Time does not stand still and it waits for no man. Even as we grow older chronologically, the spirit stays young in most cases. We don't realise how old we are because we feel as old as our spirit. My nephew remarked that he thought my grandchildren were still in form 2 when one is already in junior college while his younger sister is doing the “O” levels.
The little ones are growing up fast, the young ones are hitting middle age while the oldies are greying. We are passing down the traditions of the Chinese New Year to them and hopefully they will continue to observe them and in time pass them down too. Cultural beliefs and traditions should be cherished as they give us our identity.
So the open house tradition continues, with family visiting each other and partaking of what is laid out on the table. Children and unmarried persons receive the “ang pows” ( red packets containing gifts of money, usually notes given in pairs “. Married couples hand out ang pows to them and to their parents, as a way of saying “thank you” for having brought them up and given them the education that enabled them to be what they are today. It is also a good time for catching up and bonding with family members.
Among the traditions are these that have been ingrained into our psyche. Spring cleaning before the New Year is a must. Old brooms are thrown away, window curtains are changed and fresh flowers are purchased to welcome in the new year.
Ancestral worship is still practiced whereby the departed elders are invited into the home to partake of the delicacies on the table. Prayers are offered whereby we ask for good health, prosperity and harmony in our homes. After a reasonable period of time during which the spirits of our ancestors would have taken their fill, the son of the house would pray and throw two coins into the air. If they land one with heads and the other, tails, then he can move to the next stage where paper money, clothing, shoes etc . are burned. These will be received by his ancestors who now reside in the next dimension.
Another is taboo. One cannot sweep the floor as it is akin to sweeping one’s luck away. Nothing is thrown out on the first day.
Everyone will wear new clothes to signify it is the beginning of a new year and new beginnings. When visiting, mandarins are obligatory as they signify prosperity. Your host will in return give you mandarins when you leave his house. One does not go empty handed when visiting. “Kung Xi, kung xi, xin nien kwai ler “ is the usual greeting. Young ones are taught from a young age to utter this greeting when face to face with older people.
Each year these traditions are observed and the Chinese New Year is a festive period which lasts 15 days. All family members head for their respective homes to celebrate and the reunion dinner is the most important meal of the year. The oldies look forward to this reunion every year for as long as they live as each could be their last.
