Celebrating the Year of the Rat

This year, Chinese New Year falls on 25.1.20 and according to the Chinese Zodiac, it's a Rat year. One month before, we were all caught up in the Christmas festivity and then the New Year on 1st January and now another festive celebration. This is the time when Chinese around the world takes time off their work and spend their whole year's hard earned money celebrating their entire 15 days with families and friends. For me, each year celebration is a repeat of the year before and we never get tired of the same routine. In fact, the festivities actually starts with the shopping of New Year goodies, clothing, decorations. Every cities and towns starts blaring the New Year songs with shops and malls selling all the New Year stuff and red colour is everywhere.

Each year without fail, some of my siblings residing overseas will make their trip back to KL and together we will go back to our our little hometown of Segamat.

23.1.20 - Home coming.

Homecoming dinner with relatives.

This year, only Stephen, Lilian and KC came back and we always have a homecoming dinner.

I would  head to the golf club to catch up with my old school buddies.

 Chiap Chan too came back from Singapore to celebrate CNY.

Cheong is a good friend and drove here from Malacca just to have a game with us.

It's an old club where we always meet.

This Golf Club is unique in a sense that there is an airstrip in the golf course.

24.1.20 -  Family Reunion Lunch. 

While many families have their family reunion meal at dinner time, ours have always been lunch. 

 The food is prepared by my mum assisted by the woman folks.

 After prayers in late morning, the lunch starts at midday.

 My family, sister's family, siblings, mum and dad all congregate here for a good family meal.

 Sherman's favourite dish; stewed pork with eggs over dark sauce.

 Our reunion lunch is modest but it's the food we love and grew up with since childhood.

 We've been having this reunion at our parents house every year without fail.

 Felix is here for lunch and will have another reunion during dinner with his siblings family.

There are always more than enough to go round with plenty of leftovers.

Pai Tin Kong - New Year Eve.

At midnight, we'll be offering prayers to the Jade Emperor. This is the day prayers are offered to deities at home and ancestors and seek blessings. Our parents do not placed any ancestors tablet at home and they had recently taken the only deity to a temple. Hence the only prayers offered were to the Jade Emperor and we called this prayer " Pai Ti Kong" in Hokkien.

 Mum would be the one leading the prayers.

 She always pray for the well being and protection of her children and grandchildren.

 Dad also joins the prayer this year.

 Lilian have been back without fail every year.

 So is Stephen.

 KC too comes back each year dutifully.

 I've been praying here all my life.

 So is Yvonne since joining the family.

 Sherman too prays here since birth

 So is Callum.

 So too is Valen who follow us back quite often.

Me and my family praying in unison.

"GongXi FaCai".

 It's time to burn the incense paper.

 That is done by Yvonne and the boys most of the time.

 

As always, this is the time the neighbourhood is very noisy with fireworks being let off at midnight. 

The prayer offerings are always modest.

25.1.20 - New Year's Day
Ang Pow Giving.
The New Year starts by late morning when all family members gather to greet all family elders. For us, a simple tea ceremony of serving the elders with a "GongXi FaCai" greeting and getting an Ang Pow in return for good luck. Everyone is dressed in their new clothes but most of us wore our traditional Chinese dress for this occasion.

 The respect to the Patriach and Matriach comes first.

Then the rest down the lines have their turn. We always keep it traditional and fun.
After the ceremony, it's time to take some photographs.

 This is the entire family that return home to celebrate CNY with the old folks this year.

 The Symons family.

Two sisters were present this year. The other three sisters could not come back this time.

 Yvonne and the boys.

 The five children.

 KC always happy to see his nephews and niece.

Me and the boys.

  With Yvonne.

A family portrait with the old folks.

A new family portrait for CNY 2020.

The Tan Clan Dinner.
This actually refers to my uncles, aunties and my cousins. We were all staying together during our childhood days. The house is a block of three unit dwelling and a shop at 1608 where we stayed with our grand parents in the seventies. Some years back, we decided to have a once a year dinner with all our families and the ideal time is during Chinese New Year. Even though my cousins and I have left Segamat, all of us still return every Chinese New Year. It is therefore practical for everyone to gather for dinner during this time. Since then, our extended family have gathered at a restaurant for dinner every year on the 1st Day of CNY.

 Wong Kok Restaurant have been the venue the last few years because of the ease of arrangements with them.

This year, Siow Ling and family could not make it because of her mum's deteriorating health. We nevertheless have a wonderful dinner as always.

26.1.20 : CNY Day 2 - Catching up with families and friends.
My cousins and their extended family have always dropped by each Chinese New Year.

It is good time to catch up and renew kinship during festive season. Visitations to relatives and friends are norm during CNY.

