ET Speaks From Home

Cuisine & Culture the Chinese Family Way

  • Chinese Culture & Festivals
    • Chinese Culture & Superstitions
    • Chinese Cuisine
    • Chinese Festivals
    • Chinese Wedding
    • Feng Shui
  • Craft
    • Adult Craft
    • Children Art and Craft
    • Chinese New Year Craft
    • Origami
  • Family Life
    • Collaboration
    • Home Improvement
    • Life & Parenting
    • Modelling
    • Printable
    • Sensory Play
    • STEM
    • Summer Activities
    • Tutorial
    • Lichfield Mandarin Club
  • Food & Drink
    • Bake Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Dessert
    • Drink
    • Food Products
    • Meal Recipes
    • Restaurant
  • Review
    • App
    • Beauty & Health
    • Book
    • Drama, Movie, Theatre
    • DVD & Blu Ray
    • Fashion
    • Game & Board Game
    • General Products
    • Household Products
    • LEGO
    • Nintendo
    • Puzzle
    • Technology & Gadgets
    • Toy
    • Twitter Party / Party
    • Stationery
    • Vlog
  • Travel
  • Giveaway

The 100 Days Of Chinese Baby-Naming

Every culture does little things differently. From the way we eat, to the way we greet each other, our traditions largely dictate our actions. From the moment we’re born, we‘re taught how things are. Babies from different cultures, for instance, are named in a whole host of ways. Here in the UK, most people choose names before babies are born. A naming ceremony will then traditionally consist of a church christening. Yet, as can be seen from sites like https://www.babycentre.co.uk, few other countries follow that lead.

The 100 Days Of Chinese Baby-Naming

Ideas for My Dream Bathroom

I was asked to come up with some ideas on what my dream bathroom would look like, so I’m sharing them with you if you’d like a little inspiration. I’m keen on incorporating my background into this room, as an Asian themed space is ideal for creating a calming and inviting atmosphere – while incorporating all the serenity of the most luxurious spa. It’s all about clean lines and minimalism – I love the soothing nature of this kind of look.

My Dream Bathroom

Chinese Wedding Gifts

For English weddings, the bride and groom typically have a list of wedding gifts but for Chinese, we are more practical. All we want is money, partially to pay for the wedding costs and partially to pay your mother-in-law!

chinese wedding gifts

Chinese New Year Traditions

Ever since I moved to the UK for work, I have found it hard to keep up or observe the proper Chinese New Year traditions my mum used to teach me. I think part of it is because I have forgotten how it was as I have not been back to Singapore for 8 years during this festive period and another part of it is because I want to be a modern woman who doesn’t need to follow the superstitious rules.

Chinese New Year Traditions

Summer Reads with Chinese Cultural Books

This summer, we have been busy reading these Chinese cultural books from Tuttle publishers.  As a bilingual parent, I have always wanted my children to learn their own mother tongue and learn about their own culture.

Tuttle have just published these books which are close to our heart and our cultures and I have been able to show it to my children. Tuttle was founded in 1832 in the small New England town of Rutland, Vermont. Since 1948, Tuttle has been a leader in publishing books on the cultures, arts, cuisines, languages and literatures of Asia. If you are looking for these types of books, they have a great range of books to buy.

summer reads with chinese cultural books

Paper Cutting For Celebrations Review

Would you like to give your gift an unusual touch or perhaps you would like to show off your paper craft skills to impress your family and friends? Then Paper Cutting For Celebrations is the perfect book for you. This book is written by Zhao Ziping who is a professional paper cutting artist at the Shanghai Arts & Crafts research institute, and was published by Tuttle Publishing in June 2014. It is available to buy on Amazon.

paper cutting for celebrations book

Chinese interior tips for your UK home

Although living in the UK can be a lot of fun, sometimes the fusty old British interior design scheme can leave a little to be desired. So for anyone who’s looking to update their interiors with a few Chinese themes, here are some ideas.

chinese interior tips for your home

3 Feng Shui Tips For Your Wardrobe

We all heard something about Feng Shui – the traditional Chinese philosophy that helps people take care of their life better. It works on many levels in our life, and it works on the premise that what is closest to you has the most impact on your physical and emotional health. And what can be closer to you than your clothing?

Today I am going to share some Feng Shui tips for your wardrobe. To use it or not – it is all up to you, but nothing will change if you won’t make an impact. So do your choices and let’s get to those tips right away.

3 feng shui tips for your wardrobe

Amoy Mid-Autumn Recipe

Tomorrow will be the Mid-Autumn festival where Chinese celebrate the fifteenth day of the eight lunar month – the Mooncake Festival. Last year, I explained the story behind this festival which you can read more here.

amoy mid autumn

Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival

The Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival is also known as Zhong Yuan Jie. In Chinese culture (especially Asian countries), the Chinese Lunar seventh month calendar is regarded as the Ghost Month in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, release from the lower realm (Buddhist- the wheel of Samsara) for the whole month. During this month, there will be a grand scale of praying and celebration which will have Getai (singing in Hokkien or Teochew) and dinner with bidding for lucky things on such a night.

Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival culture

Dragon Boat Festival & Dumpling

This year Dragon Boat Festival falls on this coming Monday 2 June 2014 which is today!  There are a few versions of how the history came about.  For what I learnt at school it is about Qu Yuan.  He was a poet and minister (c. 340–278 BC) of the ancient state of Chu.  To cut the long story short, he committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River.  The local people raced out to save him but was unable to do so.  So they dropped balls of sticky rice (dumpling) into the river so that the fish would eat them instead of Qu Yuan’s body.

Dragon Boat Festival and Dumpling

Chinese Wedding – Bridal Door Game

You might be wondering what is a Bridal Door Game?  This is a game played when the groom picks up his bride on the day of the wedding.  The bridesmaids will give the groom and his group of ‘brothers’ (best men) a list of tasks/games to do before the groom is allowed to fetch his bride.  But they have to pass all the tasks/games!

Chinese Wedding 5 Bridal Door Game

Chinese Wedding Page Boy / Small Uncle

Hope you’ve enjoyed my Chinese Wedding series so far where I have covered gifts, tea ceremony, hair combing ceremony and Yue Lao.  This week, I am writing about ‘small uncle’ or in English tradition this is called a Page Boy.  In a Chinese Wedding, our ‘small uncle’ have a very important role than just walk together with the bride.

Chinese Wedding Page Boy Small Uncle

Chinese Wedding Yue Lao

Following my recent theme on Chinese traditions, I decided to write about Yue Lao who is the god of marriage.  Without him, there wouldn’t be any wedding.  According to legend, Yue Lao appeared as an old man under the moon.  He is like cupid but instead of holding a bow and arrow, he is holding a red string.  If he ties the red string onto the couple, they will fall in love and get married.

Yue Lao Singapore

Chinese Wedding Combing Hair Ceremony

I am back with more Chinese Wedding posts!  This week I am going to write about the combing hair ceremony.  Do check out my Chinese tea ceremony and wedding gifts if you missed those!

Why it is necessary for hair combing (梳頭, shūtóu)?

Chinese believe that it will bring long and lasting marriage.  So both bride and groom will have their own hair combing ceremony.

When should it be done?

It is conducted on the eve of the wedding by the women, typically the parents.

In this photo of my aunty, the ceremony is done before the groom came to fetch the bride.  Both parents said the four blessings:

一梳梳到尾 (1st combing, be together till the end of the road)

二梳百年好合 (2nd combing, happiness and harmony together till old age)

三梳子孙满堂 (3rd combing, blessed with many children and grandchildren)

四梳白发齐眉 (4th combing, blessed with longevity)

Chinese Wedding Combing Hair Ceremony

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Search

Hello!

Welcome to ET Speaks From Home!

I'm Eileen, a proud mum of two teenagers (aged 17 and 16), my daughter is living with visual impairment. Since launching this blog in May 2012, we’ve continued to grow and evolve, sharing our family’s journey and passions.

I love cooking, crafting, DIY projects, writing about Chinese culture, and creating YouTube reviews.

**Achievements & Recognition:**

* Top 20 UK Parent Blogs (2020)
* Tots100 Top 20 Blog on Twitter (2014)
* Tots100 Top Mummy Vloggers (2015)
* Tots100 Top 20 Vloggers (2016)
* Shortlisted for BritMums Brilliance in Blogging Awards (BiBs), Video Category (2014) Read More…

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

Click here to get in touch!

Contact Me here!

Click here for Media Pack!

pr media pack

Archives

Recent Posts

  • What size trampoline is right for me?
  • Using Diagrams To Simplify Hard IGCSE Biology Topics
  • From subtle sparkle to spooky glam: Halloween makeup ideas for every style
  • Your Guide to Thriving in a Rental Property (And Making It Feel Like Home)
  • The Secret To Choosing The Best Window Shutters In Essex
  • Why Cross-Border Removals Require Experienced Teams
  • How to Replace a Lost Key Using the Lock’s Code Number
  • Panic Attacks – Tips For Coping With Panic Disorders
  • Do You Need Hip Replacement Surgery? Signs To Look Out For
  • Why Do Some Owners Prefer Chewable Flea and Tick Treatments for Dogs?

YouTube API Terms & Conditions

By continuing to use this website, you agreed to be bound by the YouTube Terms of Service. To find out more, see here: YouTube API Term & Condition For Handling YouTube Data and Content Policy : to store the public data temporarily, but not more than 30 days and the stored data will be either be refreshed or deleted after 30 days.

Privacy Policy

To find out more, see here: Privacy Policy

Google Privacy Policy

By continuing to use this website, you agreed to be bound by the Google Terms of Service. To find out more, see here: Google Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliate

“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk and affiliated sites.”

Copyright

©2012-2025 Eileen Teo unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce text excerpts or images without my prior permission.

Disclaimer

To find out more, see here: Disclaimer
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress