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nother new year: With the fanfare of the Gregorian one out of the way,
celebrations of the Chinese New Year can be heard -- sounds of firecrackers,
dragon dances, the beauty contest, the fashion show, the grand parade, and
of course, people exchanging the ever-popular Gung Hay Fat Choy.
No doubt, the Chinese are fond of saying it. But non-Chinese speakers, too,
are catching on. Former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein has articulated
it with the flair of a native speaker. Bob Hope was heard pronouncing it
with the cutest of accents. However, what does Gung Hay Fat Choy
really mean?
Translated verbatim, the
greeting is "congratulations on prospering in money." Notice that the
greeting is congratulatory. This is something native speakers may not be
aware of. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a congratulation
as an expression of an acknowledgment of something already achieved. Literally,
Gung Hay Fat Choy is more than just a wish or desire, or a hope or
belief. It presupposes that you already have it made, for which congratulations
are due. It follows, therefore, that you are supposed to be pretty well-to-do.
But the trick of the age-old
compliment doesn't just stop there: a kid saying Gung Hay Fat Choy
to you may sometimes playfully tell you to come across with lai see
(money in red envelopes).
I used to think
that kids are kids, and probably they are still fresh from their October
trick-or-treat spirits. However, I am surprised that sometimes even grown-ups
too will want lai see for Gung Hay Fat Choy! Since grown-ups
do not often go trick-or-treating like little kids, their otherwise playful act
can only reflect more adult ways.
In any case, I have come
to the conclusion that people, kids and non-kids alike, have but the same
thing in mind, and that is money. But why is Gung Hay Fat Choy a
precursor to money? If you checked into the underlying attitude of the
greeting, you may find a side statement like this: "Now that you've got it
made, and I am offering my congratulations, I know you wouldn't mind trimming
off a few bucks for me."
Exploitative? Underhanded?
Possibly, as some people have said it; but this New Year practice has been
cheerfully observed for centuries! Any ulterior motives that may surface are
squashed and expunged from the mind as folks willingly place the red envelope
into the hands of their young ones.
Within families of relatives
and circles of acquaintaces, married folks, or those who would just go with
the flow, will carry with them a lot of lai see to give out. Of
course, kids are most often the beneficiaries. Adults of the younger generation
give to their children and in turn receive from older folks. Sometimes, in
a social gathering of friends, a rich and generous reveler may get so carried
away with his festive mood that anybody in the group may unexpectedly become
a recipient.
The amount of money in
the red envelope varies with the giver. You may get a buck or two, fives,
ten, or sometimes twenties, but seldom hundreds. You can never be sure
until you receive and open an envelope. A word of caution for the first
timer: If you are used to opening your Christmas present up front, be
advised that doing it with your lai see is a faux pas. It is
believed that lai see is a symbol of good luck and good will.
Such values should always come first in a traditional setting, and keeping
the envelopes intact in front of your elders is a sign of courtesy and
will add to the New Year atmosphere.
Those who savor
the essence of the custom know there is more to it than the money. To them,
it is the new year atmosphere that counts. It doesn't matter whether or
not they have it made; they want to believe that in any case, prosperity has
come to them. Hearing the compliments from their kids as well as friends and
relatives therefore makes them feel good. When they blissfully hand out
lai see to their young ones, they reward themselves with a
reinforcement of prosperity.
As long as this New
Year custom is sustained with the inherent wisdom of Gung Hay Fat Choy,
the kids will always get a little more in their pocket money during the
New Year. They play games with the money and put it in their piggy banks.
The adults will always foster their feelings of prosperity, as their
renewed hopes and wishes continue to grow in the rich and reassuring
atmosphere of a new beginning.
Although the Asian and
Western views do not always agree, I think they see eye to eye in the matter
of prosperity. Material possessions alone are nothing unless your well-being is
well-accounted for. In traditional Chinese culture, having offspring go
on after you is an important value, for prosperity also means posterity.
Besides, a person must have good health to enjoy life, and a harmonious
relatinosihip with friends and relatives to share his joys and sorrows. These,
together with one's intelligence, creativity, spirituality, sense of humor,
as well as the right mental attitude, all need to come into play to achieve
the full meaning of prosperity. How does a person really prosper with all
the riches in the world with no friends or relatives and a sick body, mind
and soul?
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
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