Lunar New Year 2013

So how did you spent your last Sunday (10th February)?

It was Lunar New Year aka Chinese New Year last Sunday! So it was a big and important day for all Chineses across the globe. Like last year, and the year before that, I celebrated CNY (Chinese New Year) with Jerrome‘s family – since my parents do not celebrate this big symbolic event.

The fu word is placed upsized down by tradition, I don’t know what it means but I just decided to paste it like that.

/extra information/ So 2 weeks before, Jerrome and I went shopping for clothes . It’s traditional to don new clothes when we go bai nian – going to relative’s home and wishing family members “Happy New Year”. Chinese New Year is a big thing here in Singapore. It’s has a 2-days public holiday, and most malls are closed. Before the actual day, it’s like spring cleaning, where families cleaned their whole house thoroughly and throw away old furniture and stuffs. There was also a space near each building for people to dump their furniture.

Anyway, I walked to so many shops and so many malls but could not find anything that I like or would pay for. I think I’ve come to the point where I just refuse to spend money – even on food for myself. It’s sad, like my brain is conditioned to not spend money even when it’s alright to spend. But new year was coming! And I have not gotten anything yet. So I just went to some pushcart selling clothes and bought a nice green-blue dress at $18 – a steal! Sadly, I don’t have a picture of the dress.

Things to do: Get a full length mirror for my room

On the eve of the new year, I saw that Etude House was having a sale and I bought some makeup – which was unnecessary but I really wanted makeups. I also bought my shoes that day as well. Really rushed for me this year. Last year, I bought a qibao – traditional chinese dress, weeks before CNY.

Lipstick, Mascara and Nail Polish

My shoes! Gave me blister though

On the morning of the Lunar New Year, I woke up and did all my makeup and what not. I also had to sew my dress because there was a hole. -_____- I didn’t check my dress when I bought it.

I then had to wish my grandmother first before leaving my house. So I took 2 oranges, knelt down and wished my grandmother. I then received back another pair of oranges and also an ang pow – money placed in red packet.

It’s tradition to give oranges to your elders to wish them luck and health. Bigger oranges, the better, as oranges resembled gold in Chinese culture. The elders would then give you back another set of oranges and an ang pow. Many kids likes Chinese New Year because they can collect money. ($v$)

So off I went, to Jerrome‘s house to travel with his family to visit his relatives home. I put my oranges in this CNY themed bag which I bought a week back.

This bag was also to hold all my many ang pows!