Chinese New Year in Indianapolis area celebrates family and good fortune, with customs that link the present to the past

Today marks the beginning of the 15-day Chinese New Year celebration, a holiday that focuses on family, good luck, prosperity and happiness.

"The Chinese New Year is, in a sense, equivalent to Thanksgiving here," said Zionsville resident Lixia Liu, who is from southeastern China. "It's a family reunion time. People try to get home."

You can just imagine how busy China has been in the past few days, said Diana Yung, past president of the Indiana Association of Chinese Americans. "All those people moving around to go home just to have dinner."

In her native Hong Kong, families gather on New Year's Eve, then spend the next several days visiting relatives and hosting parties. Government offices are closed, she said, and children get a break from school.

"It's very festive," she said.

For the more than 22,000 Chinese residents in Indiana, the holiday offers a chance to celebrate as well.

The Indianapolis Chinese Community Center hosted a Chinese New Year gala Sunday night at The Palladium in Carmel.

The Indiana Association of Chinese Americans will celebrate Saturday, Yung said, "with a typical, nine-course Chinese buffet," as well as dances and musical performances.

For Liu, the holiday meant a New Year's Eve dinner for her family.

"Not only to remember what it was like," she said, "but to let my children know."

A traditional New Year's Eve dinner features foods associated with good luck, such as a whole fish, which symbolizes abundance, and unbroken noodles, for longevity.

Boiled eggs, said Liu, symbolize smoothness, "like all would be smooth in the new year."

Chinese New Year celebrations also include "red pockets" or "hung bao," brightly colored envelopes with money typically given to children for luck in the new year.

"It's a very important thing," said Yung.

Firecrackers also play a role in the celebration, said Liu, telling the legend of a monster that was scared away by fire.

The holiday, also called the spring festival, features flowers, too, as a sign of new beginnings. The last day of the 15-day celebration is known as the lantern festival.

Chinese New Year, with its emphasis on luck and symbolism, might seem outlandish to those used to less fanciful holidays, Yung acknowledged.

"Some people would say we're superstitious," she said. "But we still keep the traditions because it's so fun."

 This article is derived from IndyStar

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This article is derived from IndyStar