My first New Year in Taiwan was not all that different from New Year in China. Technically, they both last 15 days, from New Year's Day to the Lantern Festival. In China, banks and schools close for the first three days, and people count the weekend before or after as part of their holiday vacation, even if they always get weekends off. In Taiwan, banks and schools close on New Year's Eve, the first three days, and a few extra days to make it a true vacation. Since the main days were on the weekend this year, the days off were the Wednesday before New Year's Eve to the following Tuesday. For some people, that gives them a full day to prepare and a day or two to wind down after all the hoopla has passed.
On Thursday, New Year's Eve, I went to dinner at a friend's house. It was a big family dinner, but guests are always welcome at Chinese dinners. Despite being New Year's Eve, it was nothing like a party atmosphere. We ate an entirely too large meal and played some card games. This particular family is fond of gambling, so more than a few bills changed hands. I won more than I lost, but I did not win too much to ever get invited back.
As often happens, this family was surprised that I can speak their language. Inevitably, I was asked how long I have lived in Taiwan. Everyone is amazed when I tell them I have only been here for nine months. Then they are less amazed when I point out that I moved here from China. At that point, most people just want me to tell them that I like Taiwan better than China. That is a big issue around here.
Another difference between what I think of as a New Year's Eve party was that it ended long before midnight. I was home before 22:00. Rather than a rowdy New Year, I knew it was midnight when I was reading on the sofa and heard an invasion's worth of fireworks outside. The year of the rat was now the year of the ox.
Friday, New Year's Day, was temple day. You are supposed to go to your local temple and honor your dead ancestors. I have none in Taiwan, and my grandparents would have considered burning incense and leaving food on a table as strange. My grandmother would say, “Dead people don't need to eat. That's a waste of perfectly good food.” But anything left at temples is donated either to the monks or to whichever organizations they sponsor. Nothing is wasted. Burning fake money for the dead, on the other hand, is just silly.
Dinner was with another friend's family. No gambling this time, but more than enough food for several families. The first day of the new year is when older family members give red envelopes to younger family. Generally, adults give to children, but older adults can also give to younger adults if they are not married. I was surprised when a few people gave me red envelopes. I am definitely not married, but older than most people of red envelope age. It was more of a welcome to our home on this special day kind of thing.
One of the biggest differences between China and Taiwan was made the most obvious on this day. In most of China, it is pretty illegal to light your own fireworks. Big cities like Hong Kong have enormous, organized public shows. In Taiwan, anyone can blow things up in the street. And they do. There were explosions all week, but nothing as loud or constant as on New Year's Day. Taiwan also has a large stray dog population. I don't know how they react to a week of fireworks.
Saturday, the second day, is when adult daughters go back to visit their parents. Traditionally, when a girl got married, she went from being her parents' property to her husband's property, so she spent holidays with her husband's family. The second day of the New Year was set aside so she could see her parents. China is a bit of a large country, so before planes and bullet trains, some daughters would only see their parents one day a year.
Taiwan is much smaller than China. You can fit over 250 Taiwans inside China. The fastest high speed train can get from one end of the country to the other in about 90 minutes. You can fly from Kaohsiung to Taipei in under an hour, but with all the time spent at the airport, the train is faster. Taiwanese women also put up with a lot less bullshit than Chinese women, so they don't need a special day to visit their parents.
I had another dinner with a friend's parents. She sees them all the time, but this was still a special day for them. The food was different on each day, but they were also with different families. One thing they all had in common was that they made entirely too much. I can appreciate being an invited guest into someone's home, but I can only eat so much. Chinese culture, much like so many other cultures, insists that you eat until you vomit. At least during special meals. A normal dinner on a normal day is typically pretty small. No matter the occasion, I simply do not eat all that much. I realize that I offend most hosts by not gorging myself, and they all assume I am eating less because I do not like what they have made, no matter what I say to the contrary, but I am selfish enough to think that I should have the right to determine how much I can tolerate.
By Sunday, the third day, no one really cared about the holiday anymore. There were plenty of fireworks in the street, but no more big family dinners. Probably because they all started celebrating on Wednesday. By Monday, it was business as usual, though banks and schools were still closed. Everything else was open and ready to make that sweet ox money.
The New Year ends at the Lantern Festival on February 26. I have no idea how or if anyone is going to celebrate that. It was always a big deal in Hong Kong. We will see what happens in Taiwan.
