by Patty Mah
     
     Ready for New Year's Eve?
     But first, a memory or two. Imagine hundreds
of people crowded on the streets, all partying in
exotic costumes, and joining in parades, your
voice barely audible over the music. Sounds like
fun? Well. actually, it's more like Mardi Gras.
     Chinese New Year, which comes tonight, is
just another excuse for Canadianized Chinese to
have another party. It's a nice in-between time
after Canadian New Year's celebrations and usually
before Valentine's Day. It's an excuse to
celebrate the January blahs.
     This year, Chinese New Year falls on February
10, according to the modernized Roman calendar.
The Chinese year follows a moon calendar in which
months are determined by the length of moon
cycles, similar to the zodiac signs that everyone
follows daily, except it only comes around once
every 12 years.
     This year will be the Year of the Dog. You
can be anything from a Rat, a Rabbit, an Ox to a
Dragon, depending on the year you were born. It is
said that your personality, your luck and your
destiny are already foretold, according to the
year in which you were born.
     Described as "Chinese", the lunar new year is
also important in Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and
surrounding countries, and to many people from
those lands who are now in Canada and around the
world.
     "My family had always celebrated Chinese New
Year, but I've lost touch with that since moving
to Canada to study, three years ago," says Terence
Beh, president of the Singapore-Malaysian Student
Association. He recalls that his family celebrates
the New Year with a "steam boat dinner", better
known as a Chinese fondue, on New Year's Eve, and
then out to watch the parades.
     "I hadn't celebrated Chinese New Year in
three years, he says. "Because of the small
Chinese population around Waterloo, there isn't
much to do."
     Helen Chen, a PhD student from Chongquin,
China, feels that "Chinese New Year is a very
important family celebration. It's a lot like
Western Christmas gatherings."
     Her family would get together on New Year's
Eve to have a traditional Chinese dinner,
consisting of at least nine courses (and that does
not include the stereotyped sweet and sour
chicken!). After dinner, the family would go to
"visit and pay respects to all my relatives around
the area and especially my grandparents."
     She adds, "I miss my family and my grand
parents very much. I always get homesick around
this time of year." Chen has been in Canada for
more than two years; this will be the third New
Year's that she has missed.
     Like the Western New Year's Eve, the Chinese
New Year's countdown is broadcast throughout the
country on television and radio. At the stroke of
midnight, every household and all the streets
light up like the Fourth of July with spectacular
firecracker shows. This is when the partying
begins!
     New Year's celebrations, like all universal
cultural holidays, will go on for most of the
night and even into the next day.
     The parades are the best part of the celebra
tions.
     As a child, I remember the streets filled
with people in traditional Chinese costumes and
watching the beautiful silk dragons dance. Store
owners would come out and hand out candies while
everyone else came out to watch the festivities
and hope to get flowers from the dragons,
symbolizing luck and prosperity in the new year.
     
     At least three major parties at UW are cele
brating the arrival of the Year of the Dog:
     ù Sunday night, the Central Ontario Chinese
Cultural Centre held its semi-formal at Federation
Hall, with a traditional dinner, a fashion show, a
traditional dragon dance, music and general
dancing.
     ù Last night, a group of associations held a
joint semi-formal at Fed Hall, with Chinese and
English music and lucky draws as well as dancing.
     The sponsors included the UW Chinese Student
Association, the Chinese Student Association of
Wilfrid Laurier University, the Hong Kong Student
Association, the Singapore-Malaysian Student
Association, and the Taiwan Student Association.
     ù Tonight, a third Federation Hall semi-formal
is hosted by the Chinese Students and Scholars
Association. It promises a traditional dinner,
karaoke, a fashion show, games and dancing.
     The dance is free, organizers say; dinner
tickets can be bought at the door for $10. The
party starts at 6 p.m.