sign in sign up
<<
Home , Lantern Festival

Lesson 20 VALIDATION COPY 1.0 JUNE 2007

Holidays and Cultural Traditions 傳統節日和文化 chuen tung yit yut woh mun fa

In this lesson you will learn about holidays and traditions observed in Hong Kong, along with appropriate phrases for these occasions and other more universal occasions such as birthdays.

Hong Kong people celebrate both Chinese and Western festivals. Major Chinese festivals include: Chinese Lunar New Year, Spring Lantern Festival, Ching Ming Festival, Tuen Ng Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Chung Yeung Festival. People living on the offshore islands also celebrate Tin Hou Festival which honors the goddess of the sea and the Bun Festival which celebrates “Buk Dike”, a Taoist god.

Major Western festivals celebrated in Hong Kong are: New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas. is also celebrated by foreigners living in Hong Kong and by some Hong Kong people, most of whom were born or have returned from overseas.

Chinese New Year 農曆新年 lung lik sun lin (Late January-Early February):

The marks the beginning of the new lunar calendar. Hong Kong comes to life with colorful lights, huge flower markets, waterfront parades, a spectacular fireworks display and action-packed Chinese New Year's horseracing, which is part of the Hong Kong New Year’s tradition. Pilgrims also head to the to divine their fortunes for the coming year. People hang red posters (like those in the picture) with lucky sayings at home as well. Elders are also expected to hand out red envelops (利是 lei si) stuff with paper money to the younger generation as well as to those who are still single for good luck.

Spring Lantern Festival 元宵節 yuen siu git (15th day of the Lunar New Year):

This day marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Based on an old Chinese tradition, flower markets, restaurants, homes and parks are filled with colorful lanterns in traditional designs. In the old days, unmarried men and women gathered to play matchmaking games with the lanterns to determine who their lovers would be.

304

Ching Ming Festival 清明節 ching ming git (Early April):

Also known as Tomb Sweeping Day (掃墓 so mo), Ching Ming is a time for showing respect to one's dearly departed and family ancestors. Many people make their way to their relatives' graves for a yearly offering of food and wine, as well as cleaning and beautifying the graves with fresh flowers.

Tin Hau Festival 天后誕 tin hou dan (Early May):

The Birthday of Tin Hau marks the birthday of the Taoist Queen of Heaven, the Goddess of the Sea and the patron saint of Seafarers. The entire fishing industry believes it owes its fortune to Tin Hau who protects them while they are at sea. Fishing boats decorated with colorful flags and banners sail to the local Tin Hau temples while Chinese Operas and parades featuring dancing lions put on an elaborate show.

Bun Festival 太平清醮 tai ping ching giu (Late May):

This celebration, which takes place in , includes parades, opera performances, and children dressed in colorful costumes. But the most spectacular features by far are the bun towers - large bamboo structures several stories high, piled with sweet buns. The bun towers are located in front of the Pak Tai , built in 1783 to commemorate Pak Tai, the Taoist God of the Sea, who, according to legend, threw the prince of evil out of heaven as well as pirates who used to raid the island. The festival also falls just before the start of the fishing season, so honoring the god is one way to ensure fair weather and a good catch. The buns, which have been blessed, are handed out to the people on the final day of the festival. In past years men competed in a race to climb up the towers and grab as many buns as possible. However, a tragic 1978 accident in which the structure collapsed forced the authorities to cancel the competition. Apart from the bun towers, the highlight of the festival takes place on the final day, with a parade where children are dressed in costumes as their favorite Chinese heroes and deities. They are placed on stilts to look as if they are floating above the crowds.

Tuen Ng Festival 端午節 duen ng git (Late June):

The Boat Festival combines a fast-paced sporting spectacular with a traditional festival. The 龍舟節 lung jeu git, commemorates the death of a popular Chinese national hero, Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Mi Lo River over 2,000 years ago to protest against the corrupt rulers. Legend says that as townspeople attempted to rescue him, they beat drums to scare fish away and threw

305 dumplings into the sea to keep the fish from eating Qu Yuan's body. The highlight of the festival is the fierce dragon boat race. Teams race the elaborately decorated dragon boats to the beat of heavy drums.

