12/02/2002: Chinese New Year
This year, the
beginning of the lunar Chinese year is on the 12th of february. For
the Chinese, the new year is an important event to celebrate. On New
Year's Eve, the family will come together for reunion dinner. In the
following days, they are paying visits to their aunties, uncles and
grandparents. Married couples are supposed to give "hong baos", little
red packets containing money to their relatives.
There are many traditional greetings for the new year, involving
wishes of prosperity, success or health, for example. The greeting on
the right simply means "Happy New Year!"
The Chinese New Year traditionally has a duration of fifteen days,
but only two and a half of them are public holidays in
Singapore. Before the New Year, lots of shops will have special
promotions and displays of Chinese culture. Decorations can be found
everywhere, for example red packets, pictures of chinese dolls or
buddhist gods or red lanterns. During the new year celebrations,
Singapore is a lot quieter than usual because almost all shops will be
closed and many people will be at home to celebrate with their
family.
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