 Happy New Year! The Year of the Ox!You are probably thinking about getting me an updated calendar. Here it is well into 1997 and I am offering you New Year's greetings. I will take this chance to wish you all the Lord's blessings in 1997 and I will also try and introduce you to the Chinese New Year. In some respects, the Chinese New Year is not unlike that celebrated in the USA. The New Year brings the feeling of renewal. The old year goes, and with it go old misfortunes and old wrongs; the new year comes and brings the chance for starting afresh. For the Chinese people, Chinese New Year is the most important holiday of the year. Preparations for the New Year holiday start already weeks in advance. For example, two weeks before New Year is the special day for sweeping the floors. At that time a complete house cleaning begins in every home. Nothing is left untouched. After the house is in order, Chinese housewives will begin stocking up for the New Year holiday. This is the time of the year when shops make much money as people go out to buy all the food that they will prepare and eat over the coming days. Once New Year's Day has dawned no one may use a knife or do any work at all for at least two days. Because of this, the days just prior to New Year's are the busiest of the year in the kitchen. All food must be readied. New Year's also means buying presents which are given to family and friends. In this way, the Chinese New Year is similar to the Western celebration of Christmas. The commercial impact of New Year's is also equal to that of Christmas in the west. This year, Chinese New Year fell on the 7th of February. Suffice it to say that the day for the Chinese New Year is set according to the Lunar Calendar. Although there are variations, this is the time of the year when it is traditionally believed that the Kitchen God ascends to heaven to give a report about you and your family during the past year. According to lore, the Kitchen God is the deity that best knows you and your family because he lives in your kitchen. If you eat three meals a day and need to cook three meals a day, you spend much time in the kitchen, right? In order to make sure the Kitchen God gives a sweet report to the powers-that-be in heaven, people will set out candy for the Kitchen God to enjoy and, by so doing, sweeten the words that he will use in his report. Children are not welcomed in the kitchen for fear that they would reveal something bad that the Kitchen God would hear. No arguing in the kitchen! New Year's Eve is the climax of the New Year's celebration. On this day, every home will be sure to put up their Chuen Lien or Spring Couplets. These couplets are poem-like banners which state wishes for good fortune and blessings in the New Year.
Out with the old and in with the new! Buying new clothing for every member of the family is a common custom for the Chinese New Year. The greeting for the day is Gong Shee, Gong Shee! Which means "Congratulations, you have made it through another year!" For many Chinese people, New Year's is a time to go home and be with family. For Chinese Christians in Taiwan, Chinese New Year can be one of the most difficult times of the year. Why? For many, New Year's is a time for remembering and paying your respects to (worshipping) your ancestors. Many Chinese Christians, because of their faith in Jesus, will be persecuted during this time of the year. When they return home for New Year's, as is expected of them, they will be faced with the pressures of being expected to worship their ancestors. Pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray that the Lord would strengthen their faith and prepare them to face persecution for His name's sake. "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted… continue in what you have learned and become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 3:12f
Kevin Stellick |
The couplets
come with three sayings similar to the ones you see. One
is hung over the doorway to your home and the other two
on each side of your doorway. For example, the Christian
couplets that we have by our door say: "Every
blessing springs forth from the Lord. The spring breezes
excite me to spread the Gospel. The warmth of spring
moves me to search the Scriptures." The couplets are
written in Chinese characters. These Chuen Lien have
offered us another chance to witness our faith as
Christians here in a land where only 5 percent confess
Christ as Savior.