YOU CAN’T CELEBRATE IT PROPERLY HERE

‘I miss the atmosphere’, says Yanbing Chen, a Japanese Studies student, on the terrace of Uncles Canteen, a restaurant in The Hague’s Chinatown. She is from Fuzhou and has lived in China for 11 years. To her disappointment, no firecrackers are set off during Lunar New Year in the Netherlands. ‘Chinese fireworks are different from what we have here. They have a long string and make lots of noise. They don’t give off any light. Usually, the string starts inside the house and ends outside. This is to drive away evil spirits.’
 
Besides the lack of fireworks, there are other differences. ‘This year, I celebrated Lunar New Year with friends. We organised a hot pot together at a large round table. But you can’t really celebrate it properly here in the Netherlands. The right atmosphere is missing. You can hardly find any red decorations. It feels like you’re the only one celebrating.’
 
It is a stark contrast to the celebrations Chen experienced in China. ‘A few days before the New Year, we clean the entire house. This way, we drive all evil out of the house. We also hang up chunlian. These are red calligraphy papers with Chinese poems such as “success in the Year of the Dragon”.
 
‘On New Year’s Eve, the family would get together to have dinner. We’d make dumplings together. One person would make the dough, and another would prepare the filling. And while cooking, we’d chat with each other. Another tradition is to watch TV with your family on New Year’s Eve. We used to watch Chunwan. This is a TV special with performances by pop stars and actors. There's also a lot of dance, drama and comedy.’
 
And another plus: ‘For me, Lunar New Year was also when I would receive money from elders. My grandpas, grandmas, aunts and uncles always gave me a hongbao. This is a red envelope with the word “wealth” written on it in gold letters that contained “lucky money”.’

WEARING RED BRINGS LUCK

‘All the hairdressers would be fully booked. Because a new haircut brings luck’, says Jenny van Lienden, a Chinese Studies and Cultural Anthropology student. She explains that, just like with the Western New Year’s celebration, everyone wants to look fresh before the start of the Spring Festival.
 
Van Lienden’s family is originally from the Chinese city of Wenzhou. Just two weeks ago, she was in China, where preparations for the Lunar New Year were already in full swing. ‘There were red decorations wherever you went, and huge dragons were hanging everywhere.’
 
To celebrate the Spring Festival, she is attending a presentation this Sunday at the Wereldmuseum in Leiden, on the Chin. Ind. Rest. cookbook written by Yan Ting Yuen. ‘That’s a cookbook with Chinese-Indonesian dishes and cultural stories, so it’s a kind of fusion food.’

In the museum canteen, she tries some of the Chinese-Indian snacks prepared by Leiden restaurant Woo Ping. She is given a plate with, among other things, spring rolls and sesame balls, made from sticky rice and filled with sweet bean paste.
 
‘I love these artistic and cultural elements. I’m going to Rotterdam next weekend to celebrate the new year. I’ll be attending an Asian spoken word event there. I also want to support the Asian community. I recognise myself in this kind of art. We share the same experiences. This is also something I noticed when I watched the film Past Lives, for instance, in which the main character has a dual nationality, just like me.’
 
The Year of the Dragon holds a special meaning for Van Lienden.
 
‘It’s an exciting feeling when it’s your year. My partner is a dragon, so I started hyping him up for 2024 three years ago. “You have to wear read”, I told him. Within Asian culture, it’s tradition to wear red during Lunar New Year when it’s your year. This is also supposed to bring good luck. For example, my boyfriend will be graduating, starting a job in industry and he has a move coming up this year.’
 
‘When I think of Lunar New Year, I mainly think of food, hot pot in particular. It’s sort of a broth fondue with vegetables and meats. At a certain point, the flavours of all the vegetables and meats are fully absorbed into the broth; absolutely delicious!’
 
Still, Van Lienden was not always so involved with Lunar New Year. ‘I used to celebrate it small-scale with family. But as I got older, and because I started my Chinese Studies programme, I was exposed to different traditions like eating a lot, singing karaoke and playing games.’
 
Van Lienden also joined the board of the Student Association for Sinology Leiden, which brought her into closer contact with the Chinese community. ‘I also became friends with Chinese internationals which helped me learn more about Chinese culture. When I’m older, I hope to celebrate it in grand fashion with friends and family.’

IT’S CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR IN ONE

‘During the Spring Festival, I always reflect on the fact that I’m half Taiwanese,’ says Haitske Pottinga, an International Relations and Organisations and History student. Her mother is from Kaohsiung. Although she never celebrates it all that extensively, it still means a lot to her. ‘It’s sort of like Christmas and New Year in one: family, sugary treats and fireworks.’
 
Unfortunately, she didn’t get to celebrate it with her mother this year. ‘She went back to Taiwan, for the Spring Festival and because she had to vote in the presidential election. She did send me a picture of a hongbao with the message that I’ll get that red envelope when she gets back.’
 
Pottinga decided to celebrate the festival with friends. ‘I attended a Lunar New Year gala organised by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, the association for all Chinese students in the Netherlands. There were about 150 people. Most were Chinese, there were a few Westerners. The gala was held entirely in Chinese.
 
There was music and speeches were given by important people like the ambassador of China. He said things like: “You students should represent China well.” There were also performances in a traditional style. For example, someone played the guzheng, a traditional Chinese string instrument.’
 
Pottinga also decorates her room around the turn of the year. ‘I put up Chinese texts and sayings on the door in my student house.’

‘Right now, I have the Chinese character fu on my door,’ she says. It means good luck and happiness. Traditionally, it is hung upside down on doors during Lunar New Year. Fu sounds like fa, and that character means money and wealth. But by flipping fu upside down, it resembles the character dao, which stands for upside down or arriving. This creates a visual play on words: ‘Happiness and wealth will come.’
 
Pottinga: ‘I’m going to leave that saying on my door all year.’