Chinese New Year 2013

New Year Snake lanterns, in Chinatown, Singapore

新年快乐 (xin nian kuai le) everyone! Today is Chinese New Year. Or rather, it is the first day, and ONE of the many festival days of CNY. I think there around 14 with significance overall. In Singapore we have the weekend, then this coming Monday / Tuesday as public holidays. (And it's tipping with rain, so I am writing my blog!)

As some of you probably know, this is Lunar New Year (and also Spring Festival) as celebrated by Chinese across the globe (the Vietnamese have Tet around the same day, and there are others). It's probably the biggest festival on the calendar in East Asia. Because of the massive diversity among Chinese communities internationally, there are a trillion different variations on how CNY is celebrated, with some central themes. (A bit like Christmas in the West). So I am going to just stick to Singapore's celebrations for now!

CNY here IS like Christmas in the UK. There are decorations everywhere (usually in lucky red/gold), a big buildup, with stores pushing their wares and deals for CNY. All the big global chains cash in. There are certain traditional foods eaten over the festive period, so suddenly stores are filled with oranges and pineapple cookies; and there are ads up everywhere for abalone. (This is an edible shellfish btw - I hadn't actually clocked this before!) Sinagpore's entire retail hemisphere is encrusted with words like 'Prosperity' and 'Lucky'.

Singapore is a retail and food nirvana, and so despite public holidays, nothing much actually stops for regular New Year (1 Jan) or for Eid, Divali, or Christmas. But it does for CNY. I was rather banking on Japanese and other international outlets being open. Most are not! Last night we visited the bustling (and slightly posh) City Hall mall, to find 3/4 of it shut down. Supermarkets (local and international) are closed too. The only reliable exceptions seem to be MacDonalds, Starbucks, 7-11 and their compatriots. (Fast food dinner today then!) To be honest, just like at Christmas in the UK, I am a bit stuck to know what to do! Friends are around but it's raining heavily and the shops are shut. (Apparently Little India is still alive - we might go there. At least transport still operates in Singapore!)

As an outsider seeing ads and newspapers, CNY appears to be both an interesting ancient tradition, and a joyous time when Asian families get together in magical harmony. Asians are better at the family harmony thing, after all, right? But I am reliably informed by Singaporean colleagues that there is stressful retail pressure to buy gifts (not to mention pineapple cookies and abalone!) And that CNY is the time when families are pressured to be together and often have arguments. The Christmas family argument is almost part of our tradition in the UK now.. it seems that Asian families are no different! (And similarly, watching festive UK ads, Jamie Oliver and the like, probably doesn't give most outsiders such an accurate view of some UK Christmases!)

MacDonalds poster - the Prosperity Double Chicken Burger is a must!

Some people I know are using (or adding) the two public holidays to go on vacation for this period. And of course this is necessarily the case if parents etc live abroad. But perhaps unsurpisingly, plane tickets and accommodation mysteriously triple or quadruple in price over CNY. And, because most of East Asia celebrates it; this applies to most of East Asia! If you are not Chinese, and planning a Spring trip in Asia, check your dates first!

Most of Singapore's traditional celebrations take place in Chinatown. There will be Lion dances, acrobatics, stalls, firecrackers (these are allowed here for controlled and pre-organised displays) and the light-up of hundreds of lanterns. I suspect there might be fireworks too! Another traditional thing that still happens here is the giving of Ang Pao (lucky red envelopes of money) to friends and relatives. Traditionally they are more commonly gifts for children, but some offices offer extra money to employees as a kind of Ang Pao for the season.

 

In Singapore particularly, some Chinese families perform the 'Prosperity Toss' as part of the CNY feasting activities. What gets tossed is Lo Hei or Yusheng (depending on your dialect) - a salad made up of strips of raw fish and shredded vegetables, sprinkled with a special dressing. Locals use chopsticks to toss the salad into the air, symbolising abundance for the coming year. This is partly because the Chinese word for fish is very similar to the one for abundance - and so has come to represent this. I've been told the dish is also quite tasty. (Word-similarity / association is very common in Chinese culture - objects and numbers can bring good or bad luck accordingly.)

The Singaporean 'Prosperity Toss'

Well, the rain has stopped now, so it might be time to go out and explore. Happy New Year! (That's what the Chinese characters mean, btw.)

 

 

Above pix which Blogger wouldn't let me caption: Chinatown's roadside decorations, lanterns featuring the animals of the zodiac. This year's snake is considered difficult in terms of decoration - not cool like the Dragon, or cute like the Rabbit!

Additional pic credits: tnp.sg, Reuters.com