What Yee Sang? Ask The Chinese Celebrating CNY In China

By Niam Seet Wei Bernama's correspondent Niam Seet Wei jots her diary from Beijing listing the differences in the Chinese New Year Celebrations in China and Malaysia. BEIJING, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- The much anticipated Lunar New Year is just two days away and food plays an integral part in this traditional festival for the Chinese around the world. For the Chinese in Malaysia Yu Sang or Yee Sang, the Teochew-style raw fish salad orginationg from South China, is one of the common yet popular dishes served during the Chinese New Year (CNY). The dish, made up of shredded colourful vegetables and raw fish is usually served as an appetiser before lunch or dinner and everyone will say loudly their auspicious wishes while tossing the yee sang so that their wishes would be heard and fulfilled. Surprisingly, this signature CNY dish is only well-known in Malaysia and Singapore. NORTHERN CHINA-COIN WRAPPED INSIDE DUMPLINGS Le Gao, a 26-year from the northern Chinese city of Dalian has no idea about Yee Sang when I asked her. "Tossing Yee Sang sounds interesting, but I have never heard about that," she told Bernama. Instead, Le said in Dalian the must-have dishes during Chinese New Year, particularly on the eve of the new year include dumplings, sticky rice dumplings, lettuce, dates, sticky rice cake and fish. "We will randomly put a clean coin, usually a gold fifty-cent into some dumplings (jiaozi in Chinese)," she said, adding that whoever gets the dumplings with the coins symbolising good luck will enjoy a good year. Besides dumplings, Le said the food served on the eve of CNY all carries symbolic meanings. For instance, the sticky rice cake symbolises growing taller or growing wealthier each year, fish means having more than enough money, lettuce symbolises rising fortune, while sticky rice dumplings mean earning big money every year. Le's family members would gather at home and eat dumplings from lunch until midnight while playing cards and watching television programmes together. IN CENTRAL CHINA SWEEPING FLOOR IS ALLOWED In Malaysia, one of the CNY taboos is sweeping the floor on the first day of the new year as the Chinese fear that the good fortune will be swept away. However, this belief does not apply to the people in central China's Hubei Province. "Of course we sweep the floor on the first day of the Chinese New Year, come on, it is a holiday, dozens of people are coming around and the floor gets dirty easily," said 32 year-old Yang Jing. Up to 50 of paternal relatives would be visiting Yang's house during CNY. "On the eve of CNY, we usually eat fish, spring rolls and lotus, of course wine will be served as well," he said adding that in recent years the family has opted for Western-style wines instead of the traditional wines. "Nowadays, everything goes Western-style, we don't even have reunion dinner or lunch at home, instead we dine in restaurants from eve until the third or fourth day of the Chinese New Year,” he added. However, traditional practices such as setting off fireworks or firecrackers, houses decorated with red lanterns and red couplets, playing mahjong, as well as temple visits were still being practiced among the people in Hubei. UNMARRIED ADULTS HAVE TO GIVE ANG POWS Receiving Ang Pows, or money in red packets is regarded as one of the best thing that anyone can anticipate during CNY. As for the Chinese children it is like longing for their Christmas gifts. For the Chinese in Malaysia, Ang Pows are usually given by married couples to unmarried friends and families as a symbol of good blessings while parents will be giving Ang Pows to their unmarried children. However, this is not the case in Beijing, the capital city of China. Here adults who start working, regardless married or unmarried, have to give out Ang Pows to the younger generation without income in the family. "Our parents will not give us Ang Pows after we start working, instead, we have to give them as a symbolic gesture of love and blessings," said Zhang Zhe. Zhang said like the Chinese from other provinces, Beijingers would eat auspiciuous food such as dumplings, sticky rice cake and fish during CNY. "Usually, the locals will be visiting temple fairs during CNY," Zhang added. Temple fairs are one of the popular annual activities in China during the Chinese New Year. Dozens of temple fairs are available during the festival where hundreds of booths selling a wide range of snacks, food, handicrafts and antiques can be found. -- BERNAMA