Holy Cross Celebrates the Chinese New Year

"Gong Xi Fa Cai!" A Chinese Lunar New Year Party will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. in the Faculty Lounge, Room 526, of Stein Hall. Sponsored by the Chinese language department, the party is free and open to the Holy Cross community. E-mail Professor Claudia Ross if you wish to attend.

The party will celebrate the Chinese Year of the Snake. Food will be served, including Chinese dumplings, which all are invited to help prepare at 5 p.m. In addition, there will be entertainment provided by students in the College's Chinese program. The highlight of the evening will be a traditional Chinese lion dance at 7 p.m. that will welcome in the New Year.

The Chinese view the lion dance as a vehicle for dispensing the good blessings of heaven to the whole community. It is performed at many celebrations, and represents the hopes of the Chinese people for all the good things in life.

The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600 B.C.; the Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year based on the cycles of the moon. The calendar names each of the 12 years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth; only 12 came and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived.

The snake has positive connotations within Chinese culture; people born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be good-looking, intelligent and successful. The snake is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac; anyone born in one of the following years is a snake: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001.