Chinese New Year Traditions

Chinese New Year is just round the corner!

Offices are winding down and everyone is getting into the "Gong Xi Fa Cai" mood.

The Drama in church today, played on the importance of family values, and it was really quite sad, when the 2 elderly parents felt lonely and neglected when the kids did not come home for the traditional reunion dinner.

I guess it reminded us, that we really need to make time for our parents and relatives this CNY!

This is espicially so, when Singapore is getting more westernised. Today, many people fly off for a short holiday, instead of going home for the holidays. Values have changed!

The significance of chinese customs have also changed. The Straits Times just did a survey on young people to find out how much they knew about CNY traditions.

Here are some questions (maybe you should test yourself as well):

1. Why must the amount of cash in the hongbao be even-numbered? (83 out of 100 youths got it wrong)

Ans - There's a chinese saying that "good things come in pairs"

2. Why must you stay up on the eve of Chinese New Year? (51 out of 100 youths got it wrong)

Ans - It is believed that the later children stay up on the eve of CNY, the longer their parents will live.

3. Why do we wear red-coloured clothes on CNY? (69 out of 100 got it wrong)

Ans - According to a legend, there is a monster called Nian. Because the monster fears red, it became a tradition for the Chinese to wear red to frighten it away.

4. Why are mandarin organes exchanged during CNY? (81 out of 100 got it wrong)

Ans - The mandarin word for mandarin oranges is Ju, which sounds like ji, meaning good luck. Another version is that oranges are called kam in cantonese, which sounds like the Cantonese word for gold.

Hope u did better than me in the test.

In hindsight, I believe that the most important thing this season, is to really spend time with your family. So, Instead of heading off to the shopping mall, let's be prepared to spend lots of time at home, fellowshipping with our relatives and eating our New Year Goodies!

Be rest assured, I will be with my family and enjoying my favorite pineapple tarts. Before I go, I just want to take this chance, and wish u Gong Hee Fa Cai!