Unromantic Tsinoys

They say that Tsinoys are not romantic -- they'd rather give you something useful like blackberry covers rather than spend for "useless" flowers and chocolates. Of course, that's just a generalization but my grandfather and father were certainly good examples of these.  My mom probably got more designer bags and perfumes than flowers from my dad, even if the designer things are actually more expensive.  Well, I guess that's the "practicality" of the Tsinoys setting in.

That does not mean, though, that Tsinoys don't love the women in their lives.  They do, but they are just not as showy as Pinoys.  And they may not be sweet in the usual Pinoy way, but if they love their women, they would make sure that they take care of their women really well.

Kiong Hee

We just had our Chinese New Year's Party and in addition to the usual family members, Cousin L also came with husband R and little S. It was very nice meeting her family for the first time! My family's getting "international", with L and her family based in Shanghai, Uncle W (who was able to come! Hurray!) and his family based mainly in Canada, cousin Z (who was not able to come this time) based in USA. The weather cooperated, and we got a lovely cool breeze instead of the usual humidity that Manila has. My grandmother chose to stay in the backyard instead of the main dining room as she enjoyed the weather.

My gadget-loving family, with their IPads, Galaxies, Sony VAIOs, and digital cameras, were somehow too excited to document the events.  I miss Uncle M, who is the photo enthusiast and has a new toy a DSLR (can't remember if it's Canon or Nikon though) and ends up as the official documenter of these family affairs.

The kids got their ang paos, we had good food, which, 2 days later, we're still enjoying (the leftovers, that is).

Kiong hee huat zai!  I hope the Year of the Rabbit will be a prosperous year for our family and for yours too!

Chinese New Year's Eve

Tonight is the eve of Chinese New Year. Of course, my side of the family, being ethnic Chinese, will have a celebration! This year, it's going to be at my mom's house, since my grandma's house is undergoing repairs.

I'm excited to finally see my cousin L who's been away for a long time, gotten married and had a baby. This is going to be the first time I'm meeting her husband and her baby. I'm sure we'll have lots of things to talk about.

It's pretty sad though that we very rarely get the whole clan together. L and her family were not around when my grandmother had her 90th birthday bash. My Uncle W and his family came over, as with a lot of other relatives, but L, and other cousins A and M couldn't make it. Now that L could make it, Uncle W and family, cousin Z and family, cousins A and M couldn't. Sigh. With the wonders of technology, I wonder if we could just hook up one of the computers and possibly make a "Conference call Chinese New Year celebration"?

I guess that's the price of globalization and migration.  It's really very difficult to bring people from different parts of the globe to one place at one time.  There will always be somebody who cannot be around.

Thoughts on mooncake festival

Today is the mooncake festival but we're celebrating it with the family tomorrow.

We are supposed to be as complete as possible as a family -- eating dinner and playing the dice game. Every family is supposed to contribute some dish (so some of us may search for weight loss pills that work afterwards). My mom is gonna contribute barbecue and a fish dish. I'm guessing there would be paella.

This is an occasion that the kids usually look forward to because there are actually prizes at stake, not just mooncakes. Since my Ama is now 90 years old, every celebration becomes even more important for us.

Which makes me realize even more that the previous generation is actually the glue that brings the family together. Ama (and Angkong, when he was still alive) is the main reason we come together in such occasions like Chinese New Year, mooncake festival and New Year's Eve. While I believe that my cousins are I are still fairly close, I could not really say the same thing about my second and third degree cousins. I mean, I see them in big family functions such as Ama's big birthday bash, but not for the smaller affairs like what we're having for mooncake. So by the time my children get older, I do not know if they will still know the kids of my cousins the way I know my cousins.

I guess each generation, which expanding the base of the family tree, also makes the branches grow further and further apart. Sigh.

Month of ghosts

It's the Ghost Month, according to the Chinese calendar. For the year 2010, it started last August 9. The Hungry Ghost Festival itself is on August 24, 2010. It's supposed to be the time when the gates to the underworld open, thus the ghosts come back to visit the living.

This is the time that wedding and wedding planning are put on hold, major operations are postponed even if you have health savings account, moving houses or even moving furniture around is frowned upon. No opening of new businesses either.

It's because this is the month where it is considered to be bad luck to do any of the above.

Usually, the Asian stock market does not have much liquidity because there is little trading activity as Chinese who believe in the Ghost Month try not to spend at this time.

Prayers and offerings, burning joss sticks and paper money (not real paper money but those made for offerings) are done at this time. Food offerings are also done to feed the ghosts who might visit.

Does our family observe this? We have to--it's tradition.

Vesak day 2010

Yesterday, we went to Mall of Asia to observe Vesak Day, or what is traditionally known as Buddha's birthday.

My mother is a Buddhist while we basically just go along with her. We agree, however, with the teachings of Buddha because they basically echo the teachings that we receive from our Catholic school.

