The year of the snake will start on Feb. 10for the Chinese culture.
“The Chinese’s New Year for us is huge, it is kind of like Christmas in United States,” Haoran Huang, a senior student from Florida Southern College, said.
Red will be the predominant color for the good luck. A person who was born in the snake year will mostly wear that color. It can be anything from shoes to accessories.
“Most of the older people, like my grandmother, believe in those superstitions. Up to our generation don’t believe that much anymore,” Huang said.
For younger people, it is traditional to buy new gifts to celebrate the New Year.
Huang used to buy his entire outfit. A few years later he stopped doing that and left that tradition to younger kids.
In the culinary aspect, the tables will be filled up with chicken, vegetables, meat and rice.
According to Huang the predominant dish in the festival is called dumplings. Dumplings are made with sweet or savory sauce. Sugar and other sweet things may be served to symbolize that the upcoming year will be also be sweet.
In order to deliver the meal on time, Chinese people prepare the food four hours prior to dinner, since there are usually large families around 20 to 30 people.
Fireworks with all types of colors and shapes fill up the sky at night. Huang says that when the dinner is over, everyone goes out to watch and launch the pyrotechnics.
Some people that are not young but not that old either, go out to celebrate partying with their friends to different clubs. However it is not that popular.
Families and friends get together in the night to have dinner. The dress code is very simple. Red for those who need and believe in the good luck or you can dress simple and comfortable. Whatever makes you feel better to receive the New Year.
If you were far away from your siblings, people would go back to their hometown and get together.
For Huang, the fun part of the evening is getting money from the older people in his family. They call it “ The Lucky Money.”
He has not been able to celebrate the New Years with his family since he goes to school here at Florida Southern College.
This situation does not stop tradition though, so he will gather together with his other Chinese friends and celebrate it. This is part of his culture and part of who he is so little details like that will not stop him from the joy.
