It’s celebration after celebration. For Filipinos, the Christmas season (and New Year’s Day included) is immediately followed by yet another reason to celebrate. It’s not Valentine’s Day, no. It’s Chinese New Year, which traditionally marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, coinciding with the second new moon that follows the winter solstice.
Although it became a public holiday only in 2012, the Chinese or Lunar New Year has been celebrated in the Philippines for centuries now, perhaps as far back as the establishment of the first Chinese settlement in the country, which was in 1594. The existence of a vibrant Filipino-Chinese community has since solidified the practice of celebrating the Chinese New Year, growing into what many Pinoys now observe today. Chinese culture in the Philippines is both hereditary and culinary. It is undeniably present in Filipino traditions and daily life. This is one of the reasons why even non-Tsinoys celebrate Chinese New Year.
While the more traditional Chinese New Year customs—like the dragon and lion dances, the noodle toss, among others—continue to be practiced by Filipino-Chinese families and even in some commercial establishments (hotels and restaurants), these are not observed by many. The most common Filipino practices that come with the Chinese New Year is the giving and eating of tikoy (or nián gāo), the giving of ang pao (red envelopes with money inside them), and the wearing of red-colored clothes. Of course, as with any celebrations in the Philippines, the Chinese New Year is also a celebration of familial ties.
Then, of course, there’s the telling of one’s fortune, as aligned with Chinese astrology—or perhaps, more appropriately, with the flow of energy, which is the meaning of feng shui. This coming Chinese New Year, for instance, falls under the symbol of the Snake with “wood” as the element. The year of the Wood Snake, according to feng shui experts, will be one of renewal, growth, and transformation. Many Filipinos, even non-Tsinoys, are keen on knowing and following their feng shui for the year.
Apart from the cultural connection, the Chinese New Year (like Christmas before it or Valentine’s Day that usually comes after it) has also become a commercial holiday. This is both good and bad, as is the case with customs turned into business opportunities, as the real reason for the celebration can be lost in the frenzy of the season.
Nevertheless, political issues notwithstanding, there is no denying that the Chinese New Year is a custom ingrained in Filipino culture, so much that it’s not just celebrated by those with Chinese heritage. An auspicious new year is wished for everyone, whether they believe in feng shui or not. And, as the Manila Bulletin’s previous feng shui expert, Princess Lim Fernandez used to say, the energies and the stars are but guides. What the future brings will ultimately be up to us and to God.
May the year of the Wood Snake bring growth and renewal to everyone.