Chinese New Year is a very special time. Christmas is magical, with pretty decorations and presents, it is a meaningful and happy time at the end of the year. But Chinese New Year is important. The year never really start until Chinese New Year. It has a significant place in the hearts of Chinese around the world. It is above all about Chinese customs and traditions. Known as the Spring Festival in China, it kicks off with the reunion dinner for families. So it is also about the family unit. And the extended family of relatives, and in business, partners and associates.
Chinese New Year, to me, is really a celebration of being Chinese. About who I am and where I am from. Which is why with each passing year, I celebrate it with more attention to its customs. Yet the Chinese New Year customs are complex and they have evolved with the times. While there are common threads among Chinese celebrating the Chinese New Year around the world, each Chinese society has its specialties and peculiarities. Yusheng, for example, is quite unique to Singapore. Red and more red are accepted as the common norm. There is a period of ‘spring cleaning’ leading up to the actual day when ‘out with the old and in with the new’ is the adage.




