Year of the Goat

Dec. 27, 2014

While Westerners are pulling out their fancy clothes, champagne and noisemakers this week, people who honor Eastern traditions won’t be celebrating their new year until February.

In 2015, the Chinese New Year’s Eve falls on Feb. 18, with Feb. 19-21 considered the official holiday of Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival. Each year, it’s considered a major event on the Chinese calendar, meaning most Chinese have at least 5 days off work.

So where does the goat come in? Chinese New Year is aligned with the Chinese Zodiac, which has 12 animal signs. Each sign represents one year and runs for a 12-year cycle beginning on Chinese New Year’s Day. Each sign has its own specific characteristics.

Similar to Western astrology and horoscopes, people born under each animal sign are thought to have the attached personality traits. The goat, for instance, is said to be mild-tempered, polite, dependable, pessimistic and shy.

Now, let’s celebrate! There are plenty of traditions surrounding Chinese New Year and lots of legends too.

In Chinese folk culture, it’s said that the Nian, a strong and fierce monster, would attack people and livestock on the first day of the New Year, scaring the Chinese into hiding. Later, they discovered that the Nian was frightened of the color red, so the people hung red lanterns and red scrolls on their windows and doors, using the color and also noisy, bright fireworks to drive the Nian away.

Red decorations and fireworks have become customary for most Chinese New Year celebrations, as you’ll see in Eastern towns and also in the Chinatown neighborhoods of major cities worldwide.

Wearing red – especially new clothes from head to toe, symbolizing an abundant beginning to the new year – and hanging some traditional red Chinese lanterns is a good start for your celebration. But, make sure your house is clean first in order to sweep away the bad luck of the old year and welcome in the new.

Put away those brooms before your New Year’s Eve celebration starts, though. No cleaning is done on New Year’s Day to prevent sweeping away your newly-arrived good luck.

Red envelopes or "packets" are another part of the festivities. They are filled with money and given to youth as a gift. The amount must always be an even number. Other small gifts are often exchanged, as well, typically oranges, miniature cakes or chocolates.

In countries where fireworks are allowed, the displays are spectacular and multi-colored and usually accompanied by strings of small red firecrackers lit in the streets by citizens to continue the tradition of scaring the evil spirits away.

Of course there will be food, and plenty of it! A big reunion dinner called Nian Ye Fan is usually held on New Year’s Eve, gathering relatives at the home of the eldest family member.

Particular ingredients are popular in this dinner’s dishes, as they have names that sound similar to words for luck or prosperity. For instance, the pronunciation of fish sounds like the word for surpluses and the pronunciation of leek sounds like the word for calculating money.

Buddha’s Delight, a vegetarian dish, is a popular entrée, as are Jau Gok (dumplings), noodles cut as long as possible (for long life), taro or turnip cakes and raw fish salad, while desserts are typically mandarin oranges, dried fruit or sweets. Usually eight dishes total will be served, as this is considered a number of good fortune. If you’d like to celebrate Chinese New Year, following some of these food traditions is both delicious and a lot of fun.

But The Year of the Goat, or any Chinese New Year for that matter, doesn’t necessarily end on New Year’s Day.

After the yearly family photo is shot, the red envelopes are passed out and the reunion dinner is over, New Year’s festivities can continue for up to 15 days, depending on the community. This should guarantee a prosperous year full of good fortune – and lots of celebrating in the meantime.

"X n Nián H o!" (Happy New Year!)

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE YEAR OF THE GOAT

--- If you were born in 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991 or 2003, you’re a Goat! Those born in 2015 will be Goats, too.

--- The Year of the Goat is also called Year of the Sheep or Ram.

--- The Goat’s lucky colors are red, green and purple.

--- The Goat’s lucky fl ower is the primrose.

--- Thomas Edison, actor Bruce Willis, Matt LeBlanc (Joey on "Friends"), Muhammad Ali, Claire Danes ("Homeland") and former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau are all Goats.