What Chinese New Year means to our Family
I wrote a "What Christmas means to our Family" and thought I should do the same for Chinese New Year. Truth be told, I never liked CNY as a child. I am fearful of meeting relatives I've never seen in a year and ya, we do this year after year! Do what? Catching up with aunts, uncs, cousins, grand-uncs and great-grand-aunts - people I can't remember how to address. I can still recall the uncanny butterflies-in-tummy feeling each time my dad drove nearer to the homes of our extended families. My parents could sense my fear as I shakily asked them over and over again, "How do I call your aunty in mandarin again?" and repeated those titles under my breath lest I forget. It isn't just "Aunty" and "Uncle" when it comes to my traditional Shanghainese roots. There are relationship titles [in mandarin] and the family is strict when it comes to respecting the elders. I would say it was rather stressful for me. Today, I have to force my children to Be Respectful and sometimes the attempts are really quite futile. To get Ewan to greet his elders with <<新年快乐 猴年大吉>>, I had to bribe him with treats. I think the in-between age [three to six] is quite a defiant one with lots of cajoling required to get things done. And not without a big sigh at the end on our parts.
That said, I love visiting my regularly-met relatives. At my maternal grandma's, we will enjoy a noisy yet cosy reunion dinner single-handedly prepared by my late grandmother. The mouth-watering HOCK CHEW ANG ZAO MEE SUA awaits us on the first day of Chinese New Year as breakfast and it's probably the reason why no one ever misses this visit on 大年初一. Some things have changed after grandma passed away but some things remained. We've got lesser visitors for sure but the Hock Chew Ang Zao Mee Sua is still a yearly tradition thanks to my eldest aunt who took over the role of the cook. She prepares [a-la-minute] up to 30 bowls a morning! Thereafter, she turns over her tight and uncomfortable kitchen into a combat space and cook up a feast to feed 20 people for dinner? Every.Single.Year.
捞起鱼生 [LO HEI]. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. We will always shout out idioms in mandarin while we toss the strips of carrots and salmon to bring on the good fortune: 早生贵子，学业进步，生体健康，万事如意！The children's favourite part of the dish is none other than Crispy Crackers!
Although there are 15 days to Chinese New Year, we are mostly done with our mandatory HOME VISITING by the second day. With our children needing their naps from 2 to 5pm, we typically squeeze six homes from 8am to 2pm on the first day. If you apportion the number of homes by the hour, that'll make an hour per home! Can you imagine the rush? We are able to pull this off because we live just 15 minutes [max] apart from one another *phew* This year, however, we did only five on the first day because we decided to start an hour later than previous years.
With Ewan growing up into a self-esteemed child. At three years of age, he walks into homes with no qualms. He isn't shy or wary but goes straight up to an adult to strike up a cheeky conversation. Faye, on the other hand, is totally cautious. She is, well, only 20 months old. I recall Ewan being very sociable at 20 months old actually but being watchful of her surroundings is a good trait for my little girl to possess. She has this strange fear for old people with white hair. If they touched her or simply conversed with her with a "HELLO!", she'd burst into tears. So you can imagine, she's not a fan of strangers nor mascots. My little baby koala.
The best part of Chinese New Year for me as a child was not the Red Packets but the privilege to stay up late till 12 midnight with my cousins playing SPARKLERS, throwing gunpowder poppers on the ground and catching spiders! Come to think of it, why haven't we introduced sparklers to our children these past years? *Horrified* I am depriving them of kiddish CNY traditions! Dugged into my storeroom and found a packet of sparklers! Yay! I promised them an exciting evening on Valentine's Day [人日] but my hopes were dashed when the rain came pouring down at dinner! Thankfully it stopped after 30 minutes for us to relive our childhood again and of course to introduce this lung-polluting sticks to the children. I wondered if Ewan and Faye would take to the sparklers positively. There is a chance that they might be afraid of the sparks but my worries were unnecessary. THEY LOVED IT!
Oh but we still have to give RED PACKETS a mention here. I don't know about you but I love putting new notes into those pretty Ang Bao Zua [red packets in Hokkien]. I enjoy this simple task way back when I was a little girl and will always offer to help mommy to it. What are your red packet traditions? We have a few:
BUYING NEW CLOTHES for the family is no longer an exciting affair over Chinese New Year because we're living in the First World. We buy whenever we need [or want, really]. Unlike the olden days where children get only a set of new clothes to usher in a full year. Some traditions stay even though they have somewhat lost its glory. I still buy us all new sets of clothes for the first day of Chinese New Year. Photographing the family in our 新衣裳 [new clothes] completes the picture.
