Here we are again in 2019, beckoning the Lunar New Year. The Earth Element Pig Year. This time I'll be the one giving out the red packets (红包裏). Nowadays, the seasonal feeling /mood is no longer there. Mom told me that it's because we are growing up. But then again when you watch the children of the current age, they don't really get the feel of it.
BACK THEN
At least one month before, we'll start off with spring cleaning, ingredients hunting for diy biscuits, shopping for new clothings. Mom will spend a day busy queuing up in the bank for new notes exchange for red packets. When it's nearing, we would start baking the kuih bangkit (tapioca cookies), peanut cookies, and fruit cake. Me and siblings will sit together and bake them during the hot season. Then comes 2 days before the day, we would go out to the flower market after dinner to pick up some fresh chrysanthemums for prayers, twigs for plum blossom decoration, and some seasonal decorative ornaments and flowers and not to forget the firecrackers. Then at night we would begin setting up the plastic plum blossom and ornaments as we would not have much time during the eve. On the eve we would do the last round of cleaning and rinsing the porch for the deities and ancestral prayers. Then at night would be the reunion dinner night. We would be going over to our granny's place for the dinner. The whole of her day would be busy cutting vegetables and cooking for the whole lot 20 of us. She's a baba nyonya descendant, so everything is done to perfection. We had our fill of yummy dinner by granny and then started playing fire crackers at night while the mommy's busy doing the dishes. Those times, all those fire crackers was really beautiful and lasted. There's the red fire crackers, dragon's egg, chicken, poppers, sky rockets, bottle rockets, frog, sparklers,... Etc. You name it, I've played most of them. Then on the first day, we would dress up of course we need to follow the do's and don'ts of the culture, went relatives visiting by seniority with own closest first, had plenty of festive snacks yummy kuih kapit (chinese love letters). Then for the next 15days would be a mixture of visitors, home gambling, watching the festive movies on tv.
NOW
Most of the new generation wouldn't want to follow the tradition any more. With up rising off the shopping malls and marts, things are cheaper most of the time. We even find wholesalers to get an even better bargain or even ready made. We cut down on burning joss sticks and papers in prayers due to environmental reasons. Not to mention, fire crackers is illegal due to abuse and houses were burnt down. Reunions is either reserved in a restaurant or to simplify things, steamboat is made instead. We seldom put up the flowers anymore. Even kids upon receiving the red packets are not appreciative, they will open immediately and mind if the amount is small, its no longer the culture anymore. Well, purpose of the red packet is supposedly in the form of coins wrapped in red paper to throw at the Nian spirits thay comes out to eat humans during this time of the year. In short, it's a form of blessing to keep you safe from harm.
Well, the first level of education comes from the parents. Don't you agree?
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