Mid-Autumn Festival (Late September):

The festival commemorates a 14th Century uprising against the Mongols. As a covert plan, the rebels wrote the call to revolt on pieces of paper and embedded them in cakes that they smuggled to compatriots. Today, during the festival, people eat special sweet cakes known as “Moon Cakes” (月餅 yuet ban) made of ground lotus and sesame seed paste, egg-yolk and other ingredients. Along with the cakes, shops sell colorful Chinese paper lanterns in the shapes of animals, and more recently, in the shapes of airplanes and space ships. Families take to the outdoor to light their lanterns (燈籠 dun lung) and watch the huge autumn moon rise while eating their moon cakes.

Chong Yang Festival 重陽節 chung yeung git (Late October):

This is a day to remember and respect one's ancestors. It is similar to the Ching Ming Festival in spring and there is also a legend connected to it. It is said that a virtuous farmer was advised to take his family to a high place on the ninth day of the ninth moon. When they came back, they discovered that they had escaped death as all the living things in the village had been slaughtered. And so began the Chung Yeung Festival where nowadays people take to the hills on hiking trips or go visit their ancestors’ graves.

306 1. Listen and repeat after the speaker.

Marriage 結婚 git fun Lantern 燈籠 dung lung

Birthday 生日 san yut Congratulate 祝賀 jok hor

Engagement 訂婚 ding fun Dragon boat 龍舟 lung jeu

Birth 出世 cheut sai Competition 比賽 bei choi

Funeral 葬禮/出儐 jong lei/cheut bun Moon cake 月餅 yuet bang

Gifts 禮物 lei mut Worship 拜神 bai sun Exchange 交換 gau wun Incense 香 heung Red envelope 利是 lei si Celebrate 慶祝 hing jok Sweep tomb 掃墓 so mo

2. Now match the terms with the correct pictures.

A B C D E

1. Birth 出世 cheut sai 2. Engagement 訂婚 ding fun 3.Birthday 生日 sung yut 4. Funeral 葬禮/出儐 jong lei/cheut bun 5. Marriage 結婚 git fun

307 3. Listen to the speaker and practice saying these phrases. Can you guess when the phrase is used?

生日快樂! Sang yut fai lok

恭喜發財！ Kung hai fat choi

新婚恭喜! Sun fun kung hei

折哀順變。 Jit oi shun bin

恭喜你添！ Kung hai nei tim ding

祝你好運！ Jok nei ho wan

新年快樂！ Sun lin fai lok

聖誕快樂！ Sing dan fai lok

CULTURAL NOTES

Birth

Many customs relate to the behavior and environment of the pregnant Chinese woman. Working with glue or other adhesives may cause birth complications and hammering nails is thought to cause deformity in the fetus. Restraints in daily life are also required of the mother: the use of foul language must be avoided as this may cause the baby to be cursed and so is torturing, striking or killing an animal: anthropomorphic results may occur. For example, it is believed if a rat is struck, the newborn child will look like a rat and behave like one! The major responsibility for the care of the pregnant woman rests on her mother-in-law rather than on her husband. The production of a male heir is of paramount importance in Chinese culture because male descendants are essential to ensure the continuance of ancestor worship and the continuity of family lineage and name. Therefore, some Chinese may seek the help of a holy man or shaman if male offspring do not appear. Superstition has it that a couple should eat certain types of food for the seven days leading to conception to conceive a certain sex baby: tofu, mushrooms, carrots and lettuce for a male child, pickles, meat and fish for a female. A good name for a child is considered equally important. The Chinese think a name may somehow determine the future of the child. Therefore, all possible factors must be taken into account when they are naming their children. According to the customs, relatives and friends receive gifts from the child's parents. Types of gifts vary from place to place, but eggs dyed red are usually a must. To the Chinese, eggs symbolize fertility. After a baby is born, parents may hold a "red egg and ginger party," where they pass out hardboiled eggs to announce the birth.

308 The first important event for the newly born baby is the one-month celebration (滿月 mun yuet). In Buddhist or Taoist families, on the morning of the baby's 30th day, sacrifices (chicken, pig, etc.) are offered to the gods and the ancestors, so they are virtually informed of the arrival of the new member in the family and provide protection for the baby in its subsequent life.

