Newspapers / Winston-Salem State University Student … / Dec. 1, 2001, edition 1 / Page 2
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News Argus,December 2001 NEW YEAR: Chinese Americans have different customs By Lisa Jackson Special to the Argus The celebration of New Year's is one of the oldest celebrations in the world. New Year's was first cele brated in ancient Babylon about (roughly) 4,000 years ago. With the holi day season at hand, many people are preparing to celebrate in different ways. I lave you ever wondered how people around the world cele brate New Year's? "During this time here in America, the Chinese have parties. A group of us get together and go to a friend's house and eat Chinese food and play Chinese music and just have fun being with friends and family," said Ann Lee, a Chinese- American. The Chinese celebrate the new year quite differ ently. In the United States, New Year's is always Jan. 1. However, the Chinese New Year falls between Jan. 21 and Feb. 19, begin ning with the new moon and ending with the full moon. This year it began on Jan. 24, which was the "Year of the Snake." The Chinese calendar is based on a mix of lunar and solar movements. To "catch up" with the solar calendar, they add an extra month every few years. Think of it as adding one day on the American calendar for leap year. This is why the Chinese New Year falls on a different date every year. "When 1 was at home back in China, my family would come together and have dinner. My mom and all the women in my family would cook all day. She would make a special dish of dumplings and would put one coin in one of the dumplings. And whoever found the coin would be believed to have good luck for the rest of the year. That is my favorite part of the dish," said Xiao Sun, a senior WSSU chemistry major. Locally, the Chinese people don't celebrate the festival as they would in China or in New York or California. The largest festival is held in China. Members of the Chinese Association of North Carolina meet in different place to celebrate the new year. The celebra tion this year was held at Wake Forest University. "Traditional Chinese food, traditional dancing and writing were a part of this special day, held on the campus of Wake Forest University," said Mau Lee, a resident of Winston-Salem. Local Chinese restau rants do nothing special for their patrons during the celebration. But they do wish them a Fiappy New Year. In addition to all the outside decorations, all the homes are decorated with pretty red blossoms that symbolize rebirth and growth, plates of oranges, tangerines and candy are put out as well to aide with the symbol of new growth. The children carry little lanterns in their hands for this great festival. Each city in China has a differ ent theme during the "Lantern Festival," but they all have the same col ors and animals. For example, their spiri tual guide dragons and the color red are synony mous throughout the country. Both are symbols of good luck. Fireworks also play a major role in this celebration. Chinese peo ple believe that setting off fireworks will send the old year out and bring in the new one. "In my town, factories, government departments, and local farmers have set themes that are used to coincide with the overall theme. I wish I was home now, because I always look forward to the 'Lantern Festival' every one stays up all night and has lots of fun," said Sun. DEBT from page 1 The FCRA ensures con sumers' rights and priv^a- cy are protected even as the credit reporting indus try makes it possible for credit histories to be transmitted so quickly that stores can offer instant credit to con sumers who qualify. College students may qualify for credit cards because credit card com panies solicit for first time credit card users. That is when students become trapped with a credit card for different reasons. "The only credit cards college students can get have very high interest rates," said Portia Hilliard. Hilliard is a junior political science major and owns a new charge card. "Avoid carrying high- interest rate cards," said Hill. Hill also suggests that consumers read the Forsyth Seafood Cafe WSSU - FREE DEUVEKY Fresh Seafood Direct To You! WSSU - FREE DELIVEEIY m SANDWICHES AND DINNERS TWO LOCATIONS 5 MINUTES AWAY 1 50 Broad Street (Sit Down) 748-0740 BONE g FILLET FISH! HOURS 108 Martin Luther King Dr. 748-0793 (Take Out) THE BEST YOU HAVE EVER TASTED! 2 LOCATIONS MAArtN VUIhCB K»*a /WLK) 150 BROAD STREET MON THURS 10:30 AM 9:00 PM FRIDAY (0;30 AM 9:30 PM SATURDAY I 3:00 NCK)N ■ 9 30 PM 108 MARTIN LUTHER KING FRESH MARKET MONDAY I 1:00 AM • 6.30 PM HIES-SAT 10-30 AM-6-30 PM TAKE OCfT GRILL MON THUK I 30 AM 9 00 PM FRIDAY SAT 10 30 AM 9:30 PM Fill ) S fine lines on credit card agreements. Educate yourself about hidden credit card costs such as cash advances and late fees. "Use your card every month to make purchases and pay off the entire bal ance in full. Pay your bill before the due date," said Hill. The best way to maintain good credit is to pay the bill on time. However, a person cannot pay a bill if they do not have any income. "Students spend money they do not have. They have no income or any way to pay it off," said Hilliard. The News Argus James Jones Jr. Editor in Chief Keith Caesar News Editor Aja Pharr Arts Editor Reporters Nicole Ferguson, Daysha Williams, Donutea Johnson, Bridget Terry, Claresa Simmons, • - " Nakida McDaniel, Nhy Smith ? and Delores Gullick Photog rapher/J 1 lustrators Jerry Watkins Jamil Steele Ad Representative Alvin B. Downing Jr. *The News Argus is a monthly campus newspa per for the students, faculty and staff of WSSU. *Opinions expressed in The News Argus are not necessarily those of the faculty or staff at WSSU. *For advertising information please call (336) 750-2327.
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