Chinese New Year starts on the eve of the New Year. Closed family members (who do not include married daughters and their families) gather to have a reunion dinner. It is the most important feast for everyone in the whole year.
A cardboard replica of Choy San or God of Prosperity welcoming shoppers at the entrance to The Store Supermarket in Jalan Ah Cheong, Teluk Intan, Perak.
On Chinese New Year's eve :
Remembering family ancestors. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family. Before the reunion dinner, family members pay respect to their ancestors, for guidance in the New Year, by offering prayers and arranging a great feast in midday with meals of chicken, fish, and special vegetables to acknowledge their presence because they are responsible for the fortunes of future generations.
Burning ritual golden paper and money notes to ancestors. The Chinese believe these will turn into money in the after-world.
Close family members get together for the reunion dinner to rejoice in tossing the yee sang and enjoy the prosperity meal.
Tossing the yee sang to a good and prosperous New Year. Everyone will toss the colourful salad together high into the air with chopsticks and auspicious words and wishes are shouted out loudly. Everyone make their wishes for wealth, health, good luck and prosperity for the New Year. It is believed that the higher it is tossed, the better your good luck.
On Chinese New Year's eve, children stay up late, the later the better, and have fun playing with sparklers (fire crackers are banned in Malaysia).
On the first day of Chinese New Year :
Family love must not fade away. Four generations of the Tan family celebrate the first day of Chinese New Year family get together in Teluk Intan, Perak. At 85 years old now and getting on in years, great grandmother Ooi Ah Nung's best gift of her life is to watch, before her eyes, her four generations grow and prosper; and still get together on the 1st day of New Year - the most important of all Chinese festivals in the entire year.
Two lions performing a lion dance during a house visit on the first day of Chinese New Year to chase away evil spirits and bring good luck and happiness to the house occupants.
The lion performing Choi Cheng or ‘Picking the Green’, the green here referring to cabbage leaves which are tied to a piece of string on a long stick which also has a red packet attached containing money. The lion munches both the leaves and the red packet, then spit out the leaves signifying that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year.
Letting off firecrackers as a finale to the lion dance performance to signal a joyous occasion.
The famous Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan is decorated with bright Chinese red lanterns to welcome the Year of the Ox. Thumbs up to Majlis Perbandaran Teluk Intan.
Many Chinese homes are brightly decorated with lighted Chinese red lanterns and red lights hanging in the porch area.
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