It’s the first day of the lunar new year, so 新年快乐！

Happy Year of the Horse to you.

As we are far far away from our families, the boys don’t get a chance to go visiting. Or experience the kind of New Years that I did growing up, with huge reunion feasts on the Eve, staying up past midnight to usher in the new year, lion dance at my grandparents’ house as well as the constant flow of visitors and seemingly never ending series of visits to relatives and friends. Not to mention all the mouthwatering treats that awaited at each house (except for those herbal drinks which I grudgingly sipped from and still detest today). And the many angbaos to collect (and money to count at the end of each day).

But there are some traditions that I’m trying to uphold here!
Like buying new pajamas and new clothes. Having some oranges in the house to virtually 拜年 with their grandparents over Skype. Plus a somewhat clean (but not tidy) house – the past few days I’ve been busy trying to clean up, to make way for the good luck and all that you know. (Plus during the 15 days of the celebration, you’re technically not supposed to be cleaning. I don’t know if anyone actually sticks to that especially with people visiting and dropping crumbs all over).

We have ang baos 红包 or red packets of money ready for the boys.

And there’s even nian gao 年糕 or sticky cake in the pantry for eating (sliced up and panfried with egg. Yum!) this weekend.

A hotpot lunch had been planned for next weekend with some friends and with my mum who will be visiting from Singapore.

So it will be our own little version of the New Year here in the Bay Area.

Happy new year! 恭喜发财！年年有余！