“I was shouting
with tears of joy!” exclaimed Madam Kim, 63-years old retiree, on her
adolescent experience during the festive season of Chinese New Year.
It was the year
of the snake as well, but this was 48 years ago, to be exact.
She remembers one
incident very vividly.
Madam Kim
explains, “I remember on the eve of Chinese New Year, while the women,
including myself, were cooking the big family meal for dinner, my brothers and
father, were playing with firecrackers, lighting up the whole neighborhood.
“It was all fun
and games, until my 9-year-old little brother, Jun’s scream pierced the joyful
atmosphere.
“Everyone could
hear his cries, but no one could see where he was.
“Even my ‘papa’ (father)
could not locate where he was initially.
“Suddenly, he
screamed again, and as we ran towards his voice, we found him lying on the
ground outside the yard, face down.
“Everyone’s face
turned blue with anxiety as they saw Jun lying still.
“My father came
up to him, and BAM!
“Jun jumped up,
and shouted gleefully to the family, carrying a dead snake in his hands.”
“It’s the year
of the snake!
“And I have a
snake! Yeay!” laughed Jun.
“What seemed to
be funny to him were not at all our reactions towards his prank.
“He, of course,
was punished by my father.
“However, once
the punishment was over, it quickly became the joke of the day.
“I was so worried
for my brother, afraid something bad had happened to him, but it was just him
pulling a prank on us.
“I remember this
year quite well.
“My mother had
sewn me the most beautiful red cheongsam
I had ever worn and I was ready to kick-start the New Year.
“All my
relatives had come down to my grandparent’s house in the small village of Kulai
near Johor Bahru," Madam Kim reminisced.
 |
| Cheongsam dresses hand-sewn back in 1960s. |
Her eyes glowed with happiness as she continued.
“The
fireworks were different back then.
“We did not have
all these fancy and grand firecrackers.
“However, the
ones we had were enough.
“Their loud
BOOMs gave us as much excitement and thrill as these modern ones.
“I had my fair
share of firecrackers, but they were always the boys' favorite, so I left it to
them to enjoy,” she said.
“I was
mostly in the kitchen with my mother, grandmother, my aunts and all my girl
cousins.
“We would serve
up a big feast on the eve; we call it the ‘30th dinner’.
“We would have a
prosperous dinner that evening.
“A variety of
dishes were served.
“Fish is a must.
In Chinese, fish translates to yuu,
which means ‘balance’.
“Some people say
that every year should be a balance of wealth, health, and good positive energy, which should always be brought forward to the next Lunar year.
“Prawn, chicken
and duck, my favorite, were also up for grabs!
“An abundance of
colorful mixed vegetables decorated the table, with sweet tau fu fa served as our dessert.
“Soft drinks
were also a favorite for all ages around our table.
“Everything was,
oh so, delicious!” said Madam Kim while making the gesture of kissing her
finger tips.
“Even though the
economy back then was not so good, we still celebrated Chinese New Year with a
new ray of hope.
“We would never
miss a single prosperous meal during the ‘30th night’ of CNY,” she
reflected.
“As time moves passes,
so does the culture.
“We do not do
things the way we used to.
“Although there
are bright lights all around, the traditions have changed.
“Other things
become important instead of the important things in life such as family,
friends, health and most importantly, laughter.”
 |
| An old picture taken on the eve on CNY. |
Madam Kim snaps
back from her reminiscence,
“Now my younger
brother has his own little snake to worry about.
“My nephew, Alex
is a splitting image of Jun.
“He is a
jokester, just like his father.”
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