Happy Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year will occur on February 10. Gong Xi Fa Cai, Mandarin for Wishing You Prosperity, is a popular greeting.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the house is prepared to make way for the upcoming year. Floors are swept and old debts are paid in order to make room for as much luck as possible. Luminous red lanterns are hung in the streets as families feast together, burn incense and candles and offer prayers for happiness and prosperity. In the Chinese zodiac, the characteristics of the ruling animal are believed to influence events during the year and during the life of a person born under that sign.

This year we celebrate the Year of the Snake. Celebrate with some UBC Library resources! From books to tapes to digital images and wallpapers, we can kick off the new year in style.

Resources

• This Year of the Snake blog post, compiled by Rare Books and Special Collections, highlights snake images from the Chung Collection.
• Chinese New Year Bibliography compiled by the Education Library.
• Explore the Animals of the Chinese Zodiac with this blog post, compiled by Rare Books and Special Collections.

Desktop Wallpapers from the Library

• 1440×900, 1280×1024, 1140×900

Materials on the Lunar New Year

• Red eggs and dragon boats: celebrating Chinese festivals by Carol Stepanchuk. (Education Library). Children’s book about Chinese celebrations, including the Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat and Moon festivals.
• Gongs and drums to welcome New Year [sound recording] by the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra. (Music Library).
• Ancient Chinese woodblock New Year prints compiled by Wang Shucun. (IKBLC)

Other related materials

• Chinese astrology: early Chinese occultism by Paul Carus. BF1714.C5 C352 1992 (Koerner Library)   
• Chinese astrology, by Paula Delsol; drawings by Michel Brunet. BF1714.C5 D413 1972a (Koerner Library)   
• Chinese zodiac signs [VHS]: the animal in all of us. Produced by Great Studio Production, Taiwan. GR335 .C385 1990 (Koerner Library)   
• The great race: the story of the Chinese zodiac, written by Dawn Casey; illustrated by Anne Wilson. PZ8.1.C267834 Gre 2006 (Education Library) 

Digital Collections

• The Coast News reports the Chinese New Year celebration in January 1989 was festive for Sechelt and Gibson. Read more from the BC Historical Newspapers online.
• South Asian snake charmers circa 1925, from the Chung Collection online. 
• Processional through Vancouver’s Chinatown, circa 1900, from the Chung Collection online. 
• Maclean’s Special Chinese New Year Issue, January 28, 1995. 
• “Snake charmer,” circa 1930, from the Chung Collection online.
• Map of a Edo showing areas devastated by fire, during the year of the snake in 1845. From the Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa era collection online.
• “Traditional lion dance at Chinese new year celebration at Student Union Building,” UBC 44.1/1381. Taken February 1994 by Gavin Wilson, from the Historical Photographs Collection online.