Birthday

Traditionally, Chinese people do not pay a lot of attention to birthdays until they are 60 years old. The 60th birthday is regarded as a very important point of life and therefore there is often a big celebration. After that, a birthday celebration is held every ten years, for the 70th, the 80th, etc. Generally, the older the person, the greater the celebration. In Chinese culture, 60 years makes a cycle of a person’s life and 61 is regarded as the beginning of a new life cycle. When one is 60 years old, he is expected to have a big family filled with children and grandchildren. It is an age to be proud of. That's why elderly people start to celebrate their birthdays at 60. Regardless of the scale of the celebration, Chinese peaches and noodles, which are both signs of long life, are required. But, generally, the peaches are not real. They are actually steamed wheaten food with sweet stuff inside. When the noodles are cooked, they should not be cut short, for the shortened noodles negatively implies a shortened life. The typical birthday presents are usually two or four eggs, long noodles, artificial peaches, tonics, wine and money in red paper. Marriage

Arranged marriages were once common in Chinese society but are now rare and viewed as old-fashioned. Marriage is usually now based on the individual choices of the two people involved. However, once the couple has chosen each other, the arrangements are usually taken over by the parents (or older relatives), thus observing traditional customs and superstitions. Chinese men tend to marry fairly late in life, as they need to save up for the expense of the wedding because a Chinese wedding can be very expensive, especially where the involved families are of high social status. Two important components of the Chinese culture are—the need to avoid embarrassment (“to save face”), and the need to conspicuously display wealth and prosperity—come heavily into play when coordinating a wedding and especially the marriage of the eldest son. Failure to provide a lavish wedding is likely to lower the status of the family, bring shame upon them and bring criticism from relatives. There are several stages to a Chinese wedding and are usually overseen by the groom’s parents (or older relatives). Wedding planning is highly time-consuming. The process begins when the parents are informed of their child’s intentions and, if they are in agreement, a meeting between the two families is arranged.

309 Engagement

If preparations for the wedding can not be made within the specified time period or the couple does not wish to “rush into” marriage, an engagement will occur first, but only with the bride’s parents’ consent. The engagement is usually a simple affair, with an exchange of rings (worn on the third finger of the left hand), and the engagement is of an unspecified time period. Chinese engagements are not a binding commitment to marriage, but an indication that the couple intends to marry. Engaged couples may sometimes live together as man and wife (with their parents’ consent), but formal marriage is always preferred because it is more proper in the eyes of others.

Funeral

The burial of the dead (cremation is traditionally uncommon) is a matter taken very seriously in Chinese society. Improper funeral arrangements can wreak ill fortune and disaster upon the family of the deceased. To a certain degree, Chinese funeral rites and burial customs are determined by the age of the deceased, the manner of his/her death, his/her status and position in society and his/her marital status. Chinese cemeteries are generally located on hillsides as this is thought to improve the feng shui (風水). Feng Shui, which literally means "wind and water", is a Chinese practice of arranging elements to achieve the greatest harmony and balance. When the procession arrives at the graveside, the coffin is taken down from the hearse and all present turn away from it. They also turn away when it is lowered into the grave. Family members and other relatives throw a handful of earth into the grave before it is filled. After the funeral, all clothes worn by the mourners will be burned in order to avoid the bad luck associated with death. After the coffin is buried, the keeper of the cemetery will also offer prayers for the deceased. Family members and relatives are presented with a red packet (a sign of gratitude from the deceased family, and the money contained in it must be spent) and a white towel, another sign of gratitude but also for funeral guests to wipe off perspiration. The eldest son of the deceased then retrieves some earth from the grave to be placed in an incense holder. The family worships the deceased at home by burning incense in front of an ancestral tablet.

4. Familiarize yourself with the following holidays as you listen to their names. Guess which ones are of a religious nature and which are civil observances. Label them accordingly.

假期 ga kei 勞動節 lo dung git 新年 sun lin 聖誕節 sing dan git 情人節 ching yun git 農曆新年 lung lik sun lin 復活節 fuk wut git 元宵 yuen siu 母親節 mo chun git 清明節 ching ming git 父親節 fu chun git 端午節 duen ng git

310 中秋節 chung chau git 國慶 gwok hing 重陽節 chung yeung git

5. Match the words on the left with their English equivalents on the right.

農曆新年 lung lik sun lin Holiday 母親節 mo chun git New Year’s Day 中秋節 chung chau git Valentine’s Day 聖誕節 sing dan git Easter 重陽節 chung yeung git Mother’s Day 端午節 duen ng git Father’s Day 情人節 ching yun git Labor Day 清明節 ching ming git Christmas 元宵 yuen siu Chinese Lunar New Year 復活節 fuk wud git National Day 新年 sun lin Ching Ming Festival 父親節 fu chun git Tuen Ng Festival 假期 ga kei Mid-Autumn Festival 勞動節 lo dung git Chong Yang Festival 國慶 gwok hing Spring Lantern Festival

6. Fill in the blanks with the correct holiday or occasion. Choose from the following: 新年 sun lin 情人節 ching yun git 復活節 fuk wud git 聖誕節 sing dan git 農曆新年 lung lik sun lin 元宵 yuen siu 清明節 ching ming git 端午節 duen ng git 中秋節 chung chau git 生日 sung yut

311

1. 我同屋企人喺______去掃墓。Ngo tung uk kei yun hai_____hui so mo.

