groups
that make up the rich brocade of this country. Across the world, 750
million Chinese one seventh of the earth's population will
celebrate the Year of the Ox.
The Chinese zodiac is based on a 12-year cycle within a calendar system
that has existed for over 5000 years. Each year is ascribed an animal
character, and within the year are twelve months divided in parts of 15
days. The names of these 15 day periods are poetic descriptions of the
weather, fauna and flora that occur during those periods.
"Excited Insects", "Clear and Bright", "Slight Heat", "Hoar Frost
Descends" are but to name a few. The Chinese calendar is the longest
unbroken calendar system known to us. It remains in use to this day
because it is considered sacred. The official calendar was presented to
the emperor, governors, and other dignitaries in an elaborate ceremony
each year on the first of the 10th month. Any changes were tightly
controlled by imperial authorities and the penalty for illegally tampering
with the time keeping system was death.
About the stamp design
Featured prominently on the stamp is a brush drawing of an ox. Above
the ox is a red-coloured diamond-shaped image, inside of which is the
Chinese character "fu" which means "good fortune", "happiness",
"well-being", and "absence of hardship." Red and gold, the main colours on
the stamp, are the traditional colours used by Chinese for celebrations
and to denote happiness, good luck, and wealth.
ScoutNet SA
LoveSigns.net
Twilight Zone
