“I believe in everything until it’s disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it’s in your mind. Who’s to say that dreams and nightmares aren’t as real as the here and now?”
– English singer-songwriter and musician, John Lennon
I’m terribly excited. In six days’ time, Chinese all over the world will be welcoming the Lunar Year of the Dragon.
Of all the zodiac signs, I love the dragon most because it is the only mythical creature of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac.
The fifth animal in the Chinese zodiac, in the Chinese culture, the dragon represents good luck, strength, health and also the male element Yang.
In China, the origin of all Chinese, the dragon is regarded as a symbol of imperial power and authority.
In the run-up to the Lunar New Year, the dragon, in bright red and golden colour, is prominently displayed at many shopping complexes and shops as part of the Chinese New Year.
Many ‘angpow” (red packets) also feature the dragon in various forms.
I am pleased to have a few interesting dragon packets in my collection so far.
The Lunar New Year starts on February 10, 2024 and if you visit a Chinese home, you may also come across dragon decorations in it.
With the new year round the corner, many celebrants are rushing to clean their houses. It is traditional for families to clean their houses and the surrounding areas before the new year.
Do you know the word ‘dust’ in Chinese is a homophone for ‘old’? So cleaning the house is symbolic of symbolic of driving away the bad luck of the previous year to make way for a new start.
For weeks now, a big roll-on roll-off (RoRo) bin has been stationed at the recycling centre in my housing estate.
Old furniture and other bulk waste can be disposed of there for free.
A big crowd of scavengers has been guarding the bin night and day in the hope of finding treasures among the discarded items from Chinese homes.
Personally, I am in the midst of cleaning of my house. Although it is small, there is so much to do and I’m lucky my younger sister is helping me with the sweeping and mopping.
Ideally, if I have been decluttering throughout the year, spring cleaning will have been a breeze.
For the past few weeks, my neighbours, left and right, have been busy cleaning their car porches with water jets (high pressure cleaners). It seems every family has the water jet now. I also have one. Gone are the days when we have to scrub the floor manually. I guess modern times call for modern gadgets.
Certain roads on which popular shopping centres are located are getting congested in the run-up to the Lunar New Year. Many celebrants are buying new clothes, preferably red or in hues of red, and goodies like Mandarin oranges, biscuits, peanuts and sweets for the Chinese New Year.
I went shopping at Emart Tabuan Jaya yesterday afternoon around 2 pm. With the car park almost full, I was lucky to find an empty lot. When I came out about two hours later, Rela personnel were helping to direct the traffic. I think the jam must be terrible after office hours.
Personally, I have bought my new year clothes and shoes. They are sponsored by my son, daughter-in-law as well as one of my nephews and his wife. I consider myself very lucky this year to have such sponsors.
Yesterday morning, my son, his wife and their little boy hand delivered my Chinese New Year cookies, drinks and other household items.
I will be enjoying the reunion dinner on Feb 9 at my son’s house. Since I live alone, there will be no open houses. Instead, I will be ‘jalan-jalan, cari makan” (stroll around, look for something to eat) with my younger sister. Maybe we will drop by at one of the cinemas to enjoy the latest blockbuster or movie. It’s been a long time since we both visited a cinema hall.
So far, 2024 has been a special year; Malaysia has a new King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, while Sarawak has a new Governor, Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Soon, in five days’ time, the dragon will enter to bring us the Year of the Wood Dragon and with it, new hopes, new opportunities and a new beginning.
Happy Dragon Year, everyone!
