Happy Chinese New Year!

 


That's a massive angpow, something which I would love to receive on Chinese New Year!

For those not in the know, yes, I really am a Chinese. The reason I am clarifying this is that a couple of days ago, I had a conversation with a Chinese friend of mine, and it went like this:

Chinese Friend: So, you don't really celebrate Chinese New Year right...I mean you aren't really a "Chinese."

Me: Ummm, yeah, I actually do celebrate Chinese New Year. Though I'm from Malaysia, I'm not Malay, as people often think I am. I'm a Chinese Malaysian, having my heritage roots from Chinese.

It's Chinese New Year today, and I'm just missing home terribly, and in reminiscience of how merry and big a festival this is in a Chinese family. On the eve of Chinese New Year, every Chinese family would go to their paternal extended family for a 'reunion dinner.' It is really during this time of the year when you get to see all of your family members from your father's side (umm, kinda patriarchal) and sitting together for dinner. The dinner is usually very sumptuous; a six to eight course dinner with expensive Chinese delicacies. One of the moral dilemma for me during this dinner is eating the shark fin's soup. Thinking of how cruel it is to kill the poor shark just for the tasteless fins just stirs my conscience...however, if I don't eat it, it will be an insult to the older family member who prepared it. Anyway, I always eat it.

Then on the first day of CNY, everyone would be wearing red (for good luck) and going for pai nin (house visiting) first to close family members, then to extended family members. CNY is just a lot about exchanging gifts (when you go house visiting), eating Chinese delicacies at all the houses you visit, and most importantly, getting ang pows! Ang pows are red packets given by married couple to children/single family members for good luck. It's filled with $$, just as a token and fun of it. And of course, that is why children love CNY, coz they get money to spend! CNY extends for an entire month and it is tradition to visit every single extended family member,which is a good way to connect with family. Simply said, Chinese New Year is all about family!

Well, here's wishing you Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hung Pao Na Lai!