DECORATING THE HOME after having children is also a yearly affair for me. Why after children? Because I became more obsessive with photography [CNY Photography Tips here] and I had to do up my own ching chiong backdrops to complement our new clothes. An idea sprung up on me in 2013. I bought a series of red and black zodiac paper cut-outs intending to recycle them year after year. Since it's the Year of the Monkey, the paper Monkey will get a feature on our wall together with the rest of its animal friends by standing out in red.
春联 is used only during the Chinese New Year as part of its celebration. Typically, the couplet writes a happy, hopeful, uplifting message about a better New Year to come for the front door. However, I prefer to place it in a more prominent place for my own visual enjoyment. Otherwise, I'll only get to see it when I get home! This couplet was written based on the names of my family. Together with our Chinese zodiac signs, the master came up with this.
Meyer: 瑞祥 ｜ 鸡
May: 媚 ｜鸡
Ewan: 亿文 ｜龙
Faye: 婧霏 ｜马
I've also added a dragon handicraft done my Ewan from last year to the wall, adding a touch of personalisation from the children. This year, I took a step further by decking up the dining table with Chinese New Year colours and goodies!
On the other side of the dining room, a pot of pussy willow stands together with overhead hanging lanterns to brighten up the room. We chose bright colours like yellows and blues to make the pictures pop. Talking about our pussy willows... Ewan broke our traditional porcelain vase the week leading up to Chinese New Year. My heart shattered. We've told him umpteenth times not to pull the pussy willow but he couldn't resist it that Monday morning. He said, "I just wanted to get that dragon hanging on the flower". Then a couple of days later, we went to buy a new vase. Meyer put it in his boot and guess what! It rolled out and smashed onto the floor when he opened it after that. *haha* We didn't even get to bring it home! So technically, we had three vases this year for this pussy willow decorative piece. Note: If you happen to break any bowls, glass or anything, utter the words 岁岁平安 ("Peace visit you through the ages")!
Hmmm.. we didn't utter those words though because both times it was either Ewan staring at me with apologetic eyes or the daddy opening his mouth wide with, "Not my fault! It rolled out on its own!"
Dong Dong Dong Qiang! LION AND DRAGON DANCES lined the streets everywhere in the good old days! There can be two performances on-going at the same time in the same neighbourhood! I loved watching a good lion dance show and children will drop everything [including TV] just to watch these paper-mâché lions up close. During the Chinese New Year, lion dance troupes from the Chinese martial art schools will visit the houses to perform the traditional custom of "cai qing" (採青), literally meaning "plucking the greens", whereby the lion plucks the auspicious green vegetables like lettuce either hung on a pole or placed on a table in front of the premises. They will also present the family with four auspicious numbers for good luck! Most of the time, money will be spent at the lottery hoping these numbers will bring them more wealth.
On the third day of Chinese New Year [初三], I brought the children to witness the most unique dance of all times. An underwater dragon dance at Sea Aquarium. We have watched several lion and dragon dances on land but underwater? It was quite a show for the kids!
We are lucky that our condominium management organises an annual lion dance for the residents on the seventh day this year [人日]. It kick-started our morning with a big bang! Chinese lion dance troupes are usually headed and ran by Chinese. This is the first time I'm watching Thais do the job. Spectacular! I especially liked the confetti at the end. I'm glad that the children got to grow up watching some of these old traditions passed down from the Tang Dynasty.
Oh Chinese New Year. I welcome each year with anticipation. I told myself that there's no better time to impart traditions than on Chinese New Year. If we miss teaching our children about their roots, they will grow up without them. Yet when we are in the thick of visiting homes after homes, I always end up saying, "Oh gosh.. this is too tiring. We should skip next year."
