February 18, 2010

Gong Xi Fa Cai

There is something about festivals. You can feel it in the air!

Having just shifted to Singapore a month and half back, I invariably found myself picking up a Red Tee to wear on the eve of Chinese New Year.

When numerous red lanterns, big and small pots laden with several dozen oranges, beautiful red and golden decorative and lion dances suddenly start springing from nowhere, you know that Chinese New Year is round the corner ! 

Not to forget lots of unwanted stuff being put away as part of spring cleaning. In fact, inspired, we also threw some of our unwanted stuff !

Relatives give money in little red packets to the unmarried in family called Ang Pao (Hong Bao in Mandarin). It was funny reading articles in local papers on ways to deal with relatives who keep pestering the marriageable aged while giving them their ang paos. There are also articles on many couples not wanting girl child to be born in the coming year, lest they will grow up to be very aggressive as this is the year of Tiger.

It's quite like our Diwali - decorations, exchange of gifts, de-cluttering and family reunions!

We headed to Kuala Lumpur to spend our CNY holidays this year and so missed the D-Day festivities, fireworks and lion dances. May be next year, till then - Gong Xi Fa Cai (roughly means Congratulations and be Prosperous)!

1 comment:

  1. Oh, so it was the Chinese New Year hols :) Looks like quite diff stuff from what we do on Hindi New Year!

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