Chinese New Year

Gong Xi Fa Cai!! Gong Hey Fat Choy!!
With the dawn of the New Lunar Calendar Year, all is abuzz - especially in this little life of mine. It's the year of the Fire Dog they say. Hey that's my year! Means i've gone through 2 full cycles of the lunar calendar. Man i'm getting old. So what's all this fuss about Chinese New Year?

Here's a few CNY (as it is fondly known as) traditions in Malaysia:

Once a year, people flood the highways and byways to get to their hometown. Home is where the heart is. And to celebrate the coming of a brand new year, people flock home for a reunion where as many family members as possible come together to eat and drink. Whether you love each other or hate each other, you still have to meet that once a year. Traffic is totally suicide but hey, people still risk that long journey home. I think it's a good thing cos that once a year you still go home. It's like the Christmas tradition overseas. Keeps the family together.
And then suddenly u noticed those little baby relatives of urs have grown (well considering the last time u saw them was last yr). Then u go "wow so big already". It's no wonder our aunties and uncles do that to us. Oh these are my cousin's kids by the way.
Another common practise is to totally sweep the house clean. Top to bottom, every nook and cranny. Turn the house upside down for a spring clean. New furnitures are added. The precious china and silk curtains are brought out (not literally though). Hey my family practises this too. It's a crazy week before the New Year arrives. At least the house gets cleaned and look awesome once a year. We load the fridge or cooler with cans and packets of drinks, jars with assorted cookies, tables with all sorts of yummies and a total must - mandarin oranges and peanuts.

The food is awesome this time of the year too. Someone said that we bluff ourselves that this indulgence is only once a year - but for Malaysians we say that for Christmas, CNY, Hari Raya, and what have you. In the end it is all year round, all the time. Thus, our famous quote "Malaysians eat 24 hours a day". The pictures below were the food I indulged in during the Klang reunion.
A strange tradition which becomes the highlight of all single people is the red packet - Ang Pow. Yea it contains money in it and this year, harvest was bountiful. hahaha... Actually as I was packing my parent's for them I was just thinking how married people had to take out hundreds of dollars jus to fill these little packets and give it away so freely. Does it hurt to do it? But I seem to see the common practice there. Giving! The spirit of giving and sharing. Sounds familiar? Hmmm.... I began to feel that this is a good practice after all! Teaches you not to horde too much eh? You also should give gifts of mandarin oranges (a must), peanuts (again a must), bah kua, biscuits, and other things to close ties - which I chose to do with my neighbours. And the feeling is good. Of course, you will definitely need to return a gift of such too if received one.

Oh yes, something you just ought to do is to 'bai nin'. Pay a visit to faraway family members, friends, colleagues, and so on. Just to say hello. My friends and I do this at a yearly basis. We visit houses after houses on the first day. Sit, drink, eat cookies, and get our ang pows. However, the spirit of visiting is waning off. Perhaps we are getting old and after all, it has been going on since I started driving. I want to continue for the kids. It's good practice in one sense and tiring on another sense. But, I too, am getting tired - having need to split the visits between the 15 days of Chinese New Year. (pics of some past year moments)
What else have we got? Lou Yee Sang with family and friends (originally for prosperity and all but we do it for fun), lion dances through the malls and neighbours' fire crackers, wine and beers offered all over, card games and mah jong, cheers and laughters, and the hot hot sun. How can you not love Chinese New Year. *laughs*

Happy Chinese New Year!!