2. 我哋喺______交換禮物。Ngo dei hai______gau wun lei mut.

3. 親友都嚟祝賀我公公六十歲______。 Chun yau do lei jok hor ngo kung kung luk sup sui______.

4. 細路仔喺______玩燈籠同埋食月餅。 Sai lo jai hai______wan dung lung tung mai sik yuet bang.

5. ______我哋去睇龍舟比賽。______ngo dei hui tai lung chau bei choi.

6. 佢哋喺______逗利是。Kui dei hai______dau lei si.

312 End-of-Lesson Tasks

1. Write the appropriate greeting or phrase for each holiday or occasion pictured below.

2. What would you say to someone on the following occasions?

1. New baby 2. Funeral 3. Christmas 4. Marriage

313 Vocabulary List

Birth 出世 cheut sai Birthday 生日 sang yut Celebrate 慶祝 hing jok Chinese New Year 農曆新年 lung lik sun lin Ching Ming Festival 清明節 ching ming git Chong Yang Festival 重陽節 chung yeung git Christmas 聖誕節 sing dan git Competition 比賽 bei choi Congratulate 祝賀 jok hor Dragon boat 龍舟 lung chau Easter 復活節 fuk wud git Engagement 訂婚 ding fun Exchange 交換 gau wun Father’s Day 父親節 fu chun git Funeral 葬禮/出儐 jong lei/cheut bun Gifts 禮物 lei mut Holiday 假期 ga kei Incense 香 heung Labor Day 勞動節 lo dung git Lantern 燈籠 dung lung Marriage 結婚 git fun Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節 chung chau git Moon cake 月餅 yuet bang Mother’s Day 母親節 mo chun git National Day 國慶 gwok hing New Year’s Day 新年 sun lin Red envelope 利是 lei si Spring Lantern Festival 元宵 yuen siu Sweep tomb 掃墓 so mo

314 Tuen Ng Festival 端午節 duen ng git Valentine’s Day 情人節 ching yun git Worship the gods 拜神 bai sun

315

Answer Key

2.

1. Birth 出世 cheut sai A

2. Engagement 訂婚 ding fun C

3.Birthday 生日 sung yut B

4. Funeral 葬禮/出儐 jong lei/cheut bun E

5. Marriage 結婚 git fun D

3.

生日快樂! Happy Birthday! 恭喜發財！ Congratulation and Good fortune! (Chinese New Year) 新婚恭喜! Congratulation for the newly wed! 折哀順變。 Please lessen your sorrow by accepting the unfortunate change of event. (Funeral) 恭喜你添丁！Congratulation on your new baby! 祝你好運！ Wish you good luck! 新年進步！ Prosperity for the New Year! (Jan. 1 New Year’s Day) 聖誕快樂！ Merry Christmas!

4.

Holiday New Year’s Day Valentine’s Day Easter Mother’s Day Father’s Day Labor Day Christmas Chinese Lunar New Year Spring Lantern Festival Ching Ming Festival

316 Tuen Ng Festival Mid-Autumn Festival Chong Yang Festival National Day

5. 農曆新年 Chinese Lunar New Year 母親節 Mother’s Day 中秋節 Mid-Autumn Festival 聖誕節 Christmas 重陽節 Chong Yang Festival 端午節 Tuen Ng Festival 情人節 Valentine’s Day 清明節 Ching Ming Festival 元宵 Spring Lantern Festival 復活節 Easter 新年 New Year’s Day 父親節 Father’s Day 假期 Holiday 勞動節 Labor Day 國慶 National Day

6.

1. My family and I go sweep the tomb on Ching Ming Festival. 2. We exchange gifts on Christmas. 3. Relatives all come to congratulate my grandpa on his 60th birthday. 4. Children play with lanterns and eat moon cake on Mid-Autumn Festival. 5. On Tuen Ng Festival, we go watch the dragon boat competition. 6. They receive red envelopes on Chinese New Year.

End-of-Lesson Tasks 1. 新年快樂！ 恭喜發財！ 生日快樂! 祝你好運！

317 2. 1. 恭喜你添丁！ 2. 折哀順變。 3. 聖誕快樂！ 4. 新婚恭喜!

318