CNY to me

Chinese New Year this year fell on Monday, 8 February 2016. We normally take this opportunity to visit relatives. My hubby stick closely to tradition when comes to CNY.  Reunion food must be what his late mom had always been preparing. Tour or travel overseas is a no no because he believes that tradition must be carried on, visit to elderly and relatives is a must to strengthen family ties.

Reunion Dinner

To children or single adults, they enjoy eating, gambling and collecting angpows/red packets. Some will watch movies together with family members since everyone has days off. 

Toss to prosperity "Lou Sang" is being practised here in Malaysia, thus you will find all restaurants will have this dish. You can homemade too.

I am extremely busy weeks before making sure spring cleaning, buying all ingredients required to cook 7 reunion dishes, coordinating food catering for 1st day CNY and the 1st Saturday for open house, buying all the plants or flowers to have the CNY feel also getting stuff as gifts during the visiting.

English style garden

It has been years that his uncles/aunties/cousins (his late father side) will be coming to our house on 1st day of CNY. Total headcount will be around 60 pax. Thus I will have to make sure lunch is served. The other open house on Saturday is to cater for all his relatives (his mother side), for those who could not come on 1st day (his father side), friends, business associates, staff and my side of family members/relatives, our children's friends and neighbors. Normally it will be about 150 pax. 

One thing that stress me up, the food must be enough but normally there will be leftover and we need to stuck them in my fridge to clear in next day or two. 

My routine yearly is more or less the same, this year was such:

CNY Eve : prayers at 11am, reunion dinner 8pm

1st day: Open house cum lunch, evening to mom's house gathering with sibblings and uncles/aunties/cousins

2nd day: Balakong/Sri Petaling/Puchong/PJ

Minimum 7 houses 9am till 6pm

3rd day: Pray parents in law in pagoda, visit to 2 relatives in Cheras follow by Bukit Jalil, my uncle's house

4th day: PD and Melaka

5th day:  Back to work

6th day: Open house

7th day: Gombak/ Setapak

8th day: Preparation for prayers at 12 midnight

Toss to prosperity

To Hokkien, actual new year falls on 9th day of CNY thus prayers at 12 midnight on 8th day follow by fire crackers.

Visiting all relatives a must before I start covering friends. The house that I will not miss will be my ex- lady boss house. 

My reunion dinner with mom and sibblings will be a day before the eve or a week and at times on the eve but for lunch before depending on which day CNY falls on. As my father is separated from my mom, thus we will try accommodate a meal with him as well.

We celebrate CNY for fifteen days with 2 days public holidays and school will close for a week.

Enjoy celebrating, eating and spending time with family. Hope for a prosperous and healthy year!