Happy Lunar New Year!

A Prosperous New Year

May It Be So Year After Year

(Now, Give Me The Red Packet :)

The incoming lunar year is 4705 of the boar zodiac.

Ah, another Chinese / Lunar New Year. Time does fly, doesn't it? This time of the year always brings me down the memory lane to the years when I was just a snotty little boy in my hometown Jakarta. Since my dear paternal grandmother (rest her soul) lived with us -- coupled with the fact that my father is the eldest among his siblings -- we played host to all the uncles, aunts, cousins, and their friends. The custom is to pay our respects to our elders. Therefore, on the first and second days of the Chinese New Year, my house was always rowdy with me running around playing with my sisters, cousins and friends. One of the best part as a kid, of course, was receiving the red packets (hong pao) full of cash from the grown ups.

The next few days were usually filled with trips to the homes of other relatives and friends to whom we owed customary visits to. The trip usually started early in the day, and the first destination was always my maternal great-grandmother (both of my grandfathers and my maternal grandmother had passed away before I was born). After staying for a couple of hours at her house, without forgetting to receive the red bounties, we moved to visit other relatives and friends of the family. Each visit we made usually involved some sweet treats or another! The good ol' days.

Now as a parent, I need to make sure that my daughter gets to experience that growing up. My wife will make sure that she gets to experience the customs of Russian and Jewish holidays. And the both of us will also need to expose her to wonderful American traditions. What is life if not for these customs that let us share such moments together and feel belonged?

Happy New Year to all whether or not you celebrate the Lunar New Year! May you and your loved ones be blessed with health and well being.