When i was still studying, my parents enrolled me in a Chinese school. I remember being excited as we always have a school program every Chinese New Year. This consist of singing Chinese songs, dance performance, and recitals. Of course, a celebration isn't complete without food! In this case, we indulge in Chinese foods, which i will share more about later.
This is my first performance in school when i was still in pre school. I still remember the song we sang vividly during this time, It's Small World (Chinese version). Our teacher even choreograph some action to fit the song. For my look, my mom put red lipstick in my cheeks as makeup. Now, i looked like pucca haha.
Fast forward to grade school, we had another Chinese presentation. This time, its a dance presentation. I can't exactly remember the dance, all i remember was that each of us have 2 Chinese fans as props. There's also a Lion and Dragon dance performance at the end of the program. (Lion and dragon dance)
I love school programs because this means classes are shorten. After the program, our teacher will give us Masi, a glutinous rice balls with peanut and sugar as fillings. Each of us will also receive one or two fortune cookies. This serves as our snack and is believe to give us good luck if we eat them.
As an adult, we celebrate by spending time with my family and relatives over dinner. Chinese people have a lot of superstitious beliefs, especially during new year. Whole fish and pecking duck are commonly served during dinner to bring luck and success. Another common belief is to wear red outfit to attract prosperity during the Lunar New Year. Dark colors such as black should be avoided. As a Filipino-Chinese living in the Philippines, we celebrate both the western and eastern new year. Though the western new year (January 1) is much much larger of a celebration than eastern new year.
As we enter the year of the Wood Dragon, i wish everyone good health, prosperity, and happiness. Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Happy New Year)
That's it for today's blog. See you in my next one!
Sending some love and light
love, Jane