Today is an auspicious day and it's filled with many special auspicious events that happening on today. First of all, I am taking this opportunity to wish all my Chinese readers and also to all my Malaysian Chinese Dharma friends a Happy Chinese Lantern festival or the day is called Yuan Xiao (元宵）
The Chinese around the world today will be celebrated on the Full Moon fifteenth day of the first month in the luni solar year in the lunar calendar marking the last day of the Lunar new year celebration. Traditionally, the Lantern festival or famously known as the Yuan Xiao (元宵) in ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor or the noblemen had the larger Lanterns and the lanterns are almost always red to symbolize good fortune.
At this time, especially the Mainland Chinese including from Hong Kong and Macau and the Taiwanese will traditionally prepare and eat glutinous rice balls called the tangyuan 湯圓 named after the festival and enjoy a family reunion. In today's modern world, it is commercialized as the Chinese equivalent of Valentine's Day. I am not very certain, whether the Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese do they celebrate the Yuan Xiao (元宵）with the tangyuan 湯圓 ?
In Malaysia, The tradition of throwing oranges originated from Penang. If you visit the Esplanade at Penang, there are competitions where boys in boats are required to scoop up oranges thrown into the sea by girls, and the boat with the most oranges wins the competition. I am fascinated that the activities are carried out during the Chinese new year and to keep the traditions alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.