Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 18, 2015 9A
新年快乐 / 新年快樂
(Happy New Year!)
Chinese culture celebrates Year of the Goat beginning Thursday
vorite part of the celebra-
tions was lighting the fire-
works. Now, he appreciates
the time to catch up with
his grandmother, aunts, un-
cles and cousins.
As a student at WOU, it
makes it difficult to go home
to China for the holiday, but
his parents live in Mon-
mouth with him, so that
makes gathering with some
family easier.
Chinese families always
have a large feast on the
New Year. It’s more about
what you eat rather than
how much you eat. Some
foods are considered lucky,
and will bring good fortune
throughout the year.
“Dumplings and fish,” Liu
said of his family meals for
New Year’s. “In my child-
hood, they put money in-
side the dumplings.”
The words for “fish” and
“surplus” in Chinese sound
similar, so eating fish is said
to bring wealth. Dumplings
are shaped like an old cur-
rency of money.
Young children will re-
ceive gifts of money in red
envelopes, though Liu, 25,
said it has been many years
since he has been the recipi-
ent of cash for New Year’s.
“Chinese people like the
dragon year,” he said. “Other
years are more normal years.”
There are 12 animals
which make up the Chinese
zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit,
dragon, snake, horse, goat,
monkey, chicken, dog and
pig.
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
M
ONMOUTH —
Make sure the
house is cleaned,
laundry is caught up and
hair has been washed before
Thursday, which marks the
Chinese New Year.
Sweeping, cleaning
clothes or washing hair on
the first few days of the Chi-
nese New Year may bring
you and your family bad luck
for 2015, the Year of the Goat.
“Bad luck is generally re-
served for people born in
that year,” said Anne Rohlfer,
international student adviser
at Western Oregon Universi-
ty. “If you are someone who
was born in the year of the
goat, wear red. It will lessen
the bad luck year.”
In fact, red is a lucky color
in Chinese culture and
should be worn on Chinese
New Year’s even for those not
born in the year of the goat.
The Chinese calendar is
based on the lunar year. It is
based on exact astronomical
observations of the sun’s
longitude and the moon’s
phases. Under the lunar cal-
endar, the new moon marks
the first day of the month.
But the Chinese calendar
takes more into account be-
sides the moon, said Long-
long Liu, an international
student at WOU.
Liu, from Qingdao, China,
said it’s about the weather,
too.
“We just know when it’s
the Chinese New Year,” he
said. “It depends on the sea-
son, working with the farm
season.”
The Chinese New Year is
the biggest national holiday
in China, celebrated for a
full week. Families gather
from near and far to eat,
visit and, of course, watch
the CCTV Festival Show,
which starts at about dinner
time and finishes with fire-
works at midnight on Chi-
nese New Year.
“The family kind of shares
what we did in the last year
and what we will do in the
next year,” Liu said. “Life is
pretty fast in China. We
don’t have much time to
meet together, so the New
Year is a good (time to re-
connect).”
As a child, Liu said his fa-
Cultural Celebration
What: Western Oregon University’s Chinese New Year
celebration.
When: Thursday, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Pacific Room, Werner University Center, WOU
campus, 345 N. Monmouth Ave., Monmouth.
Admission: $5 for WOU students with ID; $7 general ad-
mission; $3 for senior citizens and children younger than 5.
Tickets are available at Werner University Center and at Sing
Fay in Monmouth.
Of note: Dinner served by WOU Catering and Sing Fay
restaurant will begin at 5:30 p.m. The variety show, packed
with performances from students and professors ranging
from singing, comedy and martial arts presentations, will
begin at 6.
For more information: Anne Rohlfer, 503-838-8161;
email to rohlfera@wou.edu.
Learn More
What: Presentation by
Western Oregon Universi-
ty international Chinese
students about Chinese
New Year: The Year of the
Goat.
When: Friday, 1 p.m.
Where: M onmouth
Senior Center, 180 S. War-
ren St.
For more information:
Anne Rohlfer, WOU inter-
national student adviser,
503-838-8161; Monmouth
Senior Center, 503-838-
5678.
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/for Itemizer-Observer
Envelopes containing “lucky money” are among the tra-
ditional gifts that are part of the annual Chinese New
Year celebration. Chinese New Year begins Thursday.
AARON YOST/ for the Itemizer-Observer
Bows nurses her 3-day old triplets. Three goats are lucky for the Year of the Goat.
8th Annual Polk Home & Garden Show 2015
See Pages
18 & 19
for full details!
Free Admission
Free Parking
Feb 20, 21 & 22
Fri 1pm - 5pm
Sat 9am - 5pm
Sun 10am - 5pm
Come Support
Local Businesses
Located at the
FREE DRAWING
Polk County
Fairgrounds
TRAEGER ®
520 S. Pacific Hwy
Rickreall, OR 97371
Admission FREE
Junior Barbeque
Model #155.01
For more info about show or be-
coming a vendor contact:
Deb Thomas
503-428-8224