With Tuesday’s Lantern Festival bringing Chinese New Year 2022 to a close, MA History of Art student, Valerie Lee, from Malaysia shares her favourite aspects of the festival, including the culinary delights, and how being away from home did not take away any of her enthusiasm for the annual celebration.
It doesn’t feel the same being away from home especially on the most important Chinese festival, the Lunar New Year. Together with friends and relatives living in London, we welcome the Year of the Tiger with a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve.
Guests who arrive at our home are welcome to have some snacks that we’ve prepared on the table, such as pineapple tart, kuih kapit, peanut cookies, and so on while chatting to catch up on our lives.
We start our meal with a Yusheng, also known as Prosperity Toss, 捞生 (lo shang), a dish that originated from Seremban, Malaysia in the 1940s. It normally includes raw fish (occasionally salmon) strips combined with shredded vegetables, as well as a variety of sauces and seasonings. Yúshēng (魚生) means “raw fish,” but it was regarded as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升), which signifies an increase in abundance. We stood around the table, chopsticks in hand, tossing the dish into the air while saying “auspicious wishes” aloud, believing that the height of the toss reflected our growth in fortunes.
We also prepared Poon Choi, 盆菜 (Pen Cai), which means “basin cuisine” or “big bowl feast”. Poon Choi is traditionally packed with overflowing ingredients to represent wealth and prosperity. The number of ingredients that may be added is limitless. Roast beef, dried mushrooms, prawns, abalone, fish maw, broccoli, yam, and other ingredients are common.
After our dinner, children or the unmarried will received red packets, 红包 (hong bao) from married couples. The red colour of the envelope represents good luck and serves as protection against evil spirits. It’s also given when someone comes to visit as a token of appreciation.
Although we are staying in London, we will carry out the traditions to make ourselves feel at home during this festive spring. We would like to wish all of you a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. May you and your family have happiness, good health, and success all year!
