Welcoming Year of the Rooster

theborneopost.com/2017/01/27/welcoming-year-of-the-rooster/

Chang Yi, reporters@theborneopost.com 1/27/2017

A rooster bowl – this year, many people will be buying things with the rooster theme.

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The First Day ‘Mee Sua’ of the Chinese New Year.
An old picture of a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve.
Getting together to welcome friends returning home from overseas.
Little chicks welcoming the shoppers to the CNY Bazaar.
A billboard at the Miri Chinese New Year Bazaar 2017.
Lim Chin Yong

THE Year of the Rooster starts from January 28 (Saturday) 2017 and
ends on February 15, 2018.

The Rooster is 10th in the Chinese Zodiac.

Each year is related to an animal sign from to a 12-year cycle.

Years of the Rooster include 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005,
2017, and 2029.

People born in the coming year are called ‘Roosters’ in China.

In fact, even overseas Chinese continue to remember each other’s birth

year according to their Zodiac animal sign.

It is actually very easy to calculate one’s age by just asking: “What

animal are you?”

My own octogenarian elders can place our ages very accurately when
we tell them our animal sign.

This has always been a joke among the non- Chinese whereby an
American related how he overheard the following conversation in a New
York library:

“What animal are you?”

“I am a monkey.”

“What about you?”

“I am a pig.”

The horrified American thought that he was hearing voices in his head.
2017 Lunar Astrology
2017 is a Fire Rooster Year.

In Chinese element theory, each Zodiac Year is associated with one of

five elements – gold (metal), wood, water, fire, or earth – which, for
instance, means a Fire Rooster comes once every 60-year cycle.

It is interesting how the Chinese, in particular, will look at astrology to find out how lucky they can be.

If bad luck is augured, they would like to know how to overcome them.

They are not going to let misfortune mar their everyday life.

Long before the advent of the Lunar New Year, astrologers have already given out their predictions for 2017 like
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lucky numbers 5,7,8, and lucky colours gold, brown and yellow, to name
a couple.

And what must Roosters avoid? Red colour, numbers 1,3,9 and going in
the direction of the EAST.

How do the Chinese – so far away from mainland China, and many
generations have already passed since their ancestors had settled in
Sarawak – feel about the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival?
Reunions and warm ties
Wong Meng Lei, always upbeat about Chinese New Year, says: “The
Spring Festival is always the best time to meet up with friends, have a
wedding and throw a birthday party.”

Wong who has tea and bao sessions in his office on Mondays after
office hours, is always happy when Chinese New Year rolls around.

His good friends such as Lau Tiong Gii, Hii Tiong Kuok, Steve Ling
and Yong Gien Huong have already paid him visits.

“My office is a place where we exchange greetings and have intellectual

discussions. We do keep up with the latest academic and literary
developments in our own country as well as worldwide,” he says.

This year, he is happy to welcome a new grandchild to the world and to

his friends before Chinese New Year.

The proud grandparent had already given a Mee Sua party recently.

To Veronica Wong and Lucy Siew of Miri, my long-time friends, the best
Chinese New Year event is the Reunion Dinner.

When musically inclined Veronica hears the drumbeats of the lion

dance, she is transported back to her childhood.

She confesses the excitement seems to be in her blood and she just
loves the drumbeats and the sounds of firecrackers.

“This is the essence of our Lunar New Year.”

She adds: “It can be simple home-cooked dinner. We don’t have to

splash out and get squeezed and squashed in a crowded restaurant,
sitting back to back. My kids will always ask for mother’s steamboat or
chicken soup. We are just happy to be together as a family.”

For Lucy, making simple traditional dishes, especially as a family like in

the old days, gives her plenty of joy.

“Our elders also look forward to the longevity noodles and good Chinese mushrooms. Chinese New Year is a happy
occasion and it’s good to see each and give out our kam (orange) which symbolises gold,” she enthuses.

Meanwhile, Mrs Khoo, an Iban married to a Chinese, says she and her husband, from Kuching, will prepare a few
dishes together for the family.

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She beams: “Our grandchildren who have a school break, return to see their Chinese grandfather and make the
home ‘noisy’ and joyful.

“Grandpa can’t be any happier! My grandchildren enjoy Chinese New Year dishes. They are equally Chinese and
Iban in outlook.”
Misses making dumplings
A northern Chinese friend in Miri, Xiao Feng, tells me she misses making dumplings for Chinese New Year.

“As there many different dialectical groups of Chinese in Sarawak, breakfast for first day of Lunar New Year can be
very varied. We in Northern China suburbs are rather simple.

