My First Chinese New Year Experience!

This past week I have been busy with Chinese New Year celebrations and organising University requirements for this year. February is already showing signs of becoming an exciting month.

A few days before Chinese New Year festivities began, I visited China town to get a sense of the anticipation for the fast approaching New Year. Lanterns filled the streets, the waft of Durian and incense weaved its way through the passing tourists.  We arrived relatively early, 9:30 am, although by 11 the market alleyways were bustling with people.  The market streets were full of little nick nacks and varieties of foods. You really could feel the excitement of the festive season as you went from stall to stall.

The evening of the 1^st of February I went into China town once again with my family to celebrate the New Year. The streets were lit up, proclaiming that this year was the much anticipated year of the horse. If you looked up, glowing horses lit the way. On one of the main intersections there was an illuminated, large sized horse, perched on its rear legs, with copious amounts of tourist stopping traffic to get a photo in front of it.

 As the week continued, we were invited to a lunch at a family friend’s home to celebrate and get a taste of the traditional aspect of Chinese New Year. We were expected to arrive with two mandarins as a blessing to the household. You also have mandarins returned to you as a blessing.  The lunch began with a Lo Hei salad which is typically celebrated on Chinese New year. It is where all the guests use the chopsticks all at once to toss a salad; tossing for good fortune. The salad incudes cucumber, radish, carrots, picked ginger, crackers and even salmon. Following this, we were treated to a Malaysian lunch which was absolutely delicious!

We spent the rest of the afternoon collecting red envelopes. The red colour symbolises good luck and believed to ward off evil spirits. It is only given to people who are not married. The amount of money in each envelope usually ends in a even digit. Odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. 

 It has clearly been an amazing past week. I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing all these new ways of life, it is something I will always remember as part of my experience living here in Singapore!