Chinese New Year

Category: By - Duck -

Tung Tung Chang! Tung Tung Chang! Streams of red lanterns lights up the street. Bak Kua (dried pork meat) Cookies (Ong Lai Piah your the best) and Kam (mandarin orange) traders appears at almost every nook of the town. The night air is filled with the noise of popping firecrackers. Traditional Ang Pows known in legend to scare away the "Nian" burns viciously when the clock strikes 12. In conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year, Duck2Swan brings you the significance of each food that is served during this festive season.

Family Reunion Dinner
Noodle: Symbolizes Longevity
Be sure not to cut them!


Lotus Roots: Symbolizes getting Male Offspring and Health



Fish served whole: Symbolizes Prosperity


Egg Rolls: Symbolizes Gold and Wealth


Prawn: Symbolizes Laughter and Happiness (Cantonese - Har Har Siew)


Fatt Choy (Black Moss Seaweed) : homonym in Exceeding in Wealth


Abalones: Gold and Silver Ingots symbolizes Wealth


Peking Duck: Symbolizes Fidelity


Yee Sang: The special salad dish! Legend states that the higher you toss
the greater your prosperity. Well for me , its all pure fun tossing it.

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Kam (Mandarin Oranges) : Literally means GOLD in Chinese;
Symbolizes Wealth

Peanuts: Symbolizes Longevity

Pineapple Tarts: Wong Lai - Literally means Prosperity Comes

Lychee: Symbolizes Close Family Ties

Neen Gow (Stick Cakes) : Legend says that this cake is created
to keep the "Kitchen God" from reporting to the Jade Emperor.
A form of bribe. Well for me, its just a sweet glutinous cake!

Loh Bak Gou (turnip cake) : I see this every year during Chinese New Year
and all around the year...so...someone please tell me what does this symbolizes.
*update - the gou, represents one’s job, business, or fortune, and as the cake rises during cooking, one’s position is said to improve* thanks to Jason

Bah Kua, Daging Salai, Yok Kon : All time favourite of the
Chinese Community

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The Chinese Culture is rich and deep. Though it may be packed with superstitions and legends, it is still worth knowing this great culture that Chinese has forged over numerous dynasties. It's a sad sight that I see many of my Chinese friends are either forgetting their roots or just couldn't be bothered with it. Most of them can't even speak any proper Chinese Dialects and even have difficulty ordering food in a Chinese restaurant! It's of no surprise why some will regard us (those that can't even speak a single dialect) as a disgrace to our Chinese race.

Diversity is a creation of God. I urge you to remember your roots and please don't be so "Ang Moh". Some of you may regard being "Ang Moh" is cool and since you grew up speaking English, studying in English, working in English hence you don't give two-hoots about not being able to speak Chinese. Let me tell you my dear friends, being "Ang Moh" is a step towards globalization which will eventually destroy all the cultures that were forged so many years ago.

If we as Chinese Christians don't even know what our culture is like, how then can we preach to the Chinese Community? Who are our neighbours, friends and colleagues? What if they are from a typical Chinese family and if we are dead insensitive to their culture. How then can we preach? Let me bluntly say this to you, if you intend to be a missionary then you have failed. The Lord decreed that we start with Jerusalem then to ends of the earth. Where then is our Jerusalem? Isn't it where we live? Those people that we see daily at work, at school, our neighbours; aren't these people our Jerusalem? I hope you'll understand that I am not throwing the race card here but it's simple. Why God made each of us different? To some Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Sikh? It is for us to reach out to the communities around us. Each of us have our own responsibilities to share the Good News. A simple logic, we can't preach to someone that is only able to understand one language. Example; Tamil. Wouldn't it be difficult for me as a Chinese to share with the person? Or Mandarin. Wouldn't it be difficult for me as an Indian to share with the person? Take thought of it.

So my faithful readers (Chinese readers) of Duck2Swan please don't be ignorant and it is my hope that the Chinese Culture will not end at your generation or your child's generation.

Finally, I would like to wish all of you.
Gong Xi Fa Cai.
Happy Chinese New Year


From Duck to Swan
Signing out at 12:42am - 5th February 2008
 

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