Chinese New Year

 

THE time has come again when mistletoe, fruitcake and gaily wrapped presents give way to red lanterns, mandarin oranges and red packets.

To the Chinese, the most important festival is Chinese New Year, which falls in either January or February. It is ushered in with the lighting of fire crackers at midnight on the eve of the Chinese Lunar Calendar

THIS year is a great one for long weekend vacations. Six public holidays fall on a Monday, Friday or Sunday.

They are Chinese New Year (Feb 14 to 16), Good Friday (April 2), Vesak Day (May 28), National Day (Aug 9), Hari Raya Puasa (Sept 10), and Deepavali (Nov 5).

On the even of the New Year, family relationships are remembered with a special reunion dinner to usher in the New Year. Younger members of the family visit their relatives, receiving red packets of lucky money (ang paus) while feasting and merrymaking. 

 

Kumquat Tree

    This is a play on words. In Chinese the kumquat is called Gam Gat Sue. The word Gam rhymes with the Chinese word for gold, and the word Gat rhymes with the Chinese word for luck. The tiny green leaves of this plant symbolise wealth as the word Luk (green) rhymes with the Chinese word for wealth. Finally the shape of the small oranges are a symbol of unity and perfection.

 

Flowers

Flowers hold a special significance at Chinese New Year, and the Chinese language's endless opportunities for puns and play on words are demonstrated in the flowers which are used. As with almost all activities at Chinese New Year, there is enormous symbolism in the use of flowers.

 

In Chinese cities around the world, flower fairs appear on the 26th day of the last moon, and run each evening until New Year's Eve. A stroll through the flower fair is a New Year ritual many Chinese enjoy, even after they've got all their spring flowers and appropriate for Chinese New Year, which is all about embracing spring. The flowers are from China and usually brought in a month before the festival, adding that other auspicious plants included lucky bamboo, chrysanthemums and gladioli, as well as lime and kumquat trees. ; indeed, it's a popular way of spending New Year's Eve while waiting to see in the New Year.

The colorful spectacle of Chinese New Year is evident long before the day of celebration itself. Eager crowds of shoppers can be seen searching for all kinds of seasonal delicacies: oranges for good luck, flowers and kumquat trees to beautify their homes. All debts must be settled and the house spotlessly cleaned before the new year begins.

The Chingay Parade traces its origins to a float decorating competition held in Penang in 1905. This practice of float decoration spread to the rest of Malaya by the 1960s, and eventually became associated with the Chinese New Year adds to the festive atmosphere with stilt walkers, lion and dragon dances, acrobats, and dozens of decorated floats taking to the streets amidst the clashing of cymbals and beating of gongs and drums. Malaysia is the best place to celebrate the Chinese New Year b'cos we are 1Malaysia.