Xin Nian Quai Le

That's Happy Lunar New Year...

Actually, in Singapore, it tends to be gong xi fa cai, which is the Cantonese version.

For the Chinese, the Lunar New Year is very like Christmas. Actually, a better comparison is Thanksgiving. Everyone gets a couple of days off work and people go around seeing their family and friends. Work put on a buffet in the office with associated joviality - we've had two in two months so far - last year in the UK we got 2 in, errrr, no, we got 1 all year.


We also get given a couple of days off work. The first of these in new year's eve, where traditionally the whole family gets together for the Reunion Dinner. Then another two days to go and visit family and friends.


As with Christmas and Thanksgiving, food plays an important part. Not turkey... abalone. This is an exotic and expensive shellfish, and they've managed to put it into extortionately priced tins. Probably the most expensive tinned food ever. Mind you, the fresh stuff is really really expensive!

In SE Asia there is also a tradition of tossing the veg. A plate of food is prepared and then thrown into the air, with the aim to get it as high as possible. I got some admiring glances with the height of my veg at our company's celebration - but then I do have a slight advantage over many, errr, all of the natives!


Gifts usually consist of packets of cakes and other food and drink. Red packets are also given out by those in authority, to those not, with a little bonus in. Dpending on the traditions of the company these can either be effectively the performance bonus, or little more than a token gesture for the season. Sadly, for my employer, it is the latter. My bonus, such that it exists, doesn't come until December...


Of course, just as in the north western quartersphere, it is not impossible for the stress of the preparations to outweigh the joy of the overall event. Most notably, not only does a family prepare a feast, but all the homes are spring cleaned from top to bottom in order to rid them of any bad spirits. Consequence - lots of cleaning. The worst has got to be cars. People will queue hours and hours on New Years eve to get the car clean. Every forecourt is packed.


There are other consequences too - the shops are rammed. Not an inch of space in them. Queues in banks are outrageous as people being served demand freshly minted notes for their red packets. 


So is it worth it? 


 Oh yeah!!