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Gung
Hay Fat Choy
by Kaila Chan
Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year! We Chinese have a great love
for our rich history and traditions. By far, I'd have to say that
Chinese New Year is my family's favorite holiday.
Although Chinese New Year typically starts at the end of January or
early February, the actual preparations for this special time begin in
December. The first order of business is to scrub our house clean, from
top to bottom. Okay, I confess this is not one of my favorite rituals of
Chinese New Year, but it has to be done. I remember my father making my
brother and me clean the four sets of venetian blinds in our living room
and dining room. He gave us a bucket of soapy water and a couple of
sponges, and we were to clean each individual blind separately. The
edges of those blinds were awfully sharp, and by the time we were
finished with this chore, my fingers would be raw and bleeding. I hated
cleaning venetian blinds. I'm sure there were other household chores to
be done, but none stands out in my mind as much as those blinds.
My favorite part of Chinese New Year was going to my grandparents' house
for dinner. In those days people didn't dress casually when visiting
revered grandparents. We had to wear our Sunday best, which was fine by
me because I loved dressing up. My father is the oldest of ten children,
so there were tons of uncles, aunts and cousins at the house. It was
always so much fun playing with my many cousins. My grandmother would
spend most of the day cooking, and in addition to the food she prepared,
each auntie would bring a dish or two. My grandfather's specialty was
his hot apple pies. I remember watching him roll the dough, using an old
Coca Cola bottle as the rolling pin. Dinner was usually comprised of
steaming hot chicken, savory duck with shrimp chips, fish (lots of
fish), platters of vegetables, rice and special soup. I always hoped for
Sharkfin soup, as that was my favorite, but seaweed soup or egg drop
soup was just as good. Each dish had a significant meaning, usually
something having to do with long life, happiness and prosperity. After
dinner, tangerines and "thousand year old eggs" were passed
around, along with small, delicate red envelopes engraved with gold
writings. These magical envelopes always had money in them, and we
cousins always made sure we put those envelopes away for safe keeping.
The origin of the red envelopes was to make sure each family had enough
money to pay their debts. The beginning of each year should always start
off "debt free".
I also remember going to Chinatown each Chinese New Year. There would be
games, food (remember, we Chinese love to eat), and the famous Dragon
Dance. In all the years of going to see the dragons, I never once saw a
friendly dragon. They were always ferocious looking with big bulging
eyes and a mouth that opened so wide you'd think three or four little
kids could be gobbled up in one bite. For a young girl, it was quite
frightening watching this huge red dragon hopping and dancing down the
street. The dragon was so big that several people had to hold up the
head and body. As the dragon danced up and down the street, children
would run and scream and sometimes throw firecrackers at the legs of the
dragon. I remember thinking, "No, no don't make the dragon
mad!" When the dragon passed my side of the street, I always made
sure I was far back in the crowd, where he could not see me.
2002 is the Year of the Horse. Babies born this year will be very
outgoing, likable and popular. Horses are strong-willed and enjoy
large crowds, especially if the crowd is of the opposite sex. Horses
are hard workers and good with money.
I wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year. May good luck and good fortune
smile on you.
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