By Leonard Chan

I once heard that Chinese New Year parades were really created by Chinese in America and not a festival activity originally done in China. I was not able to confirm this from my quick bit of research, but I did find two short articles in the Daily Alta California newspaper showing how Chinese celebrated the Lunar New Year in the 1850s in America.

What these articles show is that as soon as the Chinese came to America, they probably continued their cultural practices of celebrating the Lunar New Year and that the wider non-Chinese community took interest in their celebrations. Cultural curiosity existed in the 1850s as it still does today.

------------------

Article from the Daily Alta California, Monday, February 3, 1851

The following is a small snippet from a column on miscellaneous San Francisco news called “City Intelligence.”

Link to the Article

CHINESE NEW YEARS — Norman Assing, the well known chief of the China boys, gave a grand feast on Saturday night, at his private house, in celebration of the birth of the Chinese new year. A number of the policemen of our city, and many ladies and “China boys,” were present on the occasion.

--------

Notes:

My guess is that Assing was probably Ah Sing and that the name Norman was not his given name.

I’m not sure of the significance of mentioning that policemen and ladies were present for the celebration, but it leaves us to wonder why it was included in the report.

Wikipedia cites this article as one of the first signs of the Lunar New Year being celebrated in America.

What is worth noting is that the population of San Francisco was around 25,000 at the start of 1851 and only three years earlier, it had a population of 812 (source). It is difficult to get an accurate account of the number of people living in the city at that time because the population was increasing so rapidly. Plus many of the ones that arrived there moved on to other parts of California. So it’s even harder to determine the Chinese population in San Francisco at that time. However, it must have been quite significant. By one Internet source, Chinese accounted for nearly 30% of all immigrants to California in 1852. With the passage of harsh state Foreign Miner tax laws, first passed in 1850, Chinese began to give up mining and moved to cities and towns like San Francisco where they would form Chinatowns throughout the West.

------------------

Article from the Daily Alta California, Monday, January 26, 1857

Link to the Article

Chinese New Year.

The Chinese calendar reckons the year from the 25th of January, and the custom of celebrating its advent prevails with them as with other nations. On New Year's Day they pay their debts, so far as they are able, (a custom which might, without any great injury to society, be imitated by our own Yankee Nation,) and are released from payment if they are without means : thus, commencing the New Year with “a fresh start ;” and though John may not have a dollar in his pocket, yet he has the enviable luxury of feeling that he is free from the paralyzing influence of debt, and owes no man a dollar. In this country, the Chinese devote three days to the New Year's festivities—at home they are kept up much longer. Yesterday being the Christian Sabbath, the merchants and better class of our Chinese population, out of respect for the day, made no noisy demonstration beyond the firing of crackers at sunrise and sunset. Soon after the sun arose, yesterday, they commenced making morning calls, somewhat after the fashion which prevails in this and other American cities, but with this difference, the Chinese are more select and sensible in the matter—their visitors are either relatives or intimate friends—not strangers or mere store- acquaintances, as with us. Among the Chinese, each visitor presents his compliments and leaves a card, or rather a piece of white paper four or five inches square, with the person upon whom the call is made.

In several of the large Chinese establishments, tables were spread out yesterday, laden with every description of fruit, sweetmeats, and liquors, which were freely partaken of by their friends. We called upon several of the merchants, and were kindly welcomed. At the house of Chun Shun, on Sacramento street, two tables were prepared— one contained cake and wine, (genuine Schreider,) of which their visitors partook—the other was arranged with great taste, and supplied with every delicacy : Oranges, bananas, pears, apples, grapes a variety of conserves, and beautiful boquets (sic) of fresh flowers. According to a custom which prevails with the Chinese, this table was prepared as an offering to the memory of their deceased friends. Lighted tapers are placed upon the table, and a censer of incense is kept burning throughout the day.

It is a curious fact that although the Chinese will often abandon and neglect one of their own nation, and even their nearest relatives, when afflicted with disease— parents closing their hearts against their offspring, and children, with revolting cruelty, forgetting all the ties of filial aflection (sic)—will turn, one from the other, in their distress, and suffer the invalid to die forsaken and alone; yet, being dead, they seem to cherish the memory of the departed with peculiar tenderness, and ever, at the opening of the New Year, while receiving the congratulations of the living, and arranging their plans for the future, they recall the memory of friends who have died, and with an offering of fruits and flowers, renew the covenant of buried affection. Several of the Chinese merchants with whom we conversed yesterday respecting the late news from their country, expressed much regret that the difficulty should have occurred, and hoped it might soon be amicably adjusted. From the accounts they have received of the affair, they think the British acted too hastily in the matter. The sad condition of things in their own country has cast a damper over their New Year's festivities.

--------

Notes:

The article states that the Chinese New Year began on the 25th, but one Internet source says it really began on January 26 in 1857.

The writer of the article doesn’t mention how he came to learn of the Chinese New Year cultural practices. So it’s hard to say how accurate he was on his reporting.

The practice of paying off debts, visiting friends and relatives, paying homage to departed loved ones, decorating, and having a feast are well known New Year’s practice, but I’m not sure what the four inch white paper squares that were left by visitors was about. Was this a practice that has changed over time? Was this a particular cultural practice of Chinese from the region of Toisan?

The interesting mention of the war in China gives us context as to what was happening elsewhere at the time of this article. The war referenced was the Second Opium War which began in October of 1856. Primarily the British, but also French and Americans were fighting to gain better trading terms with the Chinese government. Britain’s chief objective was to maintain and increase its profitable trade of opium to China. Because China was already immersed in several brutal civil wars at that time, including the Taiping Rebellion, Red Turban Rebellion, and Punti–Hakka Clan Wars, these foreign countries took advantage of the situation.

------------------

Although I have not yet found any reference to the first Lunar New Year parade in San Francisco, Wikipedia states that it occurred sometime in the 1860s.

If any of you can find the first references to a Lunar New Year Parade and the cultural activity connected with those white paper squares, please pass that along and we’ll share that with our readers.

Happy Lunar New Year everyone!