As children, we all love Chinese New Year. It is a time of getting red packets or ‘ang-pao’ from our married relatives! It is the time when we get to enjoy special food and drinks, as well as spend the few days of holidays playing cards or fireworks with our cousins, friends or neighbours. It is also a time of getting new clothes and shoes!
Well, I remember those days as a kid. As we were not well to do, my sister and I only got to keep two red packets – one from my grandma and the other from my mum. Whatever other red packets which we received had to be handed over to mum so that she could also pack red packets to be given out to others. Today, most kids get to keep all their red packets and they actually have their own bank accounts. In this area, I must say that I really feel for the parents, especially if they have a tight budget.
As a child, I remember the Fraser and Neave (F & N) bottled drinks. Chinese New Year was the only time we could have those drinks. It was a time of feasting on all kinds of cookies and cakes as well as delicacies like Chinese barbecued dried meat (Bak Kwa). Usually, there would be a day when my grandma had a satay party for the whole family. The whole family then easily came to more than 50 people! So, you can imagine the noise and fun we all had then.
Of course, I can remember the weeks leading to each lunar New Year. We had fun helping in preparing some traditional cakes like the sticky cake known as ‘Kuih Bakul’, or small sponge cakes called ‘Kuih Bahulu’. Those were often weeks of extra cleaning and washing of the house as well as teapots, cups, plates and bowls to cater to the guests who would come. In my grandma’s house, visitors arrive as early as 7.30 a.m. and it went on, a never-ending flow of relatives and friends till the evening. It was good then as I was young and full of energy. So, there was no complaint.
As school teens, we had fun organizing baking sessions among our friends who had the same interest. We would bake different kinds of cookies, and enjoy them when we visited one another during the New Year. During those days in Malacca, we would wake up early to start our visitation. We would walk from one friend’s house to another and another. So, the group swelled as we went along. At each house, it was food, drinks and laughter – no handphones during that time. Due to the distance which we went on foot as well as the amount of food and drinks we consumed at each stop, we often ended up skipping lunch as we were physically knocked out when we had finished our rounds of visitation. I must say that it was really fun – this once-a-year event.
Looking back, I am sure I cannot eat or drink as I did then. Neither can I do many of the things which I did then. Now, as a senior everything is at a slower pace and a smaller portion. The number of visitations or guests coming cannot be compared too.
Those were good memories of Chinese New Year in the small town of Malacca then.
Mei Wong Jan 2024
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