Christmas in New Zealand

Growing up in New Zealand, the only holiday on the calendar that holds the place of honour in the majority of New Zealanders’ hearts is Christmas. The fervour of shopping, stocking stuffing, gift-giving and feasts of baked hams and traditional Christmas fare were the highlights of my childhood.

My siblings and I would spend days in anticipation of opening presents, sitting by the decorated tree, wondering what was in the brightly wrapped presents squirrelled around the base of the tree.

On the day itself, we would play with our newly acquired toys whilst my parents (after weeks of stockpiling food) would spend hours in the kitchen preparing Christmas lunch, which we would feast on at lunch, slowly devouring leftovers over the next few days.

Growing Up

During my teenage years, my mother would remind us that for the Chinese all over the world, and of course, in her home country, Taiwan, there was another holiday, that was more traditional and celebratory. Of course, she was talking about the Chinese Lunar New Year (CNY).

However, as a westernised child, CNY just didn’t have that ring of excitement that Christmas had for me.

Perhaps it was because the holiday wasn’t officially celebrated with days off in the New Zealand calendar, or that the idea of receiving gifts seemed more of a fun feature to me. But most of it was to do with the fact that I didn’t understand the traditions and meaning of CNY.

It is only since my move to Singapore, that I understand the meaning and importance of CNY.

2003, my year of arrival in Singapore was the time that I became a born-again Asian. I say born again, because I have rediscovered many facets of Chinese culture that were only an echo of traditions faithfully followed by my mother during my Kiwi childhood. Now in my adult years, the importance of family, tradition, and piety that underpin this occasion are reinforced to me by my colleagues, and loved ones, and especially so during CNY. There are many symbolic traditions that I have learnt, and for those people who are new to the experiences, here are some of them.

CNY Traditions

Turning over a new leaf

CNY is a time to start over, and to wish good fortune on loved ones. In this regard, visiting family members and having reunion dinners are some of the traditional ways to celebrate the first day of the lunar year. Symbolism is rife with every tradition, so in preparation for the festivities, people will buy new clothes, particularly of bright colours, (especially red) to scare off evil spirits and to wear in honour of the occasion. Red packets or envelopes containing money are also distributed.

Food

Oranges or mandarins (pictured above) are also exchanged with family and friends. The reason being that the Chinese names of these fruits have the same sound as auspicious Chinese values such as "wealth" and “luck”. A tradition native to Singapore and the Malaysian Peninsula is also the eating of pineapple tarts, which is a festive cookie with pineapple jam filling. The sight of these tarts in plastic jars with red lids is a sure indicator that CNY is in full swing, and though the shape and form of these tarts vary greatly, the taste is always great. Other traditional foods are eaten during this time − including ‘long noodles’ (to symbolise long life), prawns (wealth), and fish (prosperity).

CNY dinner is a fantastic fun-filled occasion. This year, my Singapore family has the CNY fare mentioned above, along with a tradition that I was unaware of – sundried jellies moulded into the shapes of lucky animals – this year, it’s a fish (pictured above), to symbolise success. My mother-in-law has also cooked a dish which includes seven types of vegetables, along with fatt choy (an expensive vegetable of some sort that resembles human hair… oh well), and with the main vegetable, leek. This originated from a Teochew rhyme, which says that if you fry leeks it will bring more wealth. The Teochew word for leeks also rhymes with ‘count’, inferring to the concept of having an abundance of money to count.

Lo Hei or Tossing Up Good Fortune

Adding condiments to the Yu Sheng

The lo hei (or Yu Sheng, meaning raw fish) is a tradition that I love. Apparently quite popular in Singapore, each one of the ingredients, from the various shredded vegetables of carrot, turnips, white radish, to the many condiments and the process of tossing the ingredients, all have a special meaning.

 Apart from overall dish symbolising prosperity and abundance, ingredients such as the salmon (my family uses cooked abalone instead of raw fish) are added in addition to red sweetened ginger (symbolising luck), peanut crunch (wealth), and even cucumber (advancement).

We all gather around the table, and my sister-in-law reminds me to read the auspicious phrases (pictured above) from a list she has written out for me, to increase our luck. My New Zealand accent splutters out nian nian you yu (meaning “having excess”) amongst other phrases, and together my Singapore family, chopsticks in a blur, mix and toss the ingredients together in a flash of colour and enthusiasm. The higher the toss, the more luck that comes over the New Year.

Over dinner, I glance across the table, to see my mother-in-law’s fingers stained red with the sweetened ginger. She must have been tossing extra high.

Each CNY I learn more about the depth of tradition and the love that binds the tradition. For me, it is Chinese…New…YEAH!

* All pictures courtesy of Clifford Wong

About Clifford Wong

Clifford's time in Singapore is almost nearing a decade, and it has flown past.

Moving from New Zealand to a country which blends both western and eastern cultures is an evolutionary experience and one he believes important to share. It’s about finding his cultural identity and feeling his adopted country become like home more each day.

An avid sportsman, traveller and believing that Singapore is the London of South East Asia, - a travel hub and a gateway to spicy oriental experiences.