Experiencing Chinese New Year @ Taiwan
- 玄翎
- Mar 15, 2018
- 3 min read
It's been 4 ~ 5 mths since Sept I have move to Taiwan. Times really flies.
Due to some of the Taiwan policies, my parents had suggested me to stay in Taiwan during my winter break. So yeah, my whole winter break were in Taiwan working as a assistance in the program office until 14th Feb（which is before Chinese New Year). Is a very bored winter break while most of my friends had gone back to their home country or travelling.
Before heading back to Taichung, I had attended a reunion dinner for foreign students which organize by Kaohsiung Medical University (I hope i say it correctly.. Chinese = 高醫大）as to experience the Chinese tradition. During the lucky draw section, I'm sooo lucky had won a NTD 300 Carrefour gift card. It's not much, but at least is a good start for CNY as it means a prosperity fortune is awaiting me. (This is just what I thought... XDD )
So, CNY eve is a big day for every family as it is a reunion dinner, children which had been working aboard or away from their hometown will get back home to gather with their families as a big reunion. However, for girls which had been married are not allowed to go back to their home during this day and the 1st day of CNY, they will follow their husband go back to their hometown. (Women will to go back to their hometown during the 2nd day of CNY onwards). Somehow, some of the modern people had ignore this rule. (I'm not sure is this applicable in Taiwan, but definitely in M'sia).
However, there are some culture differences between M'sia and Taiwan in CNY celebration. (This is also something that my parents want me to experience).
A day before CNY eve (Chinese = 小年夜），there will be a pray section to the god before mid night (which means turning to CNY eve). Besides that, on the CNY eve, they will pray to the god and ancestor in the morning and also preparing food for the big day.
(Ok, I definitely do not experience sooooo many pray section before in M'sia. And somehow, due to the CNY eve pray section is held in the house, my sinus just gooooo viral..... My uncle and aunt keep concern about my health.... Luckily, those days VICKs is my savior....)
But, nowadays, due to the convenience, most people have pre-order dishes from the restaurant and dine in the house. So, we did too.
Here comes another culture different from M'sia. In Taiwan, parents gave angpao during this day, whereas M'sia, parents gave angpao on the 1st day of CNY while everyone had dress up nicely and needed to say good words.
I'm not sure does other Taiwanese need to say good words during the angpao is given out by their parents. But I definitely didn't say any of it as I didn't expecting to be happen soooo soon after the reunion dinner. Besides that, Taiwanese really gave a big amount of angpao to kids as compare to M'sia whereas I had heard about it just like China. So, I'm a happy kid to get such an amount of money. Huray~~~
During the 1st day of the CNY in Taiwan, is another series of pray for the whole morning at the temple wishing for family member healthy, wealthy and others. Whereas in Malaysian, mostly is wear beautifully and take some family portrait and start to plan either go out to shopping mall or start to gambling or chasing the lion dance group, who will be going around the housing area, to see their performance.
So, this is basically what I had experience. I'm not sure is this applicable to all Taiwanese. But this is what I had experience in my uncle and aunt house. :)
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