![]() “Lunar New Year is an important holiday in South Korea, and the Seollal is the same date as the Chinese Lunar New Year. Kyung Hyun Kim sits with his daughter, Sidd Kim, and wife, Yourim Lee, wearing hanbok for the Lunar New Year. Judy Wu, professor of history and Asian American studies and director of the Center for Liberation, Anti-Racism and Belonging Korea/Korean Americans Even as Chinese people in the U.S., and around the world, celebrate ‘tradition,’ they also invent new meanings and practices that reflect the diasporic context of their lives.” So, when I think of Lunar New Year, I reflect on how cultural practices shift over time and place. ![]() Republic of China, celebrating Lunar New Year, not the socialist incarnation of spring festival. engaged in conflicts with the People’s Republic of China, Chinatown residents reassured tourists that they were allied with the pro-U.S. This served as an economic lifeline for a community that originated from racial segregation in the 19th century and continued into the 20th century as one of the most underserved urban communities in the country. While the pageant represented an opportunity for young Chinese American women to connect with members of their community and to learn about Chinese culture, it also drew in tourists to patronize businesses. Ironically, my first publication on the Miss Chinatown Beauty Pageant explored how Chinese New Year’s celebrations, specifically those in San Francisco Chinatown, served multiple functions. So, even though I was aware of Lunar New Year (eating lucky foods like dumplings and fish, receiving red envelopes from elders in exchange for happy new year salutations and wishes of good fortune, or knowing my zodiac year - I am a monkey), it never felt like the important holiday that it was supposed to be. Since our family ran a restaurant, initially, and then a convenience store, we rarely had time for extended holiday celebrations. But it was a far cry from the large concentrations in Seattle and Vancouver, where we visited once a year to stock up on Chinese groceries and to eat dim sum. My family socialized with other small business owners and their families as well as international students and faculty. “I immigrated at the age of six and grew up in Spokane, Washington, which was home to a small Chinese American community. Photo: Glamour & Grace, from the CHSA Collection Penny Lee Wong was the first Miss Chinatown in 1948. Hu Ying, professor of East Asian studies How is Lunar New Year celebrated around the world? China/Chinese Americans People born in a year of the Rabbit are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded, and ingenious." The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity. In either version, the ox was to be the first to arrive, but the rat cheated by riding on the ox’s back and made a last-minute dash to the finish line. ![]() Then the Chinese folklore changed to a competition among the animals when the Jade Emperor was choosing palace guards. By about the first century AD, the 12 zodiac animals became matched to the more ancient calendar of a 60-year cycle used by the central states of China.Ī Buddhist legend tells of the animals rushing to bid farewell to the dying Buddha. "The 12-animal zodiac is important to people of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Tibet and other East Asian cultures, although its origin is somewhat obscure, possibly beginning in animal worship of northern nomadic tribes. The Department of East Asian Studies celebrates the 2023 Lunar New Year with a performance. ![]()
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