Cuisine & Culture the Chinese Family Way
Buying your new home is a very proud moment for you and your family. It is likely one of the most expensive purchases you will make and therefore it’s a big deal for everyone involved. Many Chinese people observe or believe in several Chinese customs.
Many Chinese people are very superstitious, particularly the elderly—and I would include myself among them. If you read the blog post I wrote earlier this year on the meaning of the 15 days of Lunar New Year, you may recall that some Chinese (in Taoism and Buddhism) pray to the God of Wealth for blessings. This “blessing money” is referred to in Chinese as 偏财 (Piān cái), meaning unexpected income or windfalls such as bonuses, lottery winnings, or stock gains.
In my earlier post on the meaning of the 15 days of the Lunar New Year, I mentioned that on the fourth day, it is the day to pray 太岁/Tài Suì for a year of protection and to avert adversities. Now I am going to tell you more about him.
In many of my Chinese New Year blog and craft posts, I’ve often mentioned that the Lunar New Year celebration lasts for 15 days. However, I realised I had never fully explained the meaning, traditions, and significance behind each day of the festival. Finally, I managed to sit down and gather all the information about the 15 days of Lunar New Year celebrations.
Yes, the 15 days are already over and we are now nearing the end of the first lunar month of the Water Rabbit year 2023! Nevertheless, these traditions are fascinating to learn about and are passed down through generations, so I hope you will still enjoy reading about them.
Four colour cards or 四色牌 was my grandmother’s favourite game to play when she was still around. Every Saturday afternoon, her sisters and her children, like my mum and aunties, will gather around her house to play. It was a regular thing even on Chinese New Year. There was always a big group of at least six to eight of them sitting around the big round table to play with at least two sets of Four Colour cards (224 cards) mixed.
Do you believe that the soul of a deceased person returns to visit their family home on the seventh day after death? Some Chinese believe in what is known as 回魂夜 (Huí Hún Yè) — the “Return of the Soul Night” — or 头七 (Tóu Qī).
During my visit to Haw Par Villa in August this year, one of the free exhibitions was the Yeo Swee Huat Paper Agency, which runs until the end of December 2022. It is located at the Cloud Pavilion that is next to the Culture Courtyard. It is an exhibition on the vanishing paper offerings trade which is typically used for temple festivities and funeral offerings.
A few months ago, I blogged about my Singapore trip to Haw Par Villa’s Hell Museum and the Ten Courts of Hell. One of the highlights of that trip was learning about our dying cultural heritage: the traditional Chinese grave. This prompted me to research Chinese tombstones, and my uncle was able to provide a photo of my maternal grandfather’s tombstone, which no longer exists. His grave was exhumed in 2013, and his remains were placed alongside my grandmother’s at Toa Payoh Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. I’ll explain why we needed to exhume him shortly.
One of the highlights of Haw Par Villa Hell’s museum in Singapore is their infamous 10 Courts of Hell. We Chinese believe that in the afterlife, we will get judged by our sins and punishments evolved as ancient civilisations shared their cultures across time and space.
What is kopi? Or do you mean “copy”? No—kopi means coffee in the Hokkien dialect. If you’re a coffee drinker, it’s worth learning the different types of kopi, especially in Singapore and Malaysia.
Ever since I moved to the UK for work, I’ve found it difficult to keep up with or properly observe the Chinese New Year traditions my mum used to teach me. Part of it is because I’ve forgotten what it was like, as I haven’t been back to Singapore during this festive period for eight years. Another part is that I like to think of myself as a modern woman who doesn’t need to follow every superstitious rule.
What Is Confinement?
Chinese confinement, or zuò yuè (坐月), is a traditional postnatal practice designed to help a new mother recover from pregnancy, labour and childbirth. During this period, both mother and baby are mainly confined at home to rest and recuperate.
For Chinese families, the confinement period usually lasts for a full month, which also coincides with the baby’s first month celebration. During this time, new mums are expected to follow many taboos, dietary rules and restrictions.
In many countries such as the USA, families celebrate with a baby shower before the baby is born. In traditional Chinese culture, however, the celebration usually takes place one month after the baby arrives. This is known as the baby’s full month celebration and it also marks the end of the new mum’s confinement period.
During confinement, it is generally considered inappropriate for visitors to see the new mum and baby. The full month celebration is therefore a special occasion where both mother and baby are formally introduced to extended family members and friends.
Last week, I wrote a blog post about Chinese superstitions when entering a hotel room. This week, I would like to share some gift ideas you should avoid buying for your Chinese friends or loved ones.
Understanding another person’s culture is not always easy, but learning through interaction, travel, or reading can help us better appreciate one another and live together more respectfully and harmoniously.
Last February, my mum and sister flew to the UK to visit us. While they were here, we went on a road trip to Scotland. You can read more about our Scotland trip with Barny here.
We stayed at Premier Inn throughout our holiday in various locations. Our final stop was Edinburgh, where we happened to have rooms opposite my sister’s. I noticed that she followed her usual hotel routine: she knocked on the door and said, “We’ll be sharing the room with you for two nights, thank you.”
This brought back memories from my younger days, when I was told that I must follow this routine. I had completely forgotten about it! Well… not entirely. I don’t knock on the door, but each time I enter a hotel room, I quietly inform ‘them’ that we will be sharing ‘their’ space.
Mr C doesn’t believe in these Chinese superstitions. He thinks I’m completely crazy for doing this!
I’ve had two unpleasant ghost experiences while staying in hotels with him in Italy and Japan, so he’s used to my “crazy” habits by now. That said, I don’t practise these superstitions as much as I used to, especially since my children have started questioning my rather bizarre behaviour.