After the opening ceremonies and prayers, we bathed the statue of Buddha. Bamboo dippers were provided and we were instructed to pour water on the shoulders and the back of the statue, vowing to speak good words, do good deeds and have a good heart. The significance of Vesak Day is aptly explained here.

There were representatives of the CBCP (Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines), from the Muslim community, from the Hindus, and some other religions. The Ambassador from Sri Lanka also attended. It is heartwarming to know that there is effort in bridging the gap between faiths and making the effort for mutual understanding. For we all know that basically we all want the same things -- that good triumph.

In case you're interested in praying, making a small wish and bathing the Buddha for purification, or simply just want to see a Buddhist festival, do drop by the Mall of Asia today.

Photo: “Bathing Buddhas - Federation Square” by Alpha, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

Chinese New Year 2010

Today is Chinese New Year!

Every year, we celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve with dinner at my grandma's house. This year was no exception. It's a potluck dinner and everybody was supposed to bring a dish. The food was plentiful -- which is ideal for a Chinese New Year's celebration. There was gumbo, sotanghon (there's got to be noodles!), pata tim (braised pork), vegetable pie (a really large one!), fried chicken, a huge paella, shrimp salad, cheesecake and another cake (calamansi something -- sorry forgot the real name). All that made everybody forget about the need to look for a top diet pill the next day. LOL. Nobody remembered to take pictures too! Boo. And it's my daughter's first Chinese New Year too. :(

Of course, Chinese New Year's Eve would not be complete without the elders handing out ang pao's (red envelopes with money inside) for the children and unmarried adults. Yey for my son and daughter.

Later, we're going to the temple. We're supposed to wear new clothes, preferably red, to celebrate the New Year.

Here's hoping that we will have a prosperous Year of the Tiger ahead of us!

Mid-Autumn Festival 2009

This year's Mid-Autumn Festival (aka the Mooncake Festival) is supposed to be the first for Baby R. It was, however, relatively a sad one.

Firstly, because my grandmother is not around. We are used to having the dice game in her house, with all my paternal uncles and aunts and cousins. We usually have dinner first, then the game later. Aside from the usual prizes of varying sized "mooncakes" (or hopia, if on a budget), there are some money to be had when you win prizes. That certainly ups the excitement level. Sadly, none of that yet. Maybe when grandma comes come.

Secondly, it was the week after Ondoy (Ketsana) wreaked havoc over Metro Manila and caused flooding in 80 percent of the city. One of the hardest hit cities is Marikina, where my in-laws are. My husband has been going there almost everyday since the floodwaters receded, and as expected, he was sad and depressed about the state of his home. Fortunately, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were able to survive the flood by going to the roof. Still, it is very sad to see the home you built and the things you've accumulated through the years destroyed by a few hours of heavy downpour.

Thirdly, my children were sick. E had a four day fever prior to "the day" and still has the sniffles. My 3 month old R is starting to have a low grade fever and I was getting a bit worried about her.

Nevertheless, my mother wanted a small celebration, even if it's just the few of us (my mom, my 2 brothers and my sister-in-law, me and my husband and 2 kids) rather than the whole clan. She also decided to let the hired help join in this year's game. For some reason, though, we couldn't find any "play sets" (sets of different sized mooncakes for the different prizes plus a set of six dice). This didn't deter her, she simply asked my SIL to buy grocery items in lieu of the mooncakes (this might be a good thing though, as some of us get too much sugar as it is...this way there's less need of diet pills).

However, when we were about to start the game, we noticed that R was a bit hotter than usual. A temperature check showed that she was 38.8 degrees Celsius. I gave her Paracetamol and stayed with her. We didn't go downstairs anymore. The boys (my husband and son) subbed for us in the dice game.

It was a pretty fast game! It lasted less than 40 minutes, I guess. Before I knew it, my husband was lugging our grocery prizes. It seemed that Baby R actually won the first prize not just once but twice! But she was overshadowed by 2 of our hired help, and finally won by her nanny. :)

I'm hoping that we'll have another one with the clan, but I really do not know if we'll get one this year. Well, I hope next year's celebration will be much better than this year's.

2009 - The Year of the Ox

(Image courtesy of http://www.onlinechineseastrology.com/astrology-sign-ox.aspx )

What lies ahead? According to Online Chinese Astrology, this is what we can expect:

"The Ox is the second sign of the Chinese zodiac. Like its predecessor and complement, the Rat, it signifies new beginnings. The main difference is the Ox is associated with building to last and slow but sure action. Even more so than last year we all have to make good choices, as that which is begun now is likely to have long term consequences.

As with last year, this is an Earth year. The difference is this one is yin rather than yang. It is thus likely to be less tumultuous. On a personal level, better results are more likely to be achieved by reacting to circumstances and going with the flow rather than aggressively charging forward and initiating a lot of action.

Unfortunately Earth has a destructive relationship with the Ox's fixed element, Water. In fact this is the fourth in a run of six years governed by an unlucky conflict of elements. This fact should come as no surprise to those who have followed US and world financial markets or the unspeakable horror that has persisted in Iraq.

The combination of Earth and Ox, however, is not at all a negative combination. Its primary characteristic is durability. It suggests an environment dominated by cautious pragmatism rather than quixotic dreaming. Things will get done.

Furthermore, they will generally be successful if done in harmony with the spirit of the Earth Ox. This applies both to the type and amount of new projects as well as the approach to accomplishing them. That means focusing on just a few, long term projects. It also suggests proceeding in a cautious yet determined manner. Finally, it counsels avoiding taking unnecessary risks and yielding to the temptation to seek short term gains.

Since this is an Earth year, those people born in a Metal year will generally fare better than others of their animal sign, while those born in a Water one are likely to do worse than those born in Wood, Fire, and Earth years.

The year 2009 will be a period of lasting accomplishments. This is true for individuals, societies and the human race in general. There may be times when motivation appears to be lacking. In fact the big challenge everyone faces is to generate the enthusiasm and desire to act. Those individuals and organizations that do will create enduring benefits for themselves and the world."

Well, I certainly hope that this augers well for most of us!

新年快樂 ! 恭喜發財! (Happy New Year! Be Prosperous!)

The Spring Festival

The Christmas season is a big holiday here in predominantly-Catholic Philippines. We had a very long Christmas break, much longer than that of other countries. In China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Chinese-dominated countries though, the festival that they look forward to is the Spring Festival. In fact, in China, people have started flocking back to their home provinces in order to celebrate the festival with their families. It is going to be a long break for them, as work stops on January 22, 2009, and will resume only on February 2, 2009. Chinese New Year falls on January 26, somewhere in the middle. It marks the beginning of the Year of the Ox (so now, it's still the Year of the Rat, since it's not Chinese New Year yet).

Here in the Philippines, Chinese New Year is just another ordinary working day for Filipinos. Except for some treats like Tikoy (sweet cakes), the Chinese Lion and Dragon Dances and traffic on the roads going to the temples.

Our family makes it a point to have dinner together on the eve of Chinese New Year. The father's side of the family gets together for dinner, give out ang paos (red envelopes with money inside) to youngsters and unmarrieds. Some families even have fireworks.

On Chinese New Year's Day itself, we wake up to a breakfast of misua (thin noodles) and tikoy (sweet cakes). People (not everybody coz it's not an official holiday here and people have to go to work), mostly housewives and children studying in Chinese schools (where classes are usually called off) go to light incense in as many temples as they can. Chinatown is teeming with people and there are demos of dragon and lion dances. :) I used to go with my grandmother and mother when I was still studying in elementary and high school (since I was studying in a Chinese school), but when I entered college I couldn't since there were classes. Now I can't because of work. Oh well.

It's just a simple celebration really, not like the Christmas celebrations that we have here. But we always look forward to it because it is something traditional and cultural. I'm sure the celebrations in China are more elaborate. I'd enjoy carrying on this tradition to my children and I hope they'd pass it on to their children.

"Chinese" Christmas?

Everybody knows that Chinese New Year does not fall exactly on January 1 of the Gregorian calendar. It usually falls between January and February. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese calendar follows the waxing and the waning of the moon rather than the revolution of the sun around the earth.

Of course it follows that the Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the year, as defined by the Chinese Lunar Calendar.

There is a misnomer, though. We sometimes hear of people talking about "Chinese" Christmas. It's usually defined as the day before Chinese New Year. However, since Christianity is not a dominant religion among Chinese, there is actually no reason for them to set aside a special day for Christ's birth. Chinese Catholics and Christians would celebrate Christmas on December 25, like the rest of the world.

I think the confusion lies in the fact that the term used by the older Chinese for Christmas and New Year's Eve (Ni Tao in the Fukien dialect) is the same. Also, Filipinos tend to think that New Year follows Christmas, and if there's a Chinese New Year, there MUST be a Chinese Christmas. And why not? They probably see their Chinese friends making a big issue out of the Chinese New Year's celebrations, with good food, ang paos, tikoy, wearing the color red -- a celebration much awaited by the Chinese Filipinos with the same degree as the Filipinos await their Christmas Day with the noche buena celebration. :)

So for the record, I'm Catholic and I'm also Chinese Filipino. We celebrate Christmas Day on December 25. Chinese New Year is another celebration entirely.

Ghost Month

For us of Chinese ancestry, yesterday coincided with the first day of the seventh month in the lunar month. This signals the start of the lunar month. Tradition states that weddings, house movings and other events not be done at this time if possible. More on the Chinese traditions during this month are tackled in this Wikipedia article.