Swizzy's go East!: Chinese New Year! - A gwailo's perspective...

As a Gwailo (for those of you who don't speak cantonese - Gwailo translates literally as 'ghost man' which refers to Westerners) I was more than just curious to experience the Chinese New Year celebrations especially after the build up to it with loads of decorations, stocking up wine and other booze and hearing so much about it from everybody!

Chinese New Year (CNY) is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar - it can be compared to the Christmas celebration in the Western world (I was told). Similar to our Xmas, the Chinese New Year celebration is a lot about regional customs and traditions - for example: Every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”.

Furthermore the food served on the various dinners during the CNY celebrations has its own significance to it. Basically everything you do during CNY and everything you eat is supposed to bring you happiness, wealth and longevity in the new year!

Before CNY, everybody is getting very excited and busy with the preparations for the festivity - for most of the people CNY is as well the only time of the year where they take off some time from work and they would go home to visit their families in their hometown. Therefore CNY is as well a time where shops and food stalls are closed - which is quite an unusual picture for the otherwise so busy streets of KL and its suburbs.

This year the CNY was celebrated on the 14th of February and this day marked the start of the year of the Tiger (Chinese zodiac). It is custom to host a reunion dinner on the night before CNY with the family of the father's side.

And so did we (actually two nights before CNY to avoid the fully jammed restaurants - very clever Mr. Leong!)...... :)

To wear a lot of red is very important during CNY (red represents luck) / Die Farbe rot ist sehr wichtig während dem Chinesischen Neuen Jahr (CNY) (Rot representiert Glück)

Cannot miss on a CNY dinner: "Yee sang" / Darf nicht fehlen an einem CNY Essen: "Yee sang"

Yee Sang usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. It is usually the appetizer due to it symbolism of 'Good luck' for the new year.

Before eating the dish everybody at the table stands up and on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various "auspicious wishes" out loud. It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the dinner's growth in fortunes, thus dinners are expected to toss enthusiastically (see some pictures later).

Fruity dessert platter / Früchte zum Dessert

Mishell and her mom / Mishell und Ihre Mutter

The obligatory group picture / Familien-Foto

On the night before Sunday 14th (CNY) we enjoyed a very cosy family dinner at home where Mishell's mum was busy all day with cooking a delicious menu for the evening! *yummy* Obviously not missing was the Yee sang....

Happy tossing and wishing / Fröhliches mischen und wünschen

And then....FINALLY...the day arrived! *whooppeee* Chinese New Year!! The very first time for me and the first time for Mishell since 12 years (imagine not beeing home for Xmas for the past 12 years!).

The first day of Chinese New Year is a time when families visit the oldest and most senior members of their extended family, usually their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents.

We had an "Open house" at Mishell's place....and we were well prepared with LOADS of wine, beer, whiskey, food, sweets....the guests could come!

The doorbell rang the first time at about 09.15 when one of the brothers of Mr. Leong came for breakfast with his family. The first beer can was opened at 09.23 by Mr. Leong.. :) The whole day family members and friends came to visit..it was literally a mad-house with many people coming in and stumbling back out a few hours later!

'Open house' is a Malaysian tradition which means everyone is invited to come visit

We were eating, drinking, laughing and joking....catching up about the past year and talking about the plans for the new year!

Mr. Leong's younger brother and some cousins of Mishell / Mr. Leong's jüngerer Bruder und Cousins von Mishell

Mr. Leong entertaining friends / Mr. Leong unterhält seine Freunde

The youngest and the oldest of the female Kan (Mishell's Mum's family) siblings / Die jüngste und älteste der weiblichen Kan (Mishells Mutter Familie) Nachkommen

The booze got to our head...??! / Der Alkohol hatte seine Wirkung..??!

On the second day of CNY, we went to visit Mishell's mum's mother who lives with the family of the brother of Mishell's mum (got it? - otherwise read again slower). And there we captured another important tradition of CNY: Ang pow (red envelope).

Members of the family who are married give red envelopes containing cash to junior members of the family, mostly children and teenagers and generally unmarried people. Luckily - by Chinese terms - Mishell and I are not married yet, because we did not have our tea-ceremony yet. Therefore we were on the receiving end! *hehe...*

Mishell's grandma giving a 'red envelope' to Chee Foong / Mishell's Grossmutter gibt Chee Foong einen 'roten Umschlag' (Brauch während CNY: Roter Umschlag mit Geld drin)

We were then invited by Mishell's Grandma to another family gathering - this time of the mum's side of the family.

Mishell and her brothers Chee Hoe and Chee Foong / Mishell und Ihre Brüder: Chee Hoe und Chee Foong

Mishell and I in traditional Chinese clothes / Mishell und ich in traditionellen Chinesischen Kleidern

Enjoying another Yee sang / Wir durften noch ein Yee sang geniessen

Some professionel tossing by Mishell's cousins / Mishell's Cousins sind geübt im Mischen

Ain't she cute? :) / Ist sie nicht einfach süss? :)

Delicious Barbecued Pork "Char Siew"/ Köstliches Grilliertes Schweinefleisch "Char Siew"

Mishell's Grandma popping the Champagne / Mishell's Grossmutter öffnet den Champagner

Smile everyone!

On the second day of CNY, it was as well Chee Foong's birthday. He organised a birthday party at home where people were supposed to come dressed according to the theme of: 'Shanghai Royale'. As you can see in the pictures...only the girls made a real effort.

The party ended up to be a big gambling event which is another important feature of CNY celebrations (tsts...these chinese....drinking, gambling, eating...!! - so much FUN!!). Mishell started off on the Mahjong table whereas I was playing Black Jack and 'In-between'.

Mishell playing Mahjong / Mishell spielt Mahjong