Discovering Chinese New Year traditions with a leader of Montreal’s Chinese community

A new year on the traditional lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar began Feb. 1 – the Year of the Tiger.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, is the festival that celebrates the beginning of that new year.

It is an occasion filled with customs and celebrations, and an important day for Montreal’s Chinese community.

“It’s very important that everybody share the culture and traditions,” said Jimmy Chan, a community leader and organizer of Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown.

Chinese New Year is a time to pay respect to ancestors while honouring them with traditional dance and food. It’s also time to spend with family.

The festivities represent the act of washing away the old and bringing in new luck, good health, happiness and prosperity.

Chan broke down a few of the noteworthy traditions associated with the Lunar New Year.

“During Chinese New Year, we always buy new shoes, new clothes,” he said. “Every time you go shopping to buy new stuff because the old stuff, you don’t want to wear no more. Especially in Chinese New Year, we believe that when the new year starts, you bring everything new. You change your clothes, beautiful new clothes, new shoes, that passes on from my grandparents to my parents, to me.

“Every time before Chinese New Year starts, we always go shopping for new clothes. This is so much fun. The kids here do the same thing, here in Canada.”

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It’s not just about a new wardrobe. There is a big emphasis on food, with certain food items representing certain things.

• Chicken symbolizes good fortune around the world;
• Peking duck symbolizes prosperity (1,000 years ago, only the emperor could eat goose during Chinese New Year);
• Sweet and sour shrimp signifies being happy, laughing;
• Chicken Chow Mein symbolizes long life;
• Noodles are a must as part of this celebration;
• Chinese New Year cake is served to offer to the ancestors and the family.

Outside of the pandemic, the festivities looked very different. Chan previously organized several Chinese New Year celebrations in Montreal’s Chinatown.

A big focus is the lion dance.

“The lion dance brings good luck, prosperity, good health to everybody,” said Chan. “All kids of all ages, they love lion dancing. The two lions would be dancing on the street, firecrackers and everything, passing the red envelope with good luck money inside. It’s bringing a lot of cheerful celebration.”

Chan remembers growing up in Hong Kong as a child and getting spoiled every Chinese New Year with gifts of red envelopes.

“I would get all kinds of red envelopes from my parents, my grandparents,” he recounted. “Always money inside. Money being bringing fortunes. If I remember, eating a lot. We go visiting family, we get to hang out with little kids – all the cousins. And this is how I grew up in Hong Kong and we kept the traditions and we are always looking forward.

“Chinese New Year is all family that we never have a chance to see each other. Those are the times that would bring family together.”