FOR as long as I’ve been on Saipan, I’ve celebrated the new year twice — first on Jan. 1 and then on Lunar New Year, what the Chinese community refers to as the “Spring Festival.” 2022 marks the Year of the Tiger, the third animal in the Chinese zodiac.
Rose Chan
Growing up, my family members would be working far away from home. They would make the journey home the day before Lunar New Year to celebrate. Long ago, my family would arrive by foot or horse and finally, they would be together before the big celebration. We’d have a big family feast and enjoy everyone’s presence.
Traditionally, a week before the Spring Festival, Asian people will clean to sweep out bad luck from the previous year. In China, the Spring Festival signifies new beginnings and offers good luck for the rest of the year. Similar to the local community, we’d “amen” or give blessings to the elderly.
Most people have experienced the Lunar New Year’s famous red lion dance. The lion would move to the beat of the drums playing in the background. This iconic experience signifies the chasing of evil spirits that may be lurking around you, which is why we give out hóngbāo, the red envelope filled with money, to family and friends. The envelopes are gifts of good wishes and good luck for the years ahead.
On behalf of our local Chinese community, I encourage everyone to stop by Feb. 1 to enjoy the lion dance in front of the TSL Plaza at 10 a.m. or the JP Center at 10:20 a.m. It is a great time to embrace the positive traditions of the Lunar New Year like getting rid of the bad and old and welcoming the new and the good.
For our Chinese community, the Marianas may be a second home, but we take pride in being a part of the local community. We will continue to do our part to help make the Marianas a great place to live for all its residents. One of our biggest projects continues to be the adoption of the Susupe Beach Park through Governor Council of Economic Advisers’ Public Private Partnership program. We have committed to maintaining it for the next five years.
We look forward to the Year of the Tiger and more positive things to come for the Marianas. “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (Happy New Year)!
Rose Chan is vice president of the Chinese Association of Saipan.
