International Students in Boston Celebrate the Chinese New Year

Despite distance from their families and home country, Chinese students in Boston find ways to commemorate the Chinese New Year, which is the biggest cultural holiday for the Chinese.

Boston University sophomores Claudia Iao and Michelle Arawwawela are from Hong Kong. Although educated in an international school taught in English, both Iao and Arawwawela identify with their Chinese heritage and traditions.

Arawwawela identifies the Chinese New Year with its commercialism. "My dad works in the hotel industry," Arawwawela said. "The Chinese New Year is a big time for tourists." Arawwawela said she primarily relates her father's business connection to Chinese New Year celebrations. "There's a huge lion dance in the hotel," she said. "My Sri Lankan father is in a Chinese lion dance." Arawwawela also talked about the people dressed as lions throwing raw cabbage at people. She said the cabbage symbolizes luck.

Iao has different memories of her family's Chinese New Year traditions.

"It's tradition not to bathe the first day of the new year," Iao said. "It's like washing your luck away." Iao said her family honors several Chinese traditions to celebrate the new year, but stated she is not superstitious.

One tradition both Arawwawela and Iao identify with is the giving and receiving of money. It is customary for older, married family and community members to give red envelopes with crisp, new bills inside to younger, unmarried people. The color red symbolize good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.

"Everyone carries them [red envelopes] with them," Arawwawela said. "If you run into someone they just give you an envelope." Monetary sums range from a couple of dollars from acquaintances to larger sums

from relatives.

Unable to be in Hong Kong with their families, both Arawwawela and Iao said their parents sent them red envelopes this Chinese New Year. Just because they're not in Hong Kong, does not mean friends and family have forgotten them this past new year. "My mom accepted red envelopes from people for me," said Iao.