 In the afternoon, I had a gathering of old school mates at the club.

It is great to catch up with childhood friends.

27.1.20 - CNY Day 3 - celebrating with in laws.
We have to return to KL and celebrate with my in laws on the third day.

 The venue for this year's dinner is Restaurant Choi Wah, Kepong.

 Here we are, early to beat the crowd.

This is a popular restaurant and booking ahead is a must.

 The restaurant is full and we pre-ordeed one of the CNY set menu.

 At times like this, ala carte order is not advisable as the kitchen cannot cope up with individual orders.

 All my in-laws are here except May and family.

 They are on a holidaying in Japan instead.

Another round of feasting ended with expanded tummy.

29.1.20 : Day 5 - A trip to Malacca.
I decided to make a day trip to Malacca on the 5th day as KC had earlier located yet another ancestors grave never seen by us before. My wife and two other siblings decided to tag along to "makan angin". Malacca, a charming and touristy place is also famous for local cuisine.

Jonker Street is the place to go if you want to sample all the local delights in one place.

This street have been spruced up and all the old prewar buildings were given a makeover turning the entire place into a charming historical street.

Alas, some are still left in their dilapidated existence.

This one have been converted to a nice cafe.

Coffee with local delight.

Lion dance costume on display.

At the Pahlawan Mall.

KC and I drove over to Bukit China while the rest went shopping.

Bukit China is reputed to be the largest Chinese cemetery outside China. There are 12,000 graves that dates back to the Qing Dynasty ( 1644 - 1912 ). However, there are only some graves that is dated during the Ming period ( before 1644 ).

Admiral Cheng Ho made several stops at Malacca during his seven voyages with his fleet of treasure ships.

As noted in the inscription, Bukit China ia an important place during Cheng Ho's stopover.

This is one of the many entry point to the hill.

There is a jogging path that encircles the entire hill. KC leading the way to the location of our ancestor's grave.

The green spot is the entry point and the red spot is the location of the grave about 500 meters in distance.

Here it is, seeing my ancestor's grave for the first time. It have been here for almost 200 years. This is the grave of Tan Swee Poh ( 1775 - 1824 ), my direct ancestor, 7th generation before me. He was here during the Dutch occupation of Malacca.

Tan Swee Poh was the only surviving son of Tan Sin Liew. He was born in Malacca but was sent back to China after his mother died when he was only 7 years old. Sadly after that, his father too died two years later. When he came of age, he return to Malacca to resume his father's business, a trading company in Malacca called Hong Hin. He was already married when in China, but childless. Before returning to Malacca, he adopted a son called Tan Eng Bong, just in case any misfortune befall on him, he at least have a son to continue his name. That was the Chinese tradition practiced then, and that adopted son was my 6th generation direct ancestor.  Swee Poh when in Malacca later married another lady, a local born Nyonya and had 4 sons. One of them was Tan Kim Seng who went on to become a highly successful businessman and philanthropist in Singapore and Malacca. His contribution is remembered by both the governments, a water fountain in Singapore and a bridge in Malacca bears the name of Tan Kim Seng.

This is the inscription that matches the names in our clan's Zupu.

KC first discovered it when he came here two weeks earlier.

The location faces the Straits of Malacca.

The compass indicates 272° West.

The names of the children that survives him. One son's name missing here is Tan Eng Bong who died before his father, Swee Poh. Tan Eng Bong is the son of Swee Poh's first wife who stayed in Yong Chun, China. He is my 6th ancestor who was buried in Yong Chun. All the names here are from his second wife, a Nyonya lady from Malacca.

 A section of the the Zupu chart of my ancestors.

About 150 meters away is the grave of Tan Sin Liew, Swee Poh's father.

We had discovered this grave two years earlier.

He is the first from my ancestor to venture into Malaya during the Dutch occupation of Malacca.

The location of both these two graves in Bukit China.

That's where I spent my 5th day of CNY, uncovering the resting place of my 7th direct ancestor in Malacca.

1.2.20 - Day 8 - Back home again for prayers.
My parents decided to stay back in Segamat this year after the first few days celebration. The auspicious date for the Hokkiens is the 9th day and they pray to the Jade Emperor at midnight of the 8th day. Together with Yvonne, we journeyed back to Segamat again to join our parents for the prayers.

I had arranged with my Mum to visit this temple when I reached home.

 It's located in a rubber plantation at Gelang Cincin, not far from our house.

 This temple houses all the deities that have been "orphaned" one way or another by it's previous owners.

 The altar is full of deities, some same, some different.

 This is the one she wants to pray to.

It is "Huat Choo Kong" which was in our home for umpteen years. My mum decided to place it here when she recently left for the States to stay for 6 months.

It is a private property and the guardian of this temple is "chosen" to housed all those deities.

