Jan 22, 2004, 12.00am IST
Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year which has been designated the Year of the Monkey, 4701. The date is computed on the basis of the Chinese Lunisolar Calendar which harmonises both the lunar cycle and the solar year by incorporating astronomical observations of the phases of the moon and the apparent path of the sun.
The Chinese New Year is celebrated on the second new moon (lunar) after the winter solstice (solar). The winter solstice occurs when the apparent path of the sun reaches its lowest point on the horizon.
To an observer in the northern hemisphere, the sun reaches its lowest height of the year on that day. The shadow it casts is the longest. For an observer in the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true.
The Chinese calendar normally has 12 moons or months in a year. Since the moon has a 29.5-day cycle, each month is rounded off to either 29 or 30 days.
The ability to determine the seasons, especially the arrival of spring, is vital to an agricultural society. By measuring the length of the shadow cast upon a pole, ancient Chinese astronomers quantified the seasons into 24 intervals of roughly 15 days each.
Due to variations in the motion of the earth, the summer intervals are slightly longer than the winter ones. Chinese astronomers settled for a value of 235 lunations or months in 19 years. The Chinese new year coincides with the spring festival.
In the Chinese lunar calendar, one of the schemes for counting years is a 12-year cycle. Instead of designating 12 special symbols for this purpose, 12 animals are used to represent these 12 years. Rabbit (hare), for example, is the fourth year of the cycle.
On New Year's eve, families enjoy a festive meal and visit colourful flower markets, especially in Hong Kong, open virtually all night long, to shop for lucky flowers and plants to herald the Lunar New Year.
Later, around midnight, people offer prayers at the temple, hoping their wishes will be granted throughout the year.
In Hong Kong, the New Year is a huge event. You can catch all the excitement of Chinese New Year with a visit to the flower markets in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay or Fa Hui Park in Mong Kok. Strolling along the promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui affords a splendid view of the harbourfront.
On New Year, local people greet one another thus: ‘‘Kung Hei Fat Choi'' — Wish you a prosperous New Year — and hand out red Lai See packets containing money to children and unmarried adults.
That evening families often enjoy a vegetarian dinner with dishes that signify good fortune for the year to come.
On the second day of the New Year, the Chinese tradition is followed of visiting relatives with sweets, cho-colates or fruit. You start the new year with a sumptuous lunch featuring dishes whose names signify good fortune and blessings.
Today, too, Lai See packets are distributed.
On the third day of the New Year, families visit Che Kung Temple. The Che Kung festival actually falls on the second day of the Chinese New Year.
However, in Hong Kong people visit the temple on the third day because it is believed that people are prone to quarrel on that day.
The Spring Lantern Festival is celebrated on the first moon, on the fifteenth day of the New Year. Popularly referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day, this festival draws to a close the Chinese New Year celebrations.
Based on an old Chinese tradition, flower markets, restaurants, homes and parks are filled with colourful lanterns in traditional designs. This is the time for match-making when girls and boys meet one another in the backdrop of the colourful lanterns.
Vibha
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