Happy (belated) Lunar New Year!
Feb 18, 2021 04:07:58 #
The Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is the most important celebration observed in China, with cultural and historic significance. The festival signals the beginning of spring, and the start of a new year according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
Chinatown, Chicago, IL
February 15, 2021
EOS 5DIII and EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, captured in RAW and processed in Adobe Lightroom 6
Happy Lunar New Year! by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Chicago's Chinatown is a neighborhood located in the South Side of Chicago, centered on Cermak and Wentworth Avenues. Over a third of Chicago's current Chinese population resides in this ethnic enclave, making it one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese in the United States. The present Chinatown location formed around 1912, after settlers moved steadily south from the first enclaves were established near Chicago's downtown Loop in the 19th century.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The Year of the Ox started February 12, 2021, the second of the 12-year sequence of the Chinese zodiac animals of the Chinese calendar. In the Chinese culture, like Native cultures in the Americas, there is a story / myth explaining the existence of absolutely everything. According to legend, the Jade Emperor invited the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac to a going away party before he left the earth. The first animal to arrive was the rat. The rat had hitched a ride on the back of the ox when crossing the final river, arriving first to the party.
If you were born in the year of an Ox, (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021), you have an honest nature. Oxes are known for diligence, dependability, strength and determination. These reflect traditional conservative characteristics.
Pacific Global Bank
China's lunar calendar is according to the moon. New Year always starts with a new moon. The calendar also reflects the sun. Chinese New Year is always 1 to 2 months after the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice, December 21 or 22). The holiday time was chosen for farmers. It's a good time for them to get together, relax, and pray for the next year of farming, as it's the slack time before the spring ploughing begins.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The number nine and dragons are very important in Chinese culture. Chicago's Nine Dragon Wall is made of glazed tile from China and is modeled after the wall in Beihai Park in Beijing. The Chinatown mural replicates the large dragons and over 500 smaller dragons painted in red, gold and blue signifying the Chinese focus on good fortune. The Nine Dragon Wall is one of the only three such replicas outside of China.
Nine Dragon Wall by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Chinese New Year, like Christmas in the West, is "the season of good will" in China, so most people receive a red envelope from someone, whether employer or family. Gifts of chickens were always welcome, but for family members traveling long distances, envelopes of money were more practical, especially for children. According to many New Year legends, evil spirits are scared of red, so red envelopes were originally used to suppress or ward off demons while giving money to family, friends and others.
Happy Lunar New Year! by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Visiting family members, decorating, giving gifts and greetings, having a big family meal, and doing some religious practices such as making offerings to ancestors or lighting incense, are some of the essentials of celebrating the Chinese New Year.
Mrs Gu Skewers
The first Chinese arrived in Chicago after 1869 when the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed. Many Chinese lost their jobs after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, as they had made up 90% of the workforce for the Central Pacific Railroad. By the late 1800s, 25% of Chicago's approximately 600 Chinese residents settled along Clark Street between Van Buren and Harrison Streets near Chicago's Loop.
Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Chinese Americans arrived in Chicago in droves, following family members who had already moved east along the railroad. The move to the new South Side Chinatown started in earnest in 1912. The new Chinatown would come to hold over one-third of Chicago’s then two-thousand strong Chinese population soon after its founding.
Happy Lunar New Year!
Chicago's Chinatown landmark gateway was installed in 1975. The Chinatown Gate marks the entrance to the heart of Chicago's Chinatown, with its numerous shops, restaurants, churches, grocers and bakeries.
China Gate
The four large Chinese characters near the top of the gate translate into "the world belongs to the commonwealth", which was a famous saying in the early part of the 1900's and reflects the spirit and determination of the Chinese people.
China Gate
'Start of Spring' is an oddly named solar term, because spring is still a month or more away in China's cold north, and wintry weather still lingers in temperate south China. However, Chinese still celebrate (the coming) spring with the Spring Festival.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The " Fú " character is a very common decoration during the Chinese Spring Festival, meaning good fortune in Chinese. A tradition practiced in many regions in China is to paste the Fú character upside down. In Chinese the word for upside down, ”dao” sounds similar to the word for arrive, “dào” Thus, pasting the character upside down implies that good fortune has, or will arrive.
The fifteenth day is the last day of the New Year celebration with red lanterns for luck everywhere. These red lanterns symbolize good luck, prosperity, reunion, happiness, protection, harmony and all that is good.
