Chinese Traditions

Chinese Traditions: From Festivals to Funerals describes cultural practices, rituals, and legends shared through oral storytelling from generation to generation over centuries. A descendant of the "Too Chee" Changs, May-Blossom Chang Wilkinson describes the superstitions and tales that shaped her childhood, growing up in Hawaii during the Depression Era and World War II as the youngest child and only daughter of Chinese immigrants. Legends describe how the "Too Chee" (Belly Button) Chang family name came to be; why there are twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac; and why, when one looks up at the moon during the annual Moon Festival, one might see a toad, a rabbit, and a cassia tree. Other highlights include: how chopsticks were invented, and how to ensure that the Kitchen God will report favorably on your family when sent up to the Heavens.