Phil Chang’s memory of the Chinese New Year is a smell — the smell of incense.
Moving to Vancouver from Taiwan with his family 20 years ago at age six, the long-time Richmond worker can barely remember anything else about the festival back then.
“I just remember that smell — it was so strong — when every household was burning paper money for their ancestors or the gods,” recalled Chang.
“And there were always so many treats for children during those ceremonies. The grand celebration stopped, abruptly, after his family moved to Canada.
“We were too busy settling down and starting a new life here and trying to integrate into the culture here, so we put aside that part of our own culture.”
Chang said sometimes his family didn’t realise it was the Chinese New Year until the eve. His dad then put some money in a package, handed it to him to put under his pillow for one night.
“It is said to help get rid of bad luck in the next year,” Chang explained.
Ten years later, his parents later revived the celebration here by having dinner with friends at home.
Later, Chang began celebrating Chinese New Year with his own friends, mostly having dinner together. But he also adopted what for him were new traditions.
“I used to help out as a drummer for a friends’ lion dancing team; (we) danced our way to each store on Hasting Street, and I realized, ‘that’s what people do for Chinese New Year,’” said Chang.
“Or we saw people on TV making dumplings or writing couplets, and thought, that is very ‘Chinese’; we want to do it for Spring Festival.”
A recent Chinese New Year celebration Chang helped organize included a lion dance, writing couplets, and all those activities they thought of as “very Chinese.”
“It’s interesting that, for many people ... they hope to reproduce the festival and the atmosphere here,” said Chang.
“But for me, it’s the opposite. The Chinese New Year I experienced here is my original impression of it.
“When I went to Taiwan and saw the origins of it all, I was like, ‘oh, this is familiar.'”
“It's not the Chinese New Year in my memory"
Chinese New Years are some of Amanda Sun’s warmest memories. Sun came to Vancouver to pursue her education in 2009 from Jiangsu, China.
“Every Chinese New Year Eve, all of our families got together at my grandma’s home. She would make a lot of delicious food; the atmosphere was very boisterous,” recalled Sun.
“Children received red packages with money after making wishes to older generations, and everyone would watch the live Chinese Spring Gala on TV together and chat.
“My dad then set off firecrackers after midnight.
“On the New Year’s day, the children went to our grandma’s room to say hi, we then visited other families’ homes or made phone calls to those who lived far away.”
One of Sun’s favourite customs from that time was wearing new clothes in the New Year.
“I always had a couple of new clothes from my parents and aunts and uncles, which made me so happy,” said Sun.
In addition, rice balls and dumplings cannot be called by name, but “ingots” and “wanwanshun”, which means “all the best.”
In the past eight years working and going to school in Canada, Sun has only spent one Chinese New Year in her hometown.
Instead, she has dinner with her extended family who also moved here a long time ago, and makes phone calls to her family in China.
“But the atmosphere is different – it’s not as boisterous as it used to be,” said Sun.
Sun said she hasn’t gone to any Chinese New Year celebrations yet.
“For me personally, Chinese New Year is for families to gather together. That’s the essence of it,” said Sun.
“The celebrations and activities are more like a ceremonial thing or entertainment to me, not the Chinese New Year in my memory. I miss that.”
