The lunar calendar will transition to the year of the horse in a couple of days in the annual, two-week festival that is Chinese New Year. Although it is a holiday widely celebrated in China and the Bay Area, it has become less culturally significant for our generation through the globalization of Eastern and Western culture.

The Chinese New Year festival originated in the Shang Dynasty as a ritual to welcome the spring at the beginning of farming season. It was later changed to correspond with the lunar calendar in the Han Dynasty. Preparations start the week before the New Year, and festivities continue until two weeks later

For several of those who have grown up in the United States, Chinese New Year is just another holiday.

“We just give red envelopes,” which traditionally contain money, “to each other and eat dumplings,” says Grace Cao (10). “It’s not really about the culture; we just celebrate it to enjoy the holiday.”

But for those who have emigrated from China, the celebration takes on more importance.

“It is tradition and offers hope for better times, such as health, wealth, prosperity marriage, friends in the coming year,” said William Yuan, a Bay Area resident who moved from China in the 1980s and visits regularly. “It is the most important holiday by far.” However, he thinks that younger generations are less interested in the rituals. “Just like Christmas, it is all about gifts.”

Ray Song (9), who immigrated last summer, agreed that Chinese New Year is the most important holiday. He comments that this year is especially important “since this will be the first Chinese New Year [he will] spend without my family.”

Most students feel that generations who haven’t been in America for as long find more importance in Chinese New Year. However, they have varying opinions on whether globalization is the cause of this, and whether or not it leads to cultural traditions being forgotten. Some, like Raymond Xu (9) are optimistic.

“I speak English better than Chinese,” he says. “But I don’t think that makes me particularly Westernized. I think that as society becomes more and more globalized,” he continues, “being able to respect and honor cultural traditions makes us more integrated as a global community.”

Daniel Chiu (12) agrees with this notion.

“If you don’t preserve your culture, you’re losing your identity,” he said.

However, others, like May Gao (9), think that globalization is a one-way process.

“I feel that as globalization progresses, you begin to lose your roots,” she says. “You start celebrating more of the area’s traditions.”

Even though the holiday takes a different significance for everyone, Chinese New Year is enjoyed by all who celebrate it.

“Chinese new year is one of the few occasions during the year where you get to explore your dual identity as both Chinese and American, ” says Noel Duan (‘09), Harker alumna.