Analysis of the Behavior and Rituals of My Family for the Chinese New Year
In this essay, I will be using Geertz’s interpretive methodology to analyse the behaviour and rituals practiced by my family during reunion dinners at Chinese New Year. Having been involved in this social gathering since young, I can draw many observations and conclusions about the symbolism of some of our practices, interactions and norms, relating it to how we see ourselves. I concluded that while we do follow tradition, some of our practices and interactions are driven by the desire to be perceived by others as well put together individuals, rather than believing in the superstition and traditions of these practices.
One way that showed that my family does not subscribe to the superstitions of this event is during the preparations before the reunion dinner. In the week leading up to the reunion dinner, our family will be preoccupied with cleaning up the living room and dining area. My parents will be buying appropriate festive snacks such as bak kwa, sunflower seeds, and love letters, arranging them in the living room where the guests will be seated at. My grandmother will begin preparation for the reunion dinner, buying ingredients such as abalone, prawns, pig intestines and more, ensuring there is a spread of food for the meal. My siblings and I would be responsible for hanging up Chinese New Year decorations. On the surface, it may just seem as though we are getting into the festive spirit of Chinese New Year. However, upon closer inspection, what we are in fact doing is putting on an image for our extended family members, of which will be coming over to our house to visit. When I questioned my parents why there is a need to clean and decorate the house, their response was that guests were coming so we need to look presentable. Similarly, when I asked my grandmother the reason for preparing such a lavish spread, her answer is that the spread should cater to our guests’ taste and expectations. There was no reference to the original purpose of these actions, where Chinese tradition dictates spring cleaning is important to ‘get rid of the old unpleasantries and make room for the new prosperities of the year’, and reunion dinners symbolises ‘the family’s dedication and commitment to each other’.
However, my family still does follow some superstitions and symbols tied to Chinese New Year. As the relatives arrive, everyone will gather in the living room and exchange pleasantries and well wishes for a good year ahead, making small talk. Parents will also push their children to greet and interact with other relatives, especially the elders as a form of respect. Everyone is also dressed in bright colours, such as reds, pinks and yellows. Given that Chinese New Year is an auspicious occasion, it was evident that my relatives dressed in colours more commonly associated with joy and happiness to celebrate the occasion. Another notable observation is that throughout the conversations, only positive or happy things are mentioned. Words with negative connotations such as death, sick, and pain will not be brought up. In one specific case, when my younger cousin fell ill and could not join the reunion dinner, her parents went out of their way to avoid using the word ‘sick’, and instead explained that my younger cousin was unavailable. It was only a week later that I found out that she was sick, and her parents did not want to bring bad luck to the rest of the family by mentioning it. It was very clear in this case that my family still does subscribe to some of these superstitions.
Before we formally begin the reunion dinner, our family will engage in the prosperity toss. During which, I have observed the difference in values and beliefs between generations. The prosperity toss is often a symbolic expression of our desire to have a smooth sailing year ahead, and one that the elders in my family strongly believe in. It consists of raw fish, shredded vegetables and several condiments, each to have its own significance to bring prosperity. Before consuming the dish, everyone will get to toss the ingredients together. My grandmother will prepare 2 sets of the dish, one for the older generation and another for the younger. I have watched countless times as my older relatives lift the ingredients as high as possible, even if it resulted in a mess on the table. There is the belief that the higher one tosses, the more prosperity one will receive. On the other hand, the younger children and youths at the other dish simply do a quick toss of the ingredients, and much less messy than that of the older generations since the toss was significantly lower. From their actions, it is clear they are much less enthusiastic about the prosperity toss that the older generation, and not subscribing to the same belief that the prosperity toss will bring about good fortune.
To conclude, participants of my family’s reunion dinner do inherently believe in some superstitions with regards to Chinese New Year. From observing my family, the reality of human nature can be seen, where one cares about how others might perceive them, while maintaining the belief that superstitions can affect one’s life. However, these beliefs are changing among the different generations, with the younger generation being more sceptical of such superstitions.
