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As soon as the Chinese New Year arrives, everybody would get into the New Year mood!

This year, we ushered in the RAT year!

It’s the Year of the Rat

Decorations
Before we usher in the New Year, cleaning and decorating the house is a MUST because due to superstitious beliefs, if you sweep the floors on the FIRST day of the Chinese New Year, you will be sweeping all the GOOD LUCK away!!

As the Lunar New Year arrives, everybody will put on their new clothes and join the festivities!

Lion Dance
Some families invite the Lion Dance troupe as a symbolic ritual to usher in the new year as well as to ward off the bad spirits.

Ang Pau (Red Packets)
Can’t forget the Ang Paus now can we? Many packets a day, keeps the kids awake!

Money
What’s an Ang Pau without the money inside? Can you guess how much is there in the picture?

Firecrackers
Cover your ears now, for the cracking of the firecrackers will be ear-bustin’ and festive!

Fireworks
It may be illegal for Malaysians to play fireworks and firecrackers but it doesn’t stop Malaysians from playing them and making it a festive holiday!

Visiting relatives and family members are a must during Chinese New Year to pay respects to other family members and also to also tighten the family bonds. So remember to pay visits to your extended family just to say “Gong Xi Fa Chai”!

What is the Chinese New Year without food? NOTHING! So here comes the food presentation :D!

Saang Mein
My family actually call it Sou Mein or Sou Mien. It’s vegetarian so it’s perfect for the first day of new year since we have to be vegetarians for half a day :) Other than that reason, “sou mien” is also known as the “longevity noodles”. I’m sure I have no need to explain that by eating this during the Chinese New Year will hope for a longer life? Oh wait, I already did ;)

Mandarin Oranges
Don’t go eating too much Mandarin Oranges, you only need 4 of them to get your sugar level high. Not only that, 4 mandarin oranges = a plate of rice!

Nian Gao
It may not taste that delicious to most people but it also has it’s own symbolic meaning! The reason people eat the Nian Gao is so that they can “Bu bu gao shen” in other words, “to rise with each step”, either in your studies, or the corporate ladder, that kinda way.

Bakkwa / Ba Gua
I have no idea about the significance of Bakkwa, so if anyone knows, just hand me a comment and I’ll put it up :) Bakkwa is Chinese salty-sweet minced meat, it comes in either pork or chicken and it’s truly a tasty delight not to be missed!

Lou Yu Sheng
A mixture of shredded raw fish and shredded vegetables, condiments, and a variety of sauces. “Lou” is to toss and “Yu Sheng” is a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. On the 7th day of new year, you will see people piling into restaurants or at home tossing the Yu Sheng to mark the start of a prosperous new year!

New Year Snacks
We mustn’t forget all the new year cookies, chips and so on! To much of our delight, we are allowed to eat as much as we want during this time of the year. Thus gaining a few kilos is inevitable! You’ll just have to work hard on the treadmill after the 15 days of Chinese New Year ends ;)

Have a GREAT Chinese New Year and I’ll see you all again when my tummy is full and my pockets heavy with cash :P