That said, I love visiting my regularly-met relatives. At my maternal grandma's, we will enjoy a noisy yet cosy reunion dinner single-handedly prepared by my late grandmother. The mouth-watering HOCK CHEW ANG ZAO MEE SUA awaits us on the first day of Chinese New Year as breakfast and it's probably the reason why no one ever misses this visit on 大年初一. Some things have changed after grandma passed away but some things remained. We've got lesser visitors for sure but the Hock Chew Ang Zao Mee Sua is still a yearly tradition thanks to my eldest aunt who took over the role of the cook. She prepares [a-la-minute] up to 30 bowls a morning! Thereafter, she turns over her tight and uncomfortable kitchen into a combat space and cook up a feast to feed 20 people for dinner? Every.Single.Year.
捞起鱼生 [LO HEI]. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. We will always shout out idioms in mandarin while we toss the strips of carrots and salmon to bring on the good fortune: 早生贵子，学业进步，生体健康，万事如意！The children's favourite part of the dish is none other than Crispy Crackers!
Although there are 15 days to Chinese New Year, we are mostly done with our mandatory HOME VISITING by the second day. With our children needing their naps from 2 to 5pm, we typically squeeze six homes from 8am to 2pm on the first day. If you apportion the number of homes by the hour, that'll make an hour per home! Can you imagine the rush? We are able to pull this off because we live just 15 minutes [max] apart from one another *phew* This year, however, we did only five on the first day because we decided to start an hour later than previous years.
With Ewan growing up into a self-esteemed child. At three years of age, he walks into homes with no qualms. He isn't shy or wary but goes straight up to an adult to strike up a cheeky conversation. Faye, on the other hand, is totally cautious. She is, well, only 20 months old. I recall Ewan being very sociable at 20 months old actually but being watchful of her surroundings is a good trait for my little girl to possess. She has this strange fear for old people with white hair. If they touched her or simply conversed with her with a "HELLO!", she'd burst into tears. So you can imagine, she's not a fan of strangers nor mascots. My little baby koala.
The best part of Chinese New Year for me as a child was not the Red Packets but the privilege to stay up late till 12 midnight with my cousins playing SPARKLERS, throwing gunpowder poppers on the ground and catching spiders! Come to think of it, why haven't we introduced sparklers to our children these past years? *Horrified* I am depriving them of kiddish CNY traditions! Dugged into my storeroom and found a packet of sparklers! Yay! I promised them an exciting evening on Valentine's Day [人日] but my hopes were dashed when the rain came pouring down at dinner! Thankfully it stopped after 30 minutes for us to relive our childhood again and of course to introduce this lung-polluting sticks to the children. I wondered if Ewan and Faye would take to the sparklers positively. There is a chance that they might be afraid of the sparks but my worries were unnecessary. THEY LOVED IT!
Oh but we still have to give RED PACKETS a mention here. I don't know about you but I love putting new notes into those pretty Ang Bao Zua [red packets in Hokkien]. I enjoy this simple task way back when I was a little girl and will always offer to help mommy to it. What are your red packet traditions? We have a few:
- I address every red packet with the name of my niece, nephew, cousin or elder and sign off with our own
- Direct family members get a personalised note with well wishes penned on the red packet
- I carry a pen with me and write the name of the gifter on the back of the received red packet
- I record our red packet collection in a spreadsheet [since 2012] to avoid giving less than the previous year and to ensure I return the same favour or more.
The spreadsheet helps me a lot in my packing decision [I don't follow the 2016 Red Packet Forecast for Relatives]. Especially now with two children, we collect more. Since we aren't here to profit on blessings, I ensure that a single child family gets as much as what they've given us.
My husband posed me this question: If you are a millionaire, will you still put S$8 in your red packet? Or will you put a minimum sum of S$50?
Frankly speaking, I don't know! He said if he is one, he will give a minimum of S$50 per packet because that's what he can afford. It isn't about how much that person deserves but how much he can give. Generosity have to come with Wealth. Otherwise, you will lose yourself in your fortune. Giving, as much as Love, should be unconditional. However, I felt that can be quite boastful and stressful for the receiver no? Will they feel obliged to return the same favour even if they cannot afford it? We couldn't agree on this.
BUYING NEW CLOTHES for the family is no longer an exciting affair over Chinese New Year because we're living in the First World. We buy whenever we need [or want, really]. Unlike the olden days where children get only a set of new clothes to usher in a full year. Some traditions stay even though they have somewhat lost its glory. I still buy us all new sets of clothes for the first day of Chinese New Year. Photographing the family in our 新衣裳 [new clothes] completes the picture.
