One drizzling night.
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Fine fluffy snowy drops of rain blew against my face...
and in the tropics this was like having points of sunlight on one's face on a cold winter's morning, say in London...
Faustine on 5:22 AM
A New Spring
As the Chinese New Year arrives with a big bang, it's time to don new clothes, offer New Year greetings, tuck into great food and be filled with good fortune..
Yes, it's that time again where reunion dinners are held on New Year's Eve where members of the family, near and far, get together for a sumptuous meal.
Don't all of you get a sense of something special in the air and a togetherness warmer than Mooncake festival, Dragon Boat festival... ?
Festival warmth is infectious, is it not ? =) You find yourself going around smiling at everyone and saying "Happy Chinese New Year !" "Xing Nian Kuai Le" and so on...
I still remember the story I read or heard somewhere during my primary school days...
"Nien" actually means a monster. Once... a monster by the name of "Nien" attacked a village and the villagers were terrified and lived in terror of their lives. Then a wise man advised the villagers to hang red cloth in front of their houses and to fire crackers to frighten away the monster. This worked, and so the day of liberation is celebrated down the generations with a merry display of red cloth and din of crackers.
Sounds absurd, isn't it ? But yeah, I guess that's how all the various kinds of red decorations and firecrackers display came about.
Usually, Chinese New Year markets are set up before the festivities for vendors to sell New Year-related products. They are usually open-air markets and feature floral products, food, and decorations for shoppers to purchase as a preparation for the coming new year.
The most popular and most abundant fruit during Chinese New Year is the umistakenly mandarin oranges. Mandarin oranges symbolizes happiness after going through hard times. I have my fair share of eating mandarin oranges, particularly the small ones... it seems especially sweeter and nicer than the bigger ones. Yummyyy...
And finally, the joy of every little kids like you and me... RED PACKETS ! Mwahaha. *grins widely* Given out during Chinese New Year celebrations, from married couples or the elderly. I guess most people are excited about this. Hopefully, Chinese New Year is not just about red packets to everyone but rather a time where all Chinese family members get together to celebrate the coming of a new year...
Lastly,
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." May this New Year be a step forward in leading you all to new road of happiness, success and prosperity.
Gong Hee Fatt Choy ! =D
Faustine on 4:03 AM