China Gate
These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
Chinatown, Chicago, IL
February 15, 2021
EOS 5DIII and EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, captured in RAW and processed in Adobe Lightroom 6
Happy Lunar New Year! by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Chicago's Chinatown is a neighborhood located in the South Side of Chicago, centered on Cermak and Wentworth Avenues. Over a third of Chicago's current Chinese population resides in this ethnic enclave, making it one of the largest concentrations of ethnic Chinese in the United States. The present Chinatown location formed around 1912, after settlers moved steadily south from the first enclaves were established near Chicago's downtown Loop in the 19th century.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The Year of the Ox started February 12, 2021, the second of the 12-year sequence of the Chinese zodiac animals of the Chinese calendar. In the Chinese culture, like Native cultures in the Americas, there is a story / myth explaining the existence of absolutely everything. According to legend, the Jade Emperor invited the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac to a going away party before he left the earth. The first animal to arrive was the rat. The rat had hitched a ride on the back of the ox when crossing the final river, arriving first to the party.
If you were born in the year of an Ox, (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021), you have an honest nature. Oxes are known for diligence, dependability, strength and determination. These reflect traditional conservative characteristics.
Pacific Global Bank
China's lunar calendar is according to the moon. New Year always starts with a new moon. The calendar also reflects the sun. Chinese New Year is always 1 to 2 months after the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice, December 21 or 22). The holiday time was chosen for farmers. It's a good time for them to get together, relax, and pray for the next year of farming, as it's the slack time before the spring ploughing begins.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The number nine and dragons are very important in Chinese culture. Chicago's Nine Dragon Wall is made of glazed tile from China and is modeled after the wall in Beihai Park in Beijing. The Chinatown mural replicates the large dragons and over 500 smaller dragons painted in red, gold and blue signifying the Chinese focus on good fortune. The Nine Dragon Wall is one of the only three such replicas outside of China.
Nine Dragon Wall by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Chinese New Year, like Christmas in the West, is "the season of good will" in China, so most people receive a red envelope from someone, whether employer or family. Gifts of chickens were always welcome, but for family members traveling long distances, envelopes of money were more practical, especially for children. According to many New Year legends, evil spirits are scared of red, so red envelopes were originally used to suppress or ward off demons while giving money to family, friends and others.
Happy Lunar New Year! by Paul Sager, on Flickr
Visiting family members, decorating, giving gifts and greetings, having a big family meal, and doing some religious practices such as making offerings to ancestors or lighting incense, are some of the essentials of celebrating the Chinese New Year.
Mrs Gu Skewers
The first Chinese arrived in Chicago after 1869 when the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed. Many Chinese lost their jobs after the completion of the transcontinental railroad, as they had made up 90% of the workforce for the Central Pacific Railroad. By the late 1800s, 25% of Chicago's approximately 600 Chinese residents settled along Clark Street between Van Buren and Harrison Streets near Chicago's Loop.
Following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Chinese Americans arrived in Chicago in droves, following family members who had already moved east along the railroad. The move to the new South Side Chinatown started in earnest in 1912. The new Chinatown would come to hold over one-third of Chicago’s then two-thousand strong Chinese population soon after its founding.
Happy Lunar New Year!
Chicago's Chinatown landmark gateway was installed in 1975. The Chinatown Gate marks the entrance to the heart of Chicago's Chinatown, with its numerous shops, restaurants, churches, grocers and bakeries.
China Gate
The four large Chinese characters near the top of the gate translate into "the world belongs to the commonwealth", which was a famous saying in the early part of the 1900's and reflects the spirit and determination of the Chinese people.
China Gate
'Start of Spring' is an oddly named solar term, because spring is still a month or more away in China's cold north, and wintry weather still lingers in temperate south China. However, Chinese still celebrate (the coming) spring with the Spring Festival.
Happy Lunar New Year!
The " Fú " character is a very common decoration during the Chinese Spring Festival, meaning good fortune in Chinese. A tradition practiced in many regions in China is to paste the Fú character upside down. In Chinese the word for upside down, ”dao” sounds similar to the word for arrive, “dào” Thus, pasting the character upside down implies that good fortune has, or will arrive.
The fifteenth day is the last day of the New Year celebration with red lanterns for luck everywhere. These red lanterns symbolize good luck, prosperity, reunion, happiness, protection, harmony and all that is good.
