Showing posts with label Traditional Chinese holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traditional Chinese holidays. Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2013

Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year to you!

[caption id="attachment_1720" align="aligncenter" width="547"]Happy Chinese New Year! Happy Chinese New Year!  I enjoy a bit of decorating.  A small touch - to bring some festive feeling into the home!:)[/caption]

It's the year of the Water Snake and boy - this is truly one of the wettest Chinese New Year I recall!  It's been raining pretty heavily for the past few days and when you think the rain's taking a respite, it starts all over again!  One thing great about the rain is that the weather's really nice and cool!

When I was young, Chinese New Year was a busy joyous event.  relatives gather at my great-grandmother's home (tradition dictates the younger ones visits the elder relatives as a mark of respect), and it was fun for me as a kid as there was a energetic buzz, red packets to be collected and also the thrill of meeting relatives you like - once a year. Of course, not forgetting the tons of snacks and eating!

Chinese New Year become a lot of a quieter event after my great-grandmother passed on, and relatives no longer gathered at the same place.  these days, CNY is a quiet event for my family.

Though a little nostagic for the old days - mainly for the wonderful people like my great-grandmother who is the nicest person ever!  and a super cute, cheery and happy grand aunt. i definitely miss the happy vibe they exude.  I'm grateful for the tone-down version too!  The hb and I visit the most important ones to us - allowing us more time with our own families and then we can head home to rest (and boy - do I get really tired even from just visiting just our own families!) I'm not so keen on visiting relatives that I don't really know cos' it's awkward and sometimes I don't know how to answer some of their questions.

Here's wishing you a happy chinese new year and the start of good new things!:)