The Rooster Crows During Chinese New Year's Celebrations

By Kathleen Jay

With the Chinese New Year coming, celebrations to usher in the Year of the Rooster are in full swing. Considered one of the most important holidays for Chinese families, the New Year marks a time for reunions and giving thanks.

The Chinese New Year always begins with the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later during the Lantern Festival, a ceremony to introduce the increasing light and warmth of the sun after the winter's cold.  This year, the lunar year 4703 begins Wednesday, Feb. 9 and ends Saturday, Feb. 19, culminating with the Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year's Parade downtown.

The rooster is the tenth of 12 animals in the Chinese horoscope and, according to an ancient Chinese poet, is gifted with many virtues. The rooster's crest indicates intelligence, claws reveal a fighting spirit, and its aggressive temper is credited with powers that drive away demons. The punctual crowing at dawn symbolizes the rooster's close contact with the sun, which represents the warmth and life of the universe. Ancient legend also calls the rooster "the domestic animal which knows how to tell time" and characterizes it as being courageous, commanding and warlike.

People born in the Year of Rooster - 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 and 2005  - generally have high I.Q.'s. They are deep thinkers, talented and tend to be aggressive, adventurous and industrious, often to the point of being overachievers. They love to be the center of attention, can be a bit eccentric and often have difficulty with relationships. Roosters tend to think that what they say is right, and it often is.

People born in the Year of the Rooster are the most compatible with those born in the year of the ox, snake and dragon. Famous people born in the Year of the Rooster include General George Patton, Yoko Ono, Britney Spears, Jennifer Anniston, Bette Midler and Crown Prince Akihito of Japan.

Local History

Starting in the late 1800s, the Chinese New Year Parade made its way along Grant Avenue, through the heart of San Francisco's Chinatown. In the 1960s, the parade route was moved to the wider streets of the financial district to accommodate the huge crowds of parade spectators.

Organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese New Year parade is the largest event of its kind outside of Asia. More than 100 groups participate in the parade, which includes floats, elaborate costumes, lion dancers, firecrackers and the newly-crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court.

A crowd favorite is the 201-foot-long Golden Dragon ("Gum Lung"), which requires more than 100 people from the martial arts group White Crane to carry it through the streets. Prior to making its appearance in the parade, the ceremonial dragon will be unveiled to the public aboard Hornblower's San Francisco Belle on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6:30 p.m.

Other events that will be happening during the Chinese New Year are:

• Saturday, Feb. 5: A ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Gavin Newsom and a mini-procession on Grant Avenue to kick-off the year's events. The San Francisco Symphony will also host a  Chinese New Year fundraiser at Davies Symphony Hall and the Flower Market Fair opens in Chinatown so families can purchase traditional holiday plants, flowers and fruits;

• Wednesday, Feb. 9:  The Chinese New Year officially starts;

• Weekend of Feb. 11 - Feb. 13: The Chinese New Year Carnival will take place at Walter U. Lum Place, at Washington and Clay streets. The Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts with women from throughout the United States competing for prizes and scholarships;

• Sunday, Feb. 13: The Chinese New Year YMCA 10K/5KRun/Walk will take place throughout Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Fort Mason. It ends on Kearny Street, between Sacramento and Clay streets; 

• Friday, Feb. 18: The newly selected Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court will be crowned at Harrah's Coronation Ball at the Westin St. Francis Hotel;

• Weekend of Feb. 18 - Feb. 19: A free community street fair in Chinatown will include music, folk dance, acrobats, lion dancing, lantern and kite making, arts and calligraphy and magic demonstrations;

• Saturday, Feb. 19: The Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Parade, a free event, will take place from 5:30 p.m.  to 8 p.m. It starts at Market and Second streets and travels down Kearny Street to Columbus Avenue. Television stations KTVU (2) and KTSF (26 - in Chinese) will broadcast the parade.

For more information about Chinese New Year's festivities, call the Chinese Chamber of Commerce at (415) 391-9680 or go to www.chineseparade.com.