02 February 2011
Today is the first of 15 days of Chinese New Year. Last night was the eve of CYN and was celebrated with 'reunion' dinners. Thought by many to be the most important part of Chinese New Year, the reunion dinner is a time for families to gather. Special food is eaten and some is offered to the gods to ensure prosperity in the coming year.
I have never before lived in a country where Chinese New Year is a national holiday. According to the 2010 census, 74.1% of the 5.08 million people who live on the island of Singapore have Chinese ethnicity. According to Yen Feng in The Strait Times,"The two traditional religions of the Chinese still have the largest following in Singapore..." with 33.3% Buddhists and 10.9% Taoists. Jeremy Au Yong reports in the same newspaper, "Mandarin remains the most widely spoken language in Singapore homes, contrary to the notion that the language is losing ground to English." So it is not surprising that Chinese New Year is such a big deal here.
Tonight I am going to Chinatown and to see a display called River Hong Bao. Stay tuned for more about Chinese New Year in Singapore.
