Xin Nian Kuai Le!! Happy New Year!! And Happy Valentine’s Day too!!
February 14th in Singapore brings us Chinese New Year and Valentines Day this year which from what I can see, sort of throws off the marketing balance a bit. Typically the town shuts down during Chinese New Year but some shops and restaurants, we’re told, will be open because they can make money from all the lovebirds. Nevertheless, Valentines Day was trumped. There is no shortage of red, however.
Chinese New Year celebrates a new lunar year. A full calendar cycle for Chinese is 60 years. This new year will be the year of the Tiger. There are 12 animals (zodiacs) which have a confusing 5x rotation based on the cycle of the moon to complete the 60 year cycle. You can tell someone what animal year you were born in and they will know your age because it will be a multiple of 12. Unless of course you age really well, then I guess you might throw them off.
The holiday as a whole lasts for about a month or maybe even longer. There are many timeless traditions that go along with celebrating Chinese New Year (CNY). Some traditions are remembered but not practiced but others are. And boy are they practiced in grand fashion. Red and gold everywhere! Orange trees, pineapples, pomelo’s, are in abundance. Oranges or mandarins being given away always in an even number, usually two. Small red envelopes, Hóng Bāo, are given with money in them to the elderly and children and many traditional sweets are shared. Containers with 8 sections are filled with dried fruits and/or candies. Most all of the traditional CNY treats are sweet. Savory treats are not as common because they mean sweat which means work. This celebration is one that many take off of work and spend with families and friends at home. After the New Year’s Eve celebrations, of course. Our taxi driver yesterday said he would only be taking off half of a day. He said that every day with money in his pocket is a new year. I wondered if he had a daughter in college too. 
Originally, we had planned on taking a trip during CNY since this will be the last school holiday we have free but we didn’t plan ahead enough and couldn’t find any good deals. We happily decided to stay put and experience Chinese New Year in Singapore. The kids have Monday and Tuesday out of school. Tommy will take Monday off so we all will have a long weekend. Nice!
Yesterday we went out to China Town to see what adventures we could get sucked into. The taxi driver thought we were funny going out there today. It really wasn’t that bad. It was a little crazy in spots but it was pretty much what we have experienced at Walmart on New Year’s Eve back home except more Chinese. We hear it gets really crowded at night. We won’t be there to find out. One shop owner told me recently to not bring bags and backpacks if we came out on New Year’s Eve. Only pocket money because the crowds would be shoulder to shoulder. We will be bringing in this New Year with the same tradition as our regular New Year – sleeping.
Here are a few photos and a video from our CNY adventure today.
