Welcome the Pig!

Today is the eve of Chinese New Year. This is the year of the pig/boar/babi. Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in pig years tend to have excellent manners, make and keep friends, work very hard, and appreciate luxury.
If you are born in the year of the pig, tell me if that's true.

I can imagine my family back home sitting around the dining table having their family reunion dinner right now. Grandma will cook her specialty pork chops, long-life noodles, maybe some curry , fish , Fatt Choy and some other goodies. After dinner, the cousins start playing firecrackers outside while the older ones play poker indoors.

On Chinese New Year's day itself, my mom will make me wear something red and we are not allowed to wash our hair or sweep the floor because it would mean we are washing or sweeping away our good fortune for the New Year. I've always wondered why shouldn't it be sweeping away our bad luck from the previous year instead. Anyways, lets not argue with ancient wisdom. I don't like sweeping floors anyway.
The non-married children (does not matter how old you are) will receive Ang Pows (red packets filled with money) from Grandma and the married couples. Now you probably know why I married at such an old age. I used to be richer at every Chinese New Year because I had lots of generous aunts and uncles :) Parents do still give Ang Pows to their children irregardless if they are married or not.
At this point, the women usually play Mah Jong and we kids will hang around and eat cookies all day. The variety of cookies and CNY snacks sitting around the house will make you salivate all day. So we eat, and eat and eat.
Sometimes, the neighbors will invite a Lion Dance troup and we would stand on the streets to watch. It is a symbolic ritual to usher in the Lunar New Year as well as to evict bad spirits from the premises.
Then dinner... another big meal of the day. Eat again.

On the second day of Chinese New Year, we would visit with my mom's side of the family to say our wishes (and collect more Ang Pows and eat more cookies). Each family will usually exchange gifts in the form of oranges, cookies and sweets. And we will have another big dinner and eat Yu Sang (People get together to toss the colorful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity)

Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days. Most people take a long vacation and some offices will close for the whole week.

I will close my eyes and imagine I am back home now. Oink!