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Asian Americans speak of eroding traditions

As UA Asian American students prepare to bring in the Chinese New Year tomorrow, many feel that although America is the global capital of ethnic variance, it diminishes their traditions.

"I think the celebration is different here because I'm a first generation Asian American, and my parents are still traditional," said Michelle Gautama, a microbiology freshman.

"Chinese New Year won't hold that much meaning because parents aren't as in touch with the traditions because they lose it as time goes by as you become Americanized," she said.

Tomorrow's celebration marks the year of the Dragon - the most powerful mythological figure in Chinese culture.

The Chinese calendar is not composed of years but of a cyclical union of 12 mythological figures.

Ok Choo, a biochemistry freshman, said she agrees that the traditions are slowly beginning to slip away from Asian American families. However, the spiritualism and family connections are growing strong.

"It depends on the family," Choo said. "If you are more Asianized, you are likely to celebrate."

Like Gautama, however, Choo agreed that the American lifestyle is contributing to the dwindling interest in Asian customs.

"Here, the life of Asian families are so fast paced, and we can't stop," she said. "So it's more spiritual within the celebration."

There will still be many Asian American families who will be participating in the festivities, but not on such a large scale, Gautama added.

Mai Huynh, medical technology sophomore, said her family has retained and passed along, from generation to generation, some of the old traditions.

"Family is a huge deal," she said. "In Vietnam, they decorate the whole city - like Christmas is for here, that's how it compares."

Though not in Vietnam, they still gather to hand out red packets for a year of good luck, they gamble - but not excessively - during the holiday and they still perform the cleansing rituals.

"It starts with a cleaning ritual and gifts," Huynh said. "I'm not sure how other religions do it, but Buddhists burn incense at the altar and place food in front of the altar for the dead so they can bring in the new year with us."

A number of different Asian cultures observe the Chinese New Year in what is considered the biggest Chinese celebration, said Cliff Chan, electrical engineering sophomore.

"Only traditional food are used, and there are many different customs," said Chan, adding that fried foods - potatoes, chicken and pastries - are also prepared.

Chan, who is an international student from China, said many precautions are taken by the Chinese while preparing for the New Year to ensure a safe transition from the old to the new.

"Usually, you clean your house two days before the New Year and they usually don't see their relatives," Chan said. "The third day, you cannot go see any relatives because it may cause bad things with the other people."

Chan also said a lot of cooking is done during this time of year because practically all stores are closed in Hong Kong during the celebration.

He also said that everything is decorated in red paper, the symbolic color of fortune. Black, the symbol of bad luck, and white, for death, are avoided at all costs.

Asian American students, however, said such widespread closures and decorative measures would be virtually impossible in America, so Asian Americans celebrate on a reduced scale.

"Everyone still gets money," said Mai Luc, interim coordinator of Asian Pacific American Student Affairs. "But it's changed a lot because when I was younger, it was more strict."

"Now," she added, "I think it's more lenient, and every family celebrates it a bit different."