Get (fire)crackin' and celebrate Chinese New Year

STUPID HATS, too much booze, "Auld Lang Syne" and overhyped plans that aren't fun - that's basically all we need to celebrate a new year here in the West. But maybe we should take a cue from the many Philadelphians who are currently in full-blast party mode.

Though today's not much more than a frigid, nondescript midwinter Thursday by Gregorian standards, it marks the beginning of a vital celebration on a different calendar. It's officially Chinese New Year, though not all of us know what that entails.

Aside from the associated animal on the Chinese Zodiac - 2015 is the Year of the Sheep (or goat, depending on the way the word "yang" is translated) - most of us westerners are at least familiar with the more visible, literally flashy aspects of Chinese New Year. Walk down Race Street any time in the next few days and you're likely to hear strings of firecrackers popping off.

The Philadelphia Suns, the Chinatown cultural/community nonprofit, was set to take over the streets last night and will lead a parade, complete with colorful lion dances and martial-arts demonstrations, this Sunday.

These traditions are designed to be enjoyed by the greater public, but there's a strong private component to the holiday, as well. First and foremost, Chinese New Year, known more generally as Lunar New Year, since the lunisolar calendar is recognized throughout Asia and the world, is about family.

Although you might be tempted to conflate the Western-style new year customs with this set of celebrations, there's very little common ground. For many in China, the days leading up to the new year are filled with insane "Planes, Trains & Automobiles"-level travel, since everyone has a singular goal: get home.

"Currently, if you are a business owner in China and you need to ship something, it would take double the time," said Bole Yuan, a Metro Chinese Weekly reporter originally from Jinan. "Everybody is going home, no matter where they are. Transportation is so messed up right now."

Reminiscent of another American holiday, isn't it?

"In many ways, Thanksgiving is similar to the Lunar New Year," said Shao Zhi Zhong, a Chinatown-based food blogger (friedwontons4u.com) who also contributes to sites like Serious Eats. "It's a holiday that's mainly about having family coming together and celebrating it with lots of good food."

But before midnight strikes on the big day, Chinese New Year celebrants work to knock out a number of symbolic tasks. One ubiquitous custom is giving the home a thorough sweep and scrub, sort of a preemptive spring cleaning, which works since Chinese New Year doubles as a spring festival. (Much more accurate than Groundhog Day, according to Yuan.)

"It is believed that by cleaning, you are also wiping away any bad luck from the previous year," said Zhong, who was born in Guangzhou.

Though practices vary greatly from region to region and family to family, there are a few other moves you'll see every Chinese clan making.

Stocking up enough fireworks and firecrackers to cover four July Fourths is a big one. Bright, vibrant decorations, with a heavy focus on red, dress the doors and windows of homes and businesses.

That lucky color also comes into play via the tradition of hong bao, small cash gifts placed in red envelopes and exchanged among friends, family and co-workers.

Really though, it's all about the food.

"It's a very good opportunity to get together with your extended family," said Yuan. "And even better - a banquet will happen."

Since private gatherings this time of year are typically large, these "reunion" meals are long, elaborate and mirthful affairs. Though the evening before the big day is the most common timing for these dinners, they're also held throughout the span of the celebration. (Most Chinese take a full week off from school or work.)

There are no hard rules for what should be served at a Chinese New Year banquet. It's all heavily influenced by regionality.

Yuan, who hails from the north, has to have jiaozi, or homemade dumplings, at his celebrations. Growing up, his father would be in charge of locating and buying all the ingredients, while his mother handled the preparation. "It's more than eating it," he said. "Just like an American family who gathers to make a turkey together, dumpling[-making] is family work."

Zhong, meanwhile, looks forward to her mom's law bok gow, or savory turnip cakes, which she cranks out in marathon fashion the night before her family's reunion dinner. It's a common dish in China's southern provinces this time of year.

Symbolism, Zhong explained, creeps into the Chinese New Year kitchen in a big way. One of her favorite new year dishes is abalone with dried oysters and black moss; the seafood is good luck, while the moss, also known as fat choy, represents prosperity.

Whole chickens and whole fish, nodding to the totality of the family around the table, also have a place.

Although there are no concrete guidelines as to how many courses a new year meal should have, superstition comes into the convo here, as well. "Nine seems to be a good number," said Yuan. "Ten, too. Or maybe 20. Even talking about it makes me feel hungry."

* On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. will host a traditional, 10-course Chinese New Year banquet at Sang Kee Peking Duck House (238 N. 9th St.). Seats are $65 a person.

* Stephen Starr's Buddakan (325 Chestnut St.) is offering new year specials through Feb. 27 and will host a dim sum brunch this Sunday.

* For more information on local Chinese New Year events, visit chinatown-pcdc.org.