DECORATING THE HOME after having children is also a yearly affair for me. Why after children? Because I became more obsessive with photography [CNY Photography Tips here] and I had to do up my own ching chiong backdrops to complement our new clothes. An idea sprung up on me in 2013. I bought a series of red and black zodiac paper cut-outs intending to recycle them year after year. Since it's the Year of the Monkey, the paper Monkey will get a feature on our wall together with the rest of its animal friends by standing out in red.
春联 is used only during the Chinese New Year as part of its celebration. Typically, the couplet writes a happy, hopeful, uplifting message about a better New Year to come for the front door. However, I prefer to place it in a more prominent place for my own visual enjoyment. Otherwise, I'll only get to see it when I get home! This couplet was written based on the names of my family. Together with our Chinese zodiac signs, the master came up with this.
Meyer: 瑞祥 ｜ 鸡
May: 媚 ｜鸡
Ewan: 亿文 ｜龙
Faye: 婧霏 ｜马
I've also added a dragon handicraft done my Ewan from last year to the wall, adding a touch of personalisation from the children. This year, I took a step further by decking up the dining table with Chinese New Year colours and goodies!
On the other side of the dining room, a pot of pussy willow stands together with overhead hanging lanterns to brighten up the room. We chose bright colours like yellows and blues to make the pictures pop. Talking about our pussy willows... Ewan broke our traditional porcelain vase the week leading up to Chinese New Year. My heart shattered. We've told him umpteenth times not to pull the pussy willow but he couldn't resist it that Monday morning. He said, "I just wanted to get that dragon hanging on the flower". Then a couple of days later, we went to buy a new vase. Meyer put it in his boot and guess what! It rolled out and smashed onto the floor when he opened it after that. *haha* We didn't even get to bring it home! So technically, we had three vases this year for this pussy willow decorative piece. Note: If you happen to break any bowls, glass or anything, utter the words 岁岁平安 ("Peace visit you through the ages")!
Hmmm.. we didn't utter those words though because both times it was either Ewan staring at me with apologetic eyes or the daddy opening his mouth wide with, "Not my fault! It rolled out on its own!"
Dong Dong Dong Qiang! LION AND DRAGON DANCES lined the streets everywhere in the good old days! There can be two performances on-going at the same time in the same neighbourhood! I loved watching a good lion dance show and children will drop everything [including TV] just to watch these paper-mâché lions up close. During the Chinese New Year, lion dance troupes from the Chinese martial art schools will visit the houses to perform the traditional custom of "cai qing" (採青), literally meaning "plucking the greens", whereby the lion plucks the auspicious green vegetables like lettuce either hung on a pole or placed on a table in front of the premises. They will also present the family with four auspicious numbers for good luck! Most of the time, money will be spent at the lottery hoping these numbers will bring them more wealth.
On the third day of Chinese New Year [初三], I brought the children to witness the most unique dance of all times. An underwater dragon dance at Sea Aquarium. We have watched several lion and dragon dances on land but underwater? It was quite a show for the kids!
We are lucky that our condominium management organises an annual lion dance for the residents on the seventh day this year [人日]. It kick-started our morning with a big bang! Chinese lion dance troupes are usually headed and ran by Chinese. This is the first time I'm watching Thais do the job. Spectacular! I especially liked the confetti at the end. I'm glad that the children got to grow up watching some of these old traditions passed down from the Tang Dynasty.
Oh Chinese New Year. I welcome each year with anticipation. I told myself that there's no better time to impart traditions than on Chinese New Year. If we miss teaching our children about their roots, they will grow up without them. Yet when we are in the thick of visiting homes after homes, I always end up saying, "Oh gosh.. this is too tiring. We should skip next year."
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A stay at home mum, blogging to widen her social life.
We want to echo the sound of love through our lives to inspire other mothers alike.
I used to record and got scolded by my mum! Hahaha not as hardcore as u though! Nowadays i just straight out ask, what do my kids call u ah? Cos i seriously cant rmb. Maybe should do a blog post on it, wld be useful Hahah
ReplyDeleteHahaa my mother and her family were the ones that remind me to record the red packets. But some relatives and friends I still don't know who they are so those goes to miscellaneous ;)
DeleteWell, now I just tell them to grand uncle here great grand Aunty there. All very English Liao.
