Every 12 months, businesswoman Kathy Chew who runs a childcare centre in Kuala Lumpur, seems forward eagerly to Chinese New Year.
“It’s one of my favourite times of the year – a time to get together with family, a time to remove the bad and the old, and welcome the good and the new. It’s also a time to feast, as well as visit relatives and friends,” says Chew.
Of course, this wasn’t potential final 12 months due to the pandemic, so there’s all of the extra motive to look forward to this Chinese New Year since interstate restrictions have been lifted and she will balik kampung to have a good time with her dad and mom and different family members.
The preparations
Kathy Chew’s nieces serving to to adorn the home with cherry blossoms for CNY. Photo: Kathy Chew
For Chew, one of many thrilling issues about Chinese New Year is the preparation main up to the festivities.
“About one to two weeks before CNY, I’ll start counting down to CNY – doing spring cleaning, shopping for new clothes, buying CNY cookies and snacks, and visiting the morning market to feel the atmosphere,” she says.
“Every year, I’ll also be listening to the radio stations that play new CNY songs, and also putting up CNY decorations like cherry blossoms and couplets (auspicious Chinese poems),” she provides.
Chew often returns to her hometown, Taiping, Perak, to see her dad and mom throughout Chinese New Year. This 12 months, she plans to convey her mom to store for crops on the nursery too.
Festivity of meals
CNY reunion dinner earlier than the pandemic. Photo: Kathy ChewHer mom, who is a superb cook dinner, has already deliberate an elaborate menu of selfmade meals for the reunion dinner on the eve and first day of the New Year, and Chew is wanting forward to that.
This 12 months, the dishes embody pork ribs curry, garlic steamed prawns, Foochow purple wine hen, and bak kien (deep fried meat rolls). The spotlight is after all the “12 months of the tiger” themed yee sang, which Chew shall be making ready personally.
“I’ve been searching the Internet for recipes for this,” she says enthusiastically.
Every 12 months, Chew’s mom makes Chinese New Year cookies and snacks equivalent to pineapple tarts, peanut cookies, muruku, and kuih loyang (rose cookies). She additionally bakes fruitcake, chocolate butter cake and pandan chiffon cake.
The better part is that every one that cooking and baking is a family exercise for Chew, her mom and sister-in-law as they put together the Chinese New Year delicacies collectively within the kitchen, because the radio blares out Chinese New Year songs, she says.
Special family traditions
One of the CNY traditions that Kathy Chew’s family practises yearly is to costume up in purple to take a family photograph. Photo: Kathy ChewOn the primary day of Chinese New Year, Chew’s mom will cook dinner her favorite dish – Foochow purple wine hen mee sua (wheat vermicelli) – and fried nian gao (New Year cake fabricated from glutinous rice flour). Then, the entire family – which includes Chew, her dad and mom, her elder brother, youthful brother, sister-in-law (youthful brother’s spouse) and two nieces will costume up in purple for a family photograph.
“This is our annual CNY tradition that we’ll practise without fail, except last year during the MCO,” she says. “We also give our elderly family members (parents) ang pows to bless them, and play sparklers with the kids,” she provides.
“This year, it’ll be extra special since we weren’t able to celebrate together last year due to the MCO. I’m excited because we’ve a longer break with CNY sandwiched between two weekends, so I’ll be able to spend more time with my parents and other family members,” says Chew.
Kathy Chew’s mom Tong Siew Ke giving an ang pow to her grandchild (brother’s daughter). Photo: Kathy Chew“We also have relatives who’ll be coming for the family reunion from the north and south of Malaysia – particularly my uncle and cousin from Johor whom we haven’t seen for two years since the pandemic started.
“We’ll be having loh sang and a steamboat dinner with them at our home,” she says.
“But we also have a few relatives and friends who live and work overseas and they aren’t able to make it back for CNY due to the pandemic. So we’ll still keep in touch with them through WhatsApp and video calls,” she provides.
Another custom Chew and her family practise is staying up late to usher within the Chinese New Year, because it’s believed that this can convey longevity to one’s dad and mom.
All in all, Chew anticipates that it will be a nice CNY this 12 months as a result of the entire family shall be collectively – whether or not in individual or just about.
“It’ll be a extra meaningful CNY celebration this 12 months after the very long time aside in the course of the pandemic,” she concludes.
