As a child in Taipei, Chen Li Ling and her family would travel more than 100 kilometres to her grandparents’ home in Taichung where the extended family gathered to welcome the lunar new year.

“I loved Chinese New Year. I could play with my cousins from day to night, and get loads of presents and hong baos from the adults,” the undergraduate at the National University of Singapore says. “That is, aside from having a dining table piled high with great food!”

Embodying the hopes for a better year ahead, lunar new year celebrations are held in high regard by Southeast Asians, among them Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Koreans, Vietnamese and Thais.

Although celebrations may vary, the occasion is marked by tradition and customs, with family gatherings and symbolically auspicious foods playing a big part.

Li Ling, 22, has been away from home for 10 years. She now celebrates Chinese New Year the Singapore way.

“The yu sheng (seven-coloured sliced raw fish salad) is one new year food that I enjoy very much every Chinese New Year. I will not be able to find this dish at reunion dinners back home,” says the Singapore Permanent Resident, whose family remains in Taiwan.

“Celebrations in Singapore are very similar to Taiwan’s although the Chinese New Year spirit in Taiwan is definitely stronger. There are many more dishes and decorations, and greater excitement in the air.”

A time to pay respects

Known as Seollal (pronounced “Sol-nal” the Korean Lunar New Year is a time for Koreans to pay respect to their elders.

While Thai people present their elders with garlands made from jasmine flowers and traditional Singaporeans kneel while offering greetings with a pair of mandarin oranges, Koreans perform the sebae, a formal deep bow.

"In Singapore, my family and I get dressed in the hanbok(traditional Korean dress)."

Kim Jae Hee, whose family also enjoys playing the yutnori, a traditional board game on the morning of the new year

Businessman Kim Jae Hee, 37, who has been working in Singapore for more than 10 years, usually returns to South Korea for the new year. But when he is in Singapore, he celebrates the festival the Korean way.

“In Singapore, my family and I get dressed in the hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and perform the Sebae on the morning of the new year,” says Jae Hee, a father of two daughters aged four and six. “It is one of the few traditions we observe here.”

Jae Hee’s favourite part of the holiday – be it in Korea or Singapore – comes after the customary duties are performed. His family enjoys traditional games such as the yutnori (a family boardgame), jegi (a shuttlecock-like object) and more recently, kite-flying in the park.

“For this, we usually invite other Korean families we know [in Singapore] to join in and liven up the atmosphere,” he adds.

Festive mood

Jishin balpgi is a Korean ritual whereby loud drums and gongs are played to frighten off the evil spirits. The Chinese rendition of this ritual comes in the form of firecrackers and lion dances.

For Bangkok native Pak Sirasudhi however, the massive water fights along Thailand’s streets during new year celebrations make up the festive atmosphere.

“It is delightful seeing both Thais and foreigners having a good time together,” says Pak, 41, a product manager.

Unlike most other Southeast Asian countries, the Thais fix their New Year, or the Songkran festival, on April 13, during the country’s hottest month.

Traditionally, the “throwing of water” is done as a form of respect. “Blessed” fragrant water recaptured from cleansing Buddha images are gently poured onto the shoulder of an elder in the family to wish them good fortune.

A Permanent Resident in Singapore, Pak holds Songkran parties for friends.

Festive food

Food items are often selected based on how symbolically auspicious they are. For example, nian gao, or sticky rice cake – a bribe for the Kitchen God – is eaten by the Chinese as its name is also a homonym for “higher year”.

In South Korea, tteokguk (rice cake soup in beef broth) is enjoyed at breakfast on New Year’s day. It is believed that having a bowl of tteokguk adds a year to one’s life. When Jae Hee is in Singapore, his family would usually be invited to a fellow Korean family’s home for dinner as well as for the customary tteokguk.

Equal importance is placed on food in Vietnam. The lunar new year, Tét Nguyên Ðán, literally means “the feast of the first morning”. It is celebrated at about the same time as the Korean and Chinese new year.

“The four typical foods on the altar would be custard apple, coconut, papaya and mango as their names altogether means ‘wishing for a well-to-do life’,” says Nguyen Binh Phuong Vu, 23, who works in the advertising industry here.

Vietnamese festive foods include the bánh chấng (glutinous steamed cake with mung bean, pork and other ingredients) and bánh dấy(flat glutinous rice cake with mung beans or sausage).

Pak whips up festive Thai dishes learnt from her parents and grandparents for her Singaporean friends during the Songkran festival. These include kao chae (jasmine-scented rice usually served with fried shrimp paste), gaeng kiew wahn gai (chicken in green curry), and krayasad (a crunchy sweet mix of noodles, puffed rice, peanuts, and oats).

Says Pak, who has been in Singapore for almost eight years: “Since we are away from our blood family, friends here in Singapore tend to take their place. It is nice to maintain the tradition together with them.”

In Singapore

Chinese New Year is an important holiday here for the ethnic majority Chinese.

A month before, the hustle and bustle would start in a spectacularly lit-up Chinatown. This would be marked by long queues for bak kwa (sweet barbecued meat; pictured above) and brisk demand for goodies such as pineapple tarts and love letters (crisp pancake rolls).

On the New Year’s eve, family members gather for the reunion dinner.

On the morning of the new year, they would usually gather at the home of the most senior member before proceeding to homes of other relatives and friends. Unmarried family members and children receive hong bao, or red packets with token sums of cash, from the married ones.

Everyone's birthday

The first two days are public holidays, but the festival lasts for 15 days.

The seventh day is known as ren ri (the day it is believed that all human beings were created, and hence is everyone’s birthday).

On this day, Singaporeans and Malaysians celebrate by eating yu sheng (seven-coloured sliced raw fish salad) instead of the seven vegetables soup served in China.

Chingay, Singapore’s street parade to celebrate Chinese New Year, is now an internationally acclaimed event. The 2012 parade to be held on 3-4 Feb.

* This article was written by Elaine Ng and first published in Singapore Magazine (Jan-Mar 2011 issue).