I know what you mean about not knowing how to address the extended family members. I got away with it as the youngest child because I would always wait for my elder siblings to greet first and I just parrot after them.
ReplyDeleteYou bother keeping track of how much ang pow you receive from each person? We don't label our ang pows so by the time we get home, it's just one big stack of ang pows and I'm not sure which is from who. Anyway regardless of what people give us, we just give $10 to everyone. Easy mah. And that seems to be what majority of our family gives. if I were to strike toto and become a millionaire? I would still give $10 I guess. Don't spoil market mah. In case there will be people like you who keep track of how much people give and feel obliged to return the favour.
Anyway nice dress you got for this CNY!
hahah Good to be the youngest!
DeleteYa really.. I thought it's sooooo troublesome when I was taught to tag the names on the red packets. I'm like "For What Sia?" But I couldn't tag them all because I don't know a lot of them by names. This is a tradition {hmm or habit} from my maternal side. When my uncles give my kids the packets, they tell me to remember to write their names on it. I'm like, "Orh". So to make it less cumbersome, I decided to pen off all my red packets to everyone with my name instead. *haha* 妈妈说： “可以给多。不好意思给少"
Ya... I told Meyer his idea of giving S$50 per packet {if he ever strikes toto to become a millionaire} is so spoil market lor. Damn stressful for the receiver man. I'd be stressed la if I received it. But he said he'd be happy like a toad la if he received big money in an ang bao *hahha*
Thanks for the compliments!
Coincidentally I also kept a spreadsheet for Redpackets every year! Keeping in mind how much to give to relatives. The only diff is I did not put names though.I tried to verify via the packaging :)
DeleteWe also are in a mad rush on Day 1.. Visiting about 6 - 7 places from 8am to 2pm! (Which includes a temple too). It was tiring but really that is what CNY is about. :)
Wah you also 8am to 2pm with so many places!!! Temple some more! Hahah steady leh. After that r&r already is it?
DeleteWah by packaging very Siong haha but whatever works la :)
This post is informative for non-Chinese people like me. Though loads of information about CNY is available on google, it is always good to read from the real person and their real experiences. Visitations, Food, Festive mood I like. It is exhausting but exciting too.
ReplyDeleteYes... it is exhausting only after you have kids.. haha visiting families as a couple is really quite fun because you get to stay out late and you get to play card games or mahjong!
DeleteVery elaborate walk through, can feel your family enjoying CNY :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you really personalise each Ang Pow with notes, so thoughtful and meaningful!
cheers, Andy
(SengkangBabies)
When I started writing this post, I didn't know what I should be writing. 越写越长气！
DeleteI feel sometime following those traditional culture and passing them to kids is essential as they stay connected to their roots. Surely, it is tiring with kids but a lot to remember and cherish for the entire year.
ReplyDeletenods nods however, we've dropped a lot of traditions from our parents' time already. There used to be prayers and more but the amount of effort and time put into it is far too much for this generation to handle. Thing is, we don't believe in some to bring it on to the next generation.
DeleteMy husband does the excel spreadsheet for the same exact reason, haha! I love how you personalise the red packets for your extended family members, it's a very meaningful practice.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteI love this journal of how you prepare the home and kids for CNY. Like you, I miss the boisterous get-together with cousins, simply chatting and getting pampered by the older generation with homecooked food. Now with David's Grandma and my Grandma's passing, the CNY's mood diluted and losing significance. To make up for it, I keep some traditions for our family too - like buying everyone at least new sets of clothes, bedsheets and undies. With regards to Red Packets, I try to make a mental note who gave how much too as I also believe in blessing the giver's kids more in return. This year, I gave $20 to each of my cousin's children and $100 to my own nephew. We also bless the condo guards and cleaners with an Ang Bao to thank them for their service. I love how CNY is still very much celebrated here in SG.
ReplyDeleteGrandma's cook the best dishes don't they? Sobs Sobs.. It's getting lesser and lesser with traditions 2 generations down the road.
DeleteThat's really wonderful! Giving S$100 to your nephew. My cousin just reminded me that my mom used to give her a min of S$50 and it doesn't take a very wealthy person to bless big. =)
Beautiful pictures as usual! I'm going to forward this to my overseas relatives - such an in-depth explanation of the inner workings of CNY.
ReplyDeleteawwww thank you =)
Delete