I am blogging using a dial-up Internet connection, you know the turtle speed, so I’m not gonna upload any photo, er.. maybe one? I’ll just try… still in Ipoh-Malaysia now, but going back to Singapore tonight, so gonna upload more photos later.
Firstly, let me wish you all a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
The Chinese New Year celebration lasts for 15 days. Today marks the seventh day of the first month on the lunar calendar. It’s “renri” (人日), the common man’s birthday and everyone grows one year older!
How do Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore celebrate “renri”?
We’ll be eating “Yusheng”(鱼 生), a plate of colourful salad with strips of raw fish (a popular choice is salmon). As you know, Chinese like to give auspicious names to dishes, especially on big occasion like the Lunar New Year. In Chinese, “Yusheng” is interpreted as (余升)an increase in abundance. In Cantonese, it’s known as “lo hei” (捞起 | toss up), families and friends get together and toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying auspicious wishes loudly to mark the start of a prosperous new year. The higher you toss, the merrier it will be. But some folks just become too excited over tossing “Yusheng” that you might get shredded food all over your arms, er… sometimes, you get it on your hair cos the guys just tossed it over your head!