Strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) will be implemented for this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, traditional practices will still be observed to welcome the auspicious day. Chinese New Year may be a time for friends, family, and fun, but it is also a time for foreboding as the festival is riddled with superstitions.
A festival riddled with superstitions
Just several days ago, my Chinese, superstitious mother-in-law reminded the family of the taboos and beliefs we ought to follow through before welcoming the new year. Familiar, but more strict, the same beliefs were inculcated in me since childhood by my Chinese mother.
As Chinese, the belief was that a tidy house should welcome the Money God ‘Chai Sen Yeh’ as he prefers to step on clean floors. To avoid ‘losing money’ throughout the year, it is a common practice to not clean the house during the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY). “Keep all the mops and brooms at the back of the house. It can only be taken out at midnight of the following day,” reminded my mother-in-law.
This is just one of the many taboos to protect yourself against malign spirits and misfortune.
Even if you aren’t a superstitious person, there will be no denying that superstitions and taboos are part and parcel of the new year tradition.
Here are some other new year traditions that are praticed by Chinese families around Kuching.
“As Chinese, we are not allowed to wear the colour black during the new year as it symbolises bad luck. You must not break things as well, and try not to use a knife, especially on the first day,” said 47-year-old John Soo. “There should not be any mentioning of death, and we must always ensure plenty of cooked rice left inside the rice cooker.”
The latter was believed to ensure an abundance of food for the whole year-round. As a Hakka from the Yong Ding clan, another family tradition would be to eat a yam dish called ‘Boo Ji Kiap’ during the new year. John shared that the tradition originated from olden day China, and alhough the practice is quite are in today’s modern world, some clans still carry on the tradition.
“This dish is similar to Yam Abacus, eaten every new year by the Taipu clan of Hakka descent to symbolise wealth. My 90-year-old aunt would cook this dish with soup, and shaped the yam as a clip. However, the tradition is slowly fading as most of the elders had passed, together with these old practices,” John said.
Besides the superstitions, John remembers fondly of his childhood days celebrating the festive season. “Back then, carbonated drinks were a luxury and we only have it during CNY. Our family would also bake some kuih sepit, kuih bangkit and bakkwa.” Reminiscing, John said that there were not many choices back then compared to the present day.
Just like John, 39-year-old Helen Chung vividly remember the times when her father was still with them. “Every CNY will be a memorable one. My father was a family man. Each year, his siblings and their respective families will fly back from Kuala Lumpur and Miri to celebrate together.”
As Chinese, reunion means a whole lot to Helen and her family. At each reunion dinner on new year’s eve, there will always be a bountiful selection of delicacy on the dining table.
However, after her father’s passing in 2017, things significantly changed. With Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs) in tow, Helen said that she would just stay at home this year with her family while munching on CNY snacks and goodies. As a Muslim convert, she had also prepared some ‘halal bakkwa’ made of chicken and beef to for her family this year.
Asked to share some of her family traditions during CNY, Helen disclosed how every festive season, there will always be pomelos, oranges and sticky brown cake inside their household.
“In Chinese, pomelo is pronounced as ‘you’, which means prosperity — to have good things.
Oranges are pronounced as ‘ji’ which means good luck and lastly, the sticky brown cake is known as ‘nian gao’ which means to stick whatever that is good.”
The Hakka-Foochow Chinese also said that on new year’s eve, there should be all kinds of meat, vegetables and noodles served. “Depending on the different dialects, certain dialect don’t allow prawns on the dining table as there is a Chinese saying ‘Poor like a prawn’ which meant the crustacean is no good.”
Emphasising on these taboos, Helen said it was upheld through generations as the Chinese believe all good things will come with our actions and the words. “But it depends on each family. Those who stay with their parents or the elderly, would still strictly follow these traditions.
“In my opinion, if everyone practices these traditions, the festive atmosphere is there and it gets you excited. If we don’t practice it, it means will slowly disappear, and festive seasons would feel just like any other day,” she opined.
Echoing the same sentiments, 27-year-old Lim Hui Sze is sad to see the traditions slowly fading away in the modern world. “It is our culture and identity, and it’s also not hard to follow, so why not?
“If you read some of the taboos during the auspicious day, like not cleaning the house on the first day, it’s like asking you to take a break, enjoy and have fun with your friends and families,” Lim also added that perception towards these traditions may change according to time, “but it is important not to lose this as it is something we do in our culture.”
Asked why certain taboos could not see its way through modern society, Lim shared that it could be that certain taboos were impossible during this time and age. “And many were passed down without knowing the real reason. Nowadays, it is hard to follow and do something without understanding why.
According to Lim, taboos are just like a new year’s resolution — everyone wants to start the year right. “Hence, we do things that we believe would attract good things.”
Lim added some common advices in her household during CNY — “Do not break any glass, plate, bowl or mirror as it will bring you bad luck, and it might shatter or split your family.”
However, when an accident happens, it is important to wrap the broken pieces up while saying ‘sui sui ping an’, which translates to “be safe and sound every year.”
This she elaborates as the pronunciation ‘sui’ for the word safe is the same as ‘sui’. “Tweaking around with the homophones to expel bad luck,” she added.
Apart from that, Lim also advised against wishing anyone Happy New Year while they are still in bed. “It is bad luck as if suggesting this poor fellow to be bedridden for the whole year.”
As with the brown sticky cake, or ‘nian gao’, Lim’s story differs from Helen. “Initially, it was used as an offering for the Kitchen God who would observe us and report back to the emperor about our doings throughout the year. So we would prepare this sticky cake for him to eat, so that it will stick in his mouth and making him unable to speak in front of the Emperor God.”
This year, with Covid-19 threat still present, SOPs have been set to allow only immediate family members to visit and it can only be done on the first day. Nonetheless, John, Helen and Lim insisted that they would be staying at home this year, and play their part in helping to curb the spread of Covid-19.
