This week’s theme at HerCampus is holiday traditions; I thought it would be fitting to write about the Lunar New Year as it is quickly approaching (it’s on January 22 this year!). Similarly to other holidays, the date for the Lunar New Year is different every year seeing as it follows the moon cycle. There are several countries and cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year, and each of them have some slightly different traditions and customs. Each family also has their own variation of the holiday and their traditions. Particularly, my family is from Malaysia, and this is how we celebrate the Lunar New Year!
- Wearing Red
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The Lunar New Year lasts for a couple of days, and it is customary to wear a red clothing item on the first day. In combination with this, it is typical for people to wear new clothes during the New Year as it symbolizes new beginnings and a fresh start. Red is also considered a lucky colour or a colour that brings prosperity in many Asian cultures. Honestly speaking, my family and I don’t necessarily wear red every single year (that’s way too many red clothes!), but wearing new clothes is something that my family is adamant about.
- reunion dinner and LOw sang
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On the day before the Lunar New Year, all of my family members get together and have a reunion dinner. During this time, stories and laughter are shared with a hearty home-cooked meal prepared days in advance. Families from all over the country and sometimes overseas too, go to the host’s house and get together. This is one of my favourite memories, as this is the only time I see all my loved ones in one place at the same time.
Low Sang / Yee Sang (depending on the dialect spoken) is a Cantonese-style raw fish salad that is typically eaten during this holiday. The fun part about this dish is that you mix it together and toss it as high as your chopsticks allow while shouting good fortunes to signal a good year. It originated in China, but this original version was made in Malaysia and Singapore where it is still a part of our Lunar New Year traditions to this day. The taste of this dish is pretty mid (in my opinion), but the way we eat it is so fun and lively that it is one of my favourite things to do.
- putting red packets under pillow
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It is customary for the adults to give the children little red envelopes filled with money during this time to represent good fortune and luck for the rest of the year. Specifically in Malaysia, only married people would give red packets to kids or people who are not married; parents would also give to their children regardless if their children have been married. You would then place the red packets under your pillow for at least the first day of New Years.
- no cleaning
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This is a tradition that starts before the Lunar New Year even begins, and it is to not clean your house during the Lunar New Year. So, my family would typically clean before New Years so that it wouldn’t be absolutely filthy by the time Lunar New Year had passed. The superstition behind this is that cleaning, especially sweeping, will ‘sweep’ the good luck away. I love this rule so much because it makes me not have to clean much during the holidays and get to properly enjoy spending time with my loved ones without worrying..
- Nian Gao
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Nian gao is a sticky rice cake made from glutinous rice flour; this dish is typically eaten on the first day to symbolize prosperity for the year. The word itself sounds like ‘year taller,’ so eating this dish means that you raise yourself taller for the coming year. It sounds a bit odd, but many dishes are eaten during this time to symbolize good fortune or luck because of play-on words. Nian goa can be eaten steamed or fried, but my family usually fries it;it is the best treat ever. It is sweet, hot, sticky, and an absolute pleasure to indulge in.
These are some of the traditions that my family does for the Lunar New Years, and these are the typical traditions many other families do as well. Having spent the Lunar New Years without my family last year was hard, since it was my first time spending it without them. I was lucky enough to have met lovely friends here in Windsor who I got to spend my favourite holiday with. Even though this year I would be away from home again, I am eternally grateful to have a family to go back to when time allows for it. To whoever celebrates the Lunar New Year, I hope you have a great celebration with your loved ones!