China Gate
These images are sized to fill your wide-screen display. Try using <F11> to maximize your browser window for the full effect. If the images overshoot your display, such as a laptop, just click on the image or the URL link and they'll resize to your screen from the host Flickr site. You can click a bit further into the image details on the Flickr page, if desired. EXIF data is available from the host Flickr pages as well. On the Flickr site, use your <L>key for Large and the <F11> for the full-screen.
Feb 18, 2021 05:36:02 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
The Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is t... (show quote)
These shots are spectacular Paul, thanks for the share. Everything here is cancelled or shut down. Again the history is so appreciated! - Jim
Feb 18, 2021 06:38:02 #
Another great set Paul. Thanks for sharing and know that your work is such an inspiration to many of us. It is not only your photography but also the information that you post with your pictures. Thanks for sharing and please stay safe.
Feb 18, 2021 06:53:19 #
When i was in Chicago I worked for a man named Joe Wirth, he owned the Bowman Funeral home in China town. He was one of the finest people I have ever known. I named my oldest boy after him.
Feb 18, 2021 07:52:31 #
Noce photos, Paul. I remember going to Chinatown in Chicago on my eighth grade trip. 
Feb 18, 2021 07:54:03 #
Beautiful set, Paul. Very nicely done. Thanks for sharing the story also.
Feb 18, 2021 08:41:28 #
junglejim1949 wrote:
These shots are spectacular Paul, thanks for the share. Everything here is cancelled or shut down. Again the history is so appreciated! - Jim
Thank you Jim! Everything about the celebration in Chicago was cancelled except for the lanterns. I made a trip on a 5F day that was full snow when I left but had ended when I arrived. It did clear quickly and I'm hoping for some interesting views / something different from that trip in B&W film. A few days later when our recent massive snow event started in the evening, I made a second trip in digital.
Feb 18, 2021 08:41:46 #
DAN Phillips wrote:
When i was in Chicago I worked for a man named Joe Wirth, he owned the Bowman Funeral home in China town. He was one of the finest people I have ever known. I named my oldest boy after him.
Great story, Dan, thank you! I was hoping to find as much about Chinatown as I've been able to find about the cemeteries in Chicago. I found a lot of great stories about the myths and traditions of the New Year, not so much about Chinatown. Glad you enjoyed.
Feb 18, 2021 08:43:40 #
Thank you junglejim1949, AFPhoto, Dan, John, Joe! Dumplings are a popular food for the holiday. I now have a freezer full of 80+ after a 2-day adventure, first making the filling with store-bought wrappers, and then making my own wrappers too for a second round. The great selection of signs in Chinatown will need another evening visit when the weather improves.
Feb 18, 2021 09:57:36 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
The Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, is t... (show quote)
Paul great images and commentary. You born the Chinese Lunar New Year?
Feb 18, 2021 10:16:19 #
CHG_CANON wrote:
Thank you Jim! Everything about the celebration in Chicago was cancelled except for the lanterns. I made a trip on a 5F day that was full snow when I left but had ended when I arrived. It did clear quickly and I'm hoping for some interesting views / something different from that trip in B&W film. A few days later when our recent massive snow event started in the evening, I made a second trip in digital.
Feb 19, 2021 10:38:21 #
I use to work in SF chinatown and loved the people and the sights.
I saw a video on the quake and it said that a lot of the people lived underground. Because the quake destroyed all the birth info; a lot of the people claimed they were born in sf and they became citizens.
I saw a video on the quake and it said that a lot of the people lived underground. Because the quake destroyed all the birth info; a lot of the people claimed they were born in sf and they became citizens.
Feb 19, 2021 11:57:12 #
philo wrote:
I use to work in SF chinatown and loved the people and the sights.
I saw a video on the quake and it said that a lot of the people lived underground. Because the quake destroyed all the birth info; a lot of the people claimed they were born in sf and they became citizens.
I saw a video on the quake and it said that a lot of the people lived underground. Because the quake destroyed all the birth info; a lot of the people claimed they were born in sf and they became citizens.
Having spent multiple full days in SF's Chinatown, one wishes every other version could live up to that experience. But, I've yet to find the fortune cookie factory here in Chicago.
. Happy New Year!Feb 19, 2021 12:34:32 #
Feb 19, 2021 13:05:55 #
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