Celebrating Chinese New Year

My parents would buy us new clothing to celebrate Chinese New Year. My grandmother, mother and aunties will get together to make Chinese New Year goodies.

There would be a big spring cleaning to get rid of the old so as to welcome the new, the living room with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. My grandfather, when he was still alive, would write poetic couplets to be pasted on the main door, happy wishes written on red paper.

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My uncles and aunties would make an effort to be home on Chinese New Year Eve to have the reunion dinner. Dinner will consist of sumptuous dishes such as braised duck, steamed chicken, fish, and various vegetables all signifying auspicious wishes for the New Year.

After dinner, the children would wait eagerly while my father and uncles set up the metres long crackers. The excitement increased as it near midnight. My father would light the crackers at the stroke of midnight and the deafening sound of the crackers would usher in the New Year.

My father stopped this practice after my grandfather died and we moved into a high-rise apartment. My uncles and aunties also moved into their own homes. We no longer have reunion dinners like we did when grandfather was alive.

However, my father would go to the nursery every year and buy live blooming plants to be displayed in the house. This is to symbolize rebirth and new growth. It is believe that luck will descend on your family if a plant blooms on Chinese New Year’s Day, for that foretells a year of prosperity.

My father would also buy pussy willow every year. These were usually decorated with red ornaments symbolizing good luck and wishes.

Photo by beggs (Flickr)

Oranges and tangerines are a must for Chinese New Year and Father will buy them by the boxes. Etiquette dictates that one must bring at least a pair of oranges or tangerines visiting family or friends anytime during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness.

My mother would also prepare a candy tray arranged in either a circle or octagon is called “The Tray of Togetherness” with a red envelope (ang bao) on the center compartment of the tray. It has a dazzling array of candy to start the New Year sweetly and each item represents some kind of good fortune.

Photo by su-lin (Flickr)

Other Chinese New Year goodies that my mother prepared include bak kwa, barbecued pork. This Chinese pork jerky or bak kwa as popularly known in Singapore was believed to have originated from an ancient Chinese meat preservation technique. The Chinese like the reddish hue of the meat as red signifies good luck. Due to this, bak kwa is commonly given as gifts during the season.

For dinner on Chinese New Year eve, my mother will also prepare Yusheng, a raw fish salad. The dish usually consists of strips of raw fish, shredded vegetables and a few sauces. For convenience, my father would buy the pre-packed ingredients from supermarkets and assemble them just before dinner.

Yusheng came about more than 1,000 years ago in southern Chinese coastal areas. Fishermen and seafarers prepared this dish during feasts and religious ceremonies to pay respect to a female deity. In addition, “yu” or fish has a special significance in Chinese tradition and literally translates into “abundance”.

The dish is also highly featured in Chinese restaurants during the season.

When visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year, remember to don your best in red, a fail-safe auspicious colour. Other suitable colours to wear when visiting include orange, yellow and pink. This will help you win favour with your aunts, uncles, grandparents and older relatives.

Generally, when you go visiting during Chinese New Year, you will find similar goodies at each house you visit. So if a family has some goodies that are different, you can be sure that it would be much in demand.

Chinese New Year is a celebration of spring, rebirth and rebonding of ties. Many of us are now working and hardly see one another during the year. We often take this opportunity to catch up with news of our relatives and to enjoy each other’s company.

Photo by tenagamon (Flickr)