Imlek, a symbol of reconciliation and hope

Imlek, a symbol of reconciliation and hope

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Gong Xi! Gong Xi! The Chinese word for congratulations is being
heard all around the world this weekend with Chinese New Year
falling on Saturday.

Beyond all the festivities -- the lion and dragon dances, the
food, the clothes and the commercialism -- there is an
interesting history behind the holiday which goes back thousands
of years.

Chinese New Year is not a religious celebration, but rather a
tradition to welcome the arrival of spring.

"China is an agricultural country, so people depend very much
on the change of seasons or weather," said Eddy Prabowo Witanto,
a lecturer at the University of Indonesia's School of Chinese
Studies.

"After a long dreary winter, spring represented a hope for
better things to come."

At the time the Chinese set up their calendar system, which
was 2,554 years ago, spring was then the highlight of it.

"The calendar was called Yinli. Hokian people -- an ethnic
group who make up the majority of Chinese-Indonesians -- however,
pronounce it Imlek, and that's how we call the Chinese New Year
here until now," Eddy said.

In contrast to the festivities surrounding the holiday, Imlek
is not a public ceremony, but a sort of thanksgiving where
families and relatives gather in one house and pray.

Therefore, Imlek is not identified with the barongsai (lion
dance) performance held out in the open air, especially in China
where the weather is still cold at that particular time.

"In China, public celebrations occur 15 days after the New
Year, or the first full moon. That's when the lion dance is
performed. Here, the celebration is called Cap Go Meh," said
Eddy.

Many families celebrate Imlek 15 days prior to the event, as
the jiazhang (head of the family) performs a small ritual to
accompany the kitchen god to the sky.

Chinese people believe that the god called Chao Jun is present
in every household, and he flies off through the sky every New
Year to meet the highest god, Tian, to report on the family's
deeds.

"To avoid a bad report, every family puts a variety of sweets
and snacks on the offering table. They even smear sugar around
the mouth of the kitchen god idol, so that the god will only
report good things," said Eddy.

On New Year's Eve, people start the day in the morning by
going to the temple and praying for their ancestors.

At night they have a family dinner, and spend quality time
together. Later, they often set off firecrackers.

"Legend has it that a hideous monster would climb down the
mountain every New Year's Eve, looking for prey. Firecrackers
were set off to scare it away," said Eddy.

To keep the monster away, people also glue red paper in front
of the house as the creature is said to be afraid of the color
red.

On New Year's morning, families welcome the holiday by wearing
new clothes and praying in the morning, but this time only at
home.

Younger people will visit older relatives who give them money
inside a red envelope.

There are some myths surrounding the New Year that many people
still believe. Two to three days before and after the New Year,
people are forbidden from sweeping the floor for fear they will
sweep good luck out of the house.

Scissors and knives can also cut good luck and should not be
used.

Meanwhile, store owners are prohibited from selling needles,
thread, salt and oil, for those are things that have saved them
during the winter.

Eddy said the customs and celebrations of Chinese New Year in
this country were not different from those in China.

"Since China is communist, Chinese culture outside the country
is even closer to its original form. The Chinese who live abroad
tend to preserve their culture. One of my colleagues said that
the most original and ancient forms of Chinese culture is found
in Southeast Asia," he said.

The most important aspect of Imlek, however, is the moment of
reconciliation and maintaining good relationships.

"Besides the myths, people are asked to purify themselves
before the New Year comes. Whoever has a debt should pay it off,
and people need to ask for each other's forgiveness," he said.

Above all, Imlek is a symbol of hope, just as the spring
flowers start to bloom and the sun starts to shine again.