Lesson 20 VALIDATION COPY 1.0 JUNE 2007

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Lesson 20 VALIDATION COPY 1.0 JUNE 2007 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. Halloween 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 Chinese New Year 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 temples 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 Cheung Chau, 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 temple, 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 Dragon Boat Festival combines a fast-paced sporting spectacular with a traditional festival. The Dragon Boat Festival 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 Han Dynasty 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.
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