Welcoming the Lunar New Year

With 4 more days left to the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone is busy preparing their homes for the 15-day Spring Festival celebration. Malls are crowded with all sorts of New Year products - plants, decorations, cookies, specialty food, etc... Asians are typically very family and tradition oriented and very generous, so a lot of people are willing to spend during the festive seasons - even the younger generations can't help but indulge themselves in the New Year preparation frenzy.

One can easily spend a few thousand dollars during this festive season decorating the home, buying kam (oranges/tangerines) and New Year cookies and treats for visitors, giving ang pow (best tradition EVER! ... for children and single adults, that is!), indulging in over the top 8-course dinners, exchanging gifts (typically people will bring kam - a must as it means gold and thus means good fortunes; peanuts, and other food stuffs), etc. But one can also celebrate it the simple way like my family does. Note: no matter how simple, you can never escape the abundance of outgoing cash for ang pows during this 15-day period. This is when I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever for being single. Only married people can give ang pow. Traditionally it is given to children, single adults and the elders, but now it's also given to show one's appreciation to employees and to people who are less fortunate.

This is the first in the past nine years that I'm home early enough to help prepare for Chinese New Year. Mum and I went to Petaling Street, aka Chinatown a week ago to get some decorations just for kicks. We have never really celebrated CNY in a huge way - probably did more when I was a kid, but that's the way it is. When you have children at home, you tend to go all the way out during festive seasons. I remember one year my dad hired a lion dance group to come 'bless' our house. I was so terrified, I cried the whole time. What an idiot. Even have a picture to prove it which I will not post online today. (Jeff L. and Matt Q. - I think you should consider this outfit for Halloween this year. Seriously. I'm sure Lee can come up with some smart mechanical device that could make the lion's head move on its own)

Anyway, in a nutshell, all we did was get some CNY decorations (including red banners with auspicious phrases), New Year plants (like the money tree) and lots of cookies and treats.
We never have to spend days cleaning the house (which is what most people do before the New Year) because - if you think I'm a neat freak, you haven't met my mum. This place is almost always spotless. I cannot understand how I survived growing up under her roof.

So, 4 more days to go and we're almost ready for the New Year! We won't be here for the first 4 days, and are actually not having a family reunion dinner on New Year's eve as we will be in Hong Kong. Sister is busy working in Melbourne so we're missing one in the family this year!

Here are some pictures taken at one of the many shops in Petaling Street that was packed with people buying CNY stuff.



Store front; the two huge dolls on the table are Choy San, aka Prosperity God; huge lanterns and extra large fire crackers with auspicious phrases - we have a pair at home too


More lanterns; banners with auspicious phrases; crackers


Mum buying some banners; These are red packets (ang pows) - I thought it was funny that they even have Doraemon and french fries red packet designs now



Mid Valley mall - there are always tons of booths set up during festive seasons that offer a variety of specialty goods - here we found a jade booth, chinese wood block carving booth, etc...; Lanterns! We bought two!; view from the escalator; This little stall is called Tart Wonderland - we got all sorts of goodies