“It is quite cold and we let the warmth of relationships make our New Year wonderful with lots of stories and a bit of
tea or wines.”
Delicacies and food
The New Year Cake or ‘nien gao’ is a solid cake made with glutinous rice flour and some sugar and then steamed
for hours.

In the past, some sleepy housewives even caused their homes to catch fire because they dozed off during the long
hours of steaming.

Today, commercially prepared ‘nien gao’ can be easily bought at supermarkets.

According to a butcher at the market, many people work hard for the whole year just to have good food for the
Chinese New Year.

“It’s really the best holiday time for people like me. I am so happy I can laugh the whole day!”

Fanciful and pricey foods can be had at restaurants such as prosperity dish and yee sang, empurau, semah and
huge white pomfrets all cooked in different ways.

Home-coming filial children also dig deep into their pockets to give parents and grandparents a treat while hotels
attract customers with new and creative dishes.

A RM500 tin of Buddha Jumps over the wall may to be added to the expensive abalones, sharks fins, pacific clams,
mussels, fish, crabs, huge tiger prawns to grace many a table.

All these once-a-year dishes come at a very high price.

Community leaders, business tycoons and politicians open their doors to welcome well wishers.

Invitation cards are sent out to good friends.

Such open houses do attract hundreds, if not thousands of people.

New clothing
For Mirian Li Mei Su, the fashion scene in the resort city this year continues to be vibrant.

About a month ago, boutiques have started to dress up their mannequins with new garbs.

According to her, red is the most favoured colour for all New Year attires.

“Even the men will don a red Jacky Chan shirt on the first few days. Cheongsams are favoured by slim women,
especially when visiting. For family gatherings on the New Year Eve or the First Day, most will wear red for family
photos,” she notes.

Anna, a tailor, operates a small shop at Merdeka Mall which alters and makes new clothing for people of all races.
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This year, her customers continue to make new clothing while many also bring the clothing for alterations especially
those bought online.

“Every festival in Sarawak increases the demand for new clothing. It’s nice to see people in red Chinese New Year
attires,” she says.
Hampers and red packets
Mr Tiong, owner of a Chinese medicine shop, notes that sales of Chinese New Year goods and hampers are not “so
cheerful” this year.

“For the past 20 years, business people in Miri habitually send hampers to their business partners, customers,
association office bearers and political leaders.

“Grateful workers also send hampers to their benefactors, especially their bosses who have given them special
bonuses or promotions.

“I think most businesses are reflecting world economic trends and people are tightening their belts,” he says.

Mirian L Tan says her children love receiving red packets like all the other children.

“The tradition of giving red packets or ‘Ya Shui Chien’ which means ‘Press the age, for peace and harmony’ is
continuing.

“It is believed the money in the red packet will protect the children from evil, keep them healthy and give them a long
life.”

VIPs hosting open houses also give red packets to children from the different ethnic groups who come to visit.
New Year Bazaar
Every year in Miri, one street is designated as the Chinese New Year Bazaar which is open until New Year’s Eve.

A little quieter than before, there are fewer tents this year.

My old friend, A Wong, comments on the Chinese New Year Bazaar: “It’s always good to mingle around the
shoppers and visitors who may drop by to have a feel of New Year.

“I love to see a good display of lightings and huge red lanterns. And the playing of Chinese New Year songs really
brings a lot of excitement to the street.

“Every year, I see new goods being sold. I feel it’s time to spend a bit of our hard- earned money on special items for
the festival.”
Spring cleaning
Spring cleaning is a must for every Chinese household to usher in the Spring and the New Year.

That’s what Mirian Lim Chin Yong did a few days ago.

He has decided to give quite a number of items he has not used to the Red Crescent.

They are all still in reasonably good condition and include a Canon colour printer, a wooden lazy chair, a juice
extractor, a CPU, three boxes of clothing and an assortment of household items.

He has also discarded a few boxes of items that were not in very good condition at the Piasau Industrial area
rubbish dump which is probably one of the best maintained in Miri.

He says as soon as he parked his car near the dumpsite, a group of people swarmed around to load the rubbish for
him, even thanking him for recyclable items like two large suitcases, the plastic containers, the rice cooker and a

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few others.

There is a lot of truth in the saying that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure.

Spring cleaning symbolically also means driving out all the bad elements and bringing in newness of energy.

The Spring Festival is a celebration of hope, renewal of faith and good relationship.

It is to welcome the renewal of the Earth after its winter slumber.

There should be a burst of renewed energy for everyone.

Let us then remember what our famous sage Confucius has taught us: to practise five things under all
circumstances constitutes perfect virtue – these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and
kindness.

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