Angelina S: Happy Chinese New Year!

Every year, around January or February, we Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year. The malls have a whole new makeover with the auspicious red colour and the Chinese Zodiac of the year gets plastered all around packed with people buying new furniture, red deco for their house, new clothes as the day closes in and the excitement builds up with each day. Fruit shops crowded with boxes of Mandarin oranges, with "very sweet" signs all around, ready for purchase. Housewives painstakingly clean the house from top to bottom, with chinese lanterns to decorate their homes and buy truckloads of new year cookies to fill a whole cupboard! This year we celebrate the year of the dragon (water dragon to be exact), believed to be the most powerful animal in the Chinese Zodiac and a popular symbol for the Chinese.

Ah, Chinese New Year. You've got to love it. You get to see your relatives and friends, stuff yourself with good food as you go house to house and finally, of course you get ang paus (red packets) from those married or the elderly with money in them as a little good luck. I don't have a hometown but Chinese New Year is always something I look forward to, celebrating it with family and prepping for the day together. I haven't been really celebrating the Chinese New Year for the past two years due to the passing of my grandfather and later my grandmother. But this year, my family can finally celebrate the Chinese New Year and I'm really excited although of course I do wish that my Yeh Yeh and Poh Poh could be with us.

I don't understand why so many youngsters nowadays aren't enjoying Chinese New Year. I read tweets about people dreading Chinese New Year for several reasons that don't make sense. And come on, don't make the ang paus just a reason to love it, but seriously love it cause it's a beautiful celebration when everyone comes together. Make it for your reunion dinner, lou the yeesang with a smile on your face, welcome the year of the water dragon and make every second count! Oh, and remembers to stick to the taboo or "pantang" stuff like no sweeping on New Year Day and don't wear black! I'm so excited for the reunion dinner tonight and I can't wait for tomorrow! Hair's cut, new clothes laid out, nails done yay I love the holidays!