Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival is the most revered holidays celebrated not only by the Chinese in Mainland China, but all those Chinese around the globe. This is the time that believers of Deities gathered together with their families offering prayers to their ancestors and the Deities followed by offering them lavish dinners before they really gather to the reunion dinner. My family is of Christian faith, so we do not practice such but we said a grace before we partake our reunion dinner.

This year it marks the year of Metal Tiger as the ancient Chinese believed that each year resembling of the animals like rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, cat, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and boar which are considered to be auspicious.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated throughout the 15 days of the calender month either in the January or February depending on the lunar or the solar movements.

Fire crackers or the bamboo bomb ("pau jeun")are widely used during Chinese New Year because it is believed the bright lights and the noise can scare away evil spirits like Nian. It was believed that Nian is a monster that would awake only during the Lunar New Year and would devour men and animals in its path. People used to light a pile of bamboos on Chinese New Year to scare away Nian. When gun powder was invented, it was added to the bamboos, causing loud bangs. With Nian and the other evil spirits scared off, it is believed that prosperity, good health and happy relationships will fill the year. The modern day firecrackers now are tubular, similar to the shape of the bamboo.

But here in this region of Malaysia, I think only the rich ,the contrariness, or the businessmen played the most. They believed that the enormous and loudest noise they exploded into thin air is an addition to their fortune yet to come. Despite the warning from the police or risk to its surrounding onlookers, the competition still looms on.

Honestly, myself never liked it and also never ever got a chance to light on it, what more to say being played in my house. Wakakaka...... Saved more vitamin "m" lo!