Chinese New Year customs

Singapore - There are many many traditions and customs during Chinese New Year to greatly appreciate the deep Chinese Culture. The following are just the basics:

1. Days before Chinese New Year it is customary to clean your house and keep it spic and span as relatives and guests whom you invited are coming to your house. To many Chinese, it is bad luck to sweep your house during the 2 days of Chinese New Year.

2. Bring along 2 oranges which symbolize 'Gold' - this will be exchange with the host with 2 hands, and greetings of 'Happy New Year' and all the niceties of the seasons...

3. Married couples will give red packets (Hong Pao) to children. Working and married children will give Hong Pao to their parents and to their Grandparents. Children will receive the red packets with 2 hands.

But over the years, I have seen a deteriorating of customs which trivals being Chinese in modern Singapore. You will find married couples without children taking advantage of the long holidays to book holidays out of Singapore to avoid giving money and seeing relatives. You will find reunion dinner turning into obligation of whose turn is it now, some skipping it altogether. Some younger generations wearing all black or all white - like death or ghost (said by many old folks) in such a happy festivities....

Eve of Chinese New Year - Reunion Dinner

Singapore - After 'spring cleaning' my home - we hurried over to my parents place for the Reunion Dinner. This is a yearly event held by every ethnic Chinese around the planet on the Eve of Chinese New Year where members of the family will return to their parents house for dinner.

To the Chinese this is the most important event in the Chinese New Year calendar to start the year in the right footing. The children and married sons will return to their parents house to enjoy the Reunion festivies. It is common to have 'Steam Boat' - ingredients are cooked in a simmering pot of broth (my mum had a mixture of pork, chicken and prawns - yummy). We had slices of pork, beef, chicken, pork liver, fish, prawns, tofu, vegetables, etoki mushrooms and rice.

My parents took the time to prepare this delicious reunion dinner....

Celebrating Lunar New Year

Singapore - Exactly next week, Singapore and many countries will celebrate Lunar or Chinese New Year (CNY), as it is commonly known - it is in fact celebrated on a grander scale than the Gregorian New Year. We usher in the Year of the Ox.

Chinese New Year Trivia
Why do Chinese exchange a pair of Mandarin Oranges when we meet during Chinese New Year.
A: The Cantonese pronunication of Mandarin Oranges is 'gam' which sounds like the pronunciation of gold in Cantonese as well. Also we exchange oranges in pairs as even numbers are auspicious.