Yvonne burning incensed at the urn outside.

This is only a prayer for "Huat Choo Kong".

CNY decorations in Jementah.
At night after dinner, we took a 20 minutes drive to the small town of Jementah to see the beautiful decorations at a village there.

 It was beautifully lighted up at an area near the temple.

It's nice to see private initiatives like this to make their town beautiful.

Midnight prayers to the Jade Emperor.
It's the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the God of Heavens. Hokkiens will pray at midnight which is actually Day 9 and another family dinner in the morning.

The table is laid out as midnight approach. The offerings are usually modest.

 It's my mum that has consistently been faithfully doing this each year without fail.

  The neighbourhood is quiet as most of the families children have returned to the cities.

Yvonne helped mum with all the preparations.

 One more prayer before burning the incense.

 It's a repeat of New Year eve more or less, but tone down without the crowd and noise.

 That's "Pai Tin Kong" for us.

2.2.20 : Day 9 - Hokkien's New Year and Mum's birthday.
Today's date is unique, second February 2020 in numbers is sequence as follows:
02022020
and can be read from both sides.
Today is also Mum's birthday and Hokkien consider this their actual New Year.

 In the morning, we had egg "mee suah", a modest dish for a special occasion.

It's Mum birthday and all she wants "mee suah" egg for the day. It's string noodles for longevity.
After the morning meal, Yvonne and I left for KL. The feasting is not over yet.

 We're waiting for my siblings at a restaurant in town.

And the dinner starts with the tossing of "yee sang".

 Here you go, the higher, the better.

 After dinner, we adjourned to the Symons house for dessert.

 Yes, special day today.

On the same day, my siblings living Stateside were having their own celebration.

 Bubbly Karyn and Janice.

 Emerson the new addition to the family.

Never too early to practice tradition. Alex getting Emerson to receive his Ang Pow.

 Terena learning a new custom.

 Karyn receiving her "ang pow" from Debbie.

 Father and daughter.

The three sisters that did not return this year, did not miss a beat. They have their own celebration.

3.2.20 : Day 10 - Dinner with OC for STS 
The Organising Committee for events of STS  Class of 74/75 decides to have a CNY dinner at Damansara 3, PJ.

The venue is Brussels as we like the set up there.

 It's a CNY dinner but we also decided it's time to organise another getaway holiday for all.

Happy together.

 4.2.20 : Day 11 - Lilian return to the States.
It's been 3 weeks since she came back and it's time to return to the States.

It's a testing time for travelling following the outbreak of Covid-19. 

It's an 18 hour flight home.

5.2.20 : Day 12 - Lunch with ex colleagues; drinks with the Segamat gang.

Too much of Chinese food the last couple of weeks, so I proposed Indian food to my ex colleages.

All agreed happily and and there's one restaurant at Sri Damansara I recommended.

It's at Ativo Plaza near where I stay.

We met up at the plaza which is nice and breezy at the leafy neighbourhood.

It was a good change from eating too much Chinese food.

 In the evening, my hometown gang all gathered at a Karaoke at Damasara Utama.

There were endless flow of beer and whiskeys.

 We have been meeting up regularly but CNY gathering is special.

Happy New Year everyone.

 6.2.20 : Day 13 - CNY golfing with buddies.
This is a once a month golfing group that comprises of ex colleagues and friends.

This was a pre planned thing before CNY. We would golf at Kota Kemuning GCC and adjourned for our CNY dinner at "Luan Luan Char" restaurant at Bandar Puteri, Klang.

 There are two flights as this it is a limited group.

There was pool betting to raise fund for the evening's celebration dinner.

7.2.20 : Day 14 - CNY lunch with ex colleagues.
We've been lunch kakis for years when we were together in the same company.

Yu by Ruyi at Gardens is our venue for CNY lunch. 

Happy New Year, ladies.

8.2.20 : Day 15 - Ernest wedding, a Chap Goh Mei gathering of old school friends.

Ernest is the Son of our dear friend the late Ah Tow. Poh Choo his wife is one of us and invited the whole chink gang for her son's dinner.

Since it is Chap Goh Mei, she suggested Chinese costume even though dress code is smart casual.

 We are glad to celebrate this auspicious event on the last day of New Year.

 This is us, together since Primary School and always happy together.

 Together with our spouse.

 The ladies wants a photo by themselves, as usual.

 Nice photo corner.

Torn among roses.

 The ladies are as close with each other as the guys are.

 Cheers everyone.

Double Happiness : Wedding and Chap Goh Mei celebration.

It's non stop feasting and gathering but we celebrate every moment like there's no tomorrow. What a fantastic year yet again for all of us.
We look forward to celebrating together again next year.
Cheers to all.