The New Year's celebration unites Hawai'i's diverse communities as folks from all ethnicities flock to Chinatown for the party.

Lion dances are the heartbeat of the celebration — but there are other cultural elements to explore: li see (red packets filled with money), waichun (good-luck sayings on red paper, with Chinese calligraphy), and traditional foods ranging from gau (a pudding of brown sugar and often coconut), tong go (candied fruits and vegetables) and jai (monk's food).

And firecrackers, too, to ward off bad omens and bring on good vibes.

"The practice goes back to China, and since Chinese value this time of year — the beginning of a new year, when you celebrate good fortune and good luck — the local people basically follow these ancient traditions," said Ted Li, chairman of the annual Narcissus Festival. Li, a Chinese businessman originally from Vietnam, is the proprietor of the Crack Seed Center, an emporium of Chinese munchies (li hing mui, salted plums, shredded mango and more) at Ala Moana Center.

Students at physical culture academies and ethnic societies will be very much in evidence — dancing beneath the colorful lions to the staccato tempo of clanging gongs and thumping drums. It's often a noisy and smoky affair, with firecrackers popping and competing with the gongs.

"The fireworks chase away the evil spirits as we welcome the new year," Li said.

Even the firecracker residue — the red paper scattered from the explosion — symbolizes possibilities for a fruitful year, said Li.

Chinese New Year is far more important to Chinese residents than the New Year celebration Jan. 1, he said.

"And New Year's Eve is the most important time," Li said of dwindling old-style customs still practiced here. "It's a time to gather the whole family together and have a unifying dinner."

If families have popo (grandmother) and kungkung (grandfather) present, their home is usually where all the children and grandkids assemble.

"You have dinner, you pass out li see, you spend time together," said Li.

The li see practice — again, to bring on good fortune and good luck — is particularly appealing to kids.

The dancing lions and the li-see-giving are rituals extended to Chinatown merchants, too. "We all want to do better in business in the new year," said Li. "So we welcome the lion."

When watching a lion dance, it's suggested that observers hand $1 bills to the youths beneath the lion (a waiting hand is inside the lion's mouth), but merchants — particularly financial institutions situated in Chinatown — commonly hand out generous donations of several hundred dollars, Li said.

"The theory is, the more you give, the more you get back," he said.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.