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Overseas Chinese: New Year Celebrations and Customs
Eating fish on New Year's Day means good luck for the Chinese Singaporeans . First, fish, together with vegetables, is placed in a round plate, and then pepper and other condiments are sprinkled over them. Next, they are mixed upwards off the cutting board with a pair of chopsticks, as such an act is said to be capable of bringing good fortune to the respective business in the future. For Chinese Singaporeans , happiness consists of four aspects: good luck, affluence, peace and longevity. As they think peace, longevity and affluence can be attained through strenuous efforts, while luck is always unknown, in most Chinese Singaporeans' homes, a golden "Fu" (good fortune) character set against a red background can found. Besides, flying bats can always be seen on New Year cards, as one of the Chinese characters for bat is a homonym of "Fu." Sometimes, a plate of apples can be found on New Year cards to symbolize "peace," as the first part of the Chinese characters for "apple" is a homonym of "peace". For the same reason, lotus is also used to signify peace. There are many other symbolisms, such as bamboo for "civilization, strength, and learning," as well as the Chinese plum blossom, which is referred to as a New Year flower. On New Year's Eve, the most important thing for Chinese Singaporeans is also the reunion dinner, as the scattered family members all strive to get together. The kids, in order to hail the coming of a New Year, usually do not sleep until midnight, as they think doing this will prolong their life. The new year's first day is the time for the family's junior members to visit the senior ones, as well as the time for the kids to receive money as a New Year's gift when they get money wrapped in a red packet from their parents and grandparents. On this day, all the brooms are put away, as no cleaning is allowed, to prevent good fortune from being swept away. The second day of the new year is for visiting relatives and friends. Traditionally, a picture of the whole family is taken on this day. On the Lantern Festival, which occurs on the first full moon of the new year, family
members gather again for a reunion dinner, and every household begin to take the
couplets down as they are expecting a brand-new year!
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Chinese Singaporeans: 'Fu' counts on New Year's Day
