There are far better things ahead than we leave behind. — CS Lewis, British writer
A happy 2021 to each and every one of you. We are now into the third day of a brand-new year. Time, indeed, waits for no one.
What did you do on New Year’s Eve to welcome 2021? Some of my colleagues and I worked quite late, waiting for the news on the New Year countdown at the Indoor Stadium in Petra Jaya, Kuching.
My niece and her girlfriends went for a meal and a drink at a modern food and beverage service outlet. From a picture his wife sent, one of my nephews and his family had a BBQ party at home — a very common way to welcome a brand-new year in Sarawak.
My car engine was still hot when firecrackers began lighting the sky in my neighbourhood. When the clock struck 12, the sound of firecrackers was everywhere and continued for quite a while.
My younger sister, who stays in Johor Bharu, said it was very quiet in her neighbourhood. But my friend in Sibu found the din from the firecrackers unbearable. ‘‘It seems many people here are trying to drive away Covid-19,” she told me.
Chinese traditionally use firecrackers to drive away evil spirits and bad luck. However, I don’t think only the Chinese in the state lit firecrackers to welcome 2021.
Do you know the story of firecrackers and the Chinese New Year? Well, according to a legend, a monster called Nian would come out to devour villagers and destroy their houses and farms on New Year’s Eve.
The villagers later discovered that burning dry bamboo to produce an explosive sound drove the monster away. And so, began the tradition of lighting firecrackers on Chinese New Year. The Chinese invented firecrackers and they certainly use them well in their New Year’s celebrations.
January 1 was a special day for my younger sister for another reason — it was her birthday. But she had no family members to celebrate the special occasion with her. All were away.
I told her not to cook at home but to go out and pamper herself. “Go out and enjoy yourself. Eat anything you want,” I advised her. With age comes wisdom.
She happily took my advice and went out to a KFC outlet with a housemate. She took home a box of colourful doughnuts and bought a Hokkaido cheese cake as her birthday cake.
Today, a friend shared with me that “happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.” How very true that is!
On Jan 1, my niece and I had lunch in a Thai restaurant at a popular shopping mall in the city. I love the chicken tom yam soup there. After that, we went shopping and window shopping.
It was hard to look for an empty parking lot in the basement; my niece had to drive round and round a few times to find one.
Chinese all over the world are set to welcome a new lunar year — the Year of the Metal Ox — on Feb 12. Even though the festival is more than a month away, the Chinese New Year fever is already in the air!
At the ladies’ section of a supermarket in the mall, rows and rows of bright Chinese New Year clothes and dresses were on sale with shoppers milling around. Among the clothes were cheongsams of different colours and designs. Many have arrived in time for the Lunar New Year.
When it comes to Chinese New Year shopping, early bird, indeed, catches the worm. You have more choices in terms of colours, sizes and designs.
Many beautiful but reasonably priced creations are snapped up as quickly as they are put out for sale. After all, everyone wants to look good for an important celebration in their lives.
At a food market in another shopping mall later on, I was surprised to find packets of yee sang, a Cantonese-style fish salad, on sale. “Were they meant for New Year’s Eve or are they meant for the forthcoming Chinese New Year. If I buy a packet now, will it still be good for the Chinese New Year?” I asked myself.
A packet of yee sang costs RM37 at the supermarket. The dish, which comprises strips of raw fish, mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and ingredients, is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigour.
If you have all these — abundance, prosperity and vigour — for the whole of 2021, what is RM37?
Yes, my friends, Chinese New Year is definitely in the air.
