Before midnight on the eve of Chinese New Year, Kuching was ‘bombarded’ with land to air ‘missiles’ and ‘rockets’. The noise was deafening and the ground trembling. The Chinese community in Kuching is celebrating the coming of the year of the Ox with a bang.
In a near perfect ‘synchronized’ performance, it seems that the whole of Kuching is on ‘fire’. The ‘fire’ had turned night into day. You can just see and smell the smokes filling up the air. The ‘bombardment’ continued for an hour followed by small cracking sounds of ‘ground assault’.
Hmm…it reminds me of my childhood where 90% of the neighborhood are Chinese. The firecrackers ‘sessions’ started from the eve of the New Year and will continue the next day. Lion dance routine is a must in every house. Perhaps it is a way to bless the house and its occupants. My routine is to visit my neighbors for the ang pau and the oranges. Those are the time when life was so simple (and perhaps… pure).
I guess it is a culture that transcends to all cultures and religions. For Malay Muslim, there will be a group of people reciting ‘takbir’ to each house within the residential area or ‘qariah’. The ‘takbir’ session is usually done the night before the eidilfitri. The session will be followed by a small ‘feast’. So you can just imagine after the 10th house, you can hardly get up.
This year, I just sit at the balcony and enjoy the colorful display of firecrackers that light up the sky. Thank you for those who had spent thousands of RM to give me this free entertainment. I guess in this year of the Ox, we shall have the endurance to shoulder the challenge of the current economic ‘chaoses. So have a very good year guys!
In a near perfect ‘synchronized’ performance, it seems that the whole of Kuching is on ‘fire’. The ‘fire’ had turned night into day. You can just see and smell the smokes filling up the air. The ‘bombardment’ continued for an hour followed by small cracking sounds of ‘ground assault’.
Hmm…it reminds me of my childhood where 90% of the neighborhood are Chinese. The firecrackers ‘sessions’ started from the eve of the New Year and will continue the next day. Lion dance routine is a must in every house. Perhaps it is a way to bless the house and its occupants. My routine is to visit my neighbors for the ang pau and the oranges. Those are the time when life was so simple (and perhaps… pure).
I guess it is a culture that transcends to all cultures and religions. For Malay Muslim, there will be a group of people reciting ‘takbir’ to each house within the residential area or ‘qariah’. The ‘takbir’ session is usually done the night before the eidilfitri. The session will be followed by a small ‘feast’. So you can just imagine after the 10th house, you can hardly get up.
This year, I just sit at the balcony and enjoy the colorful display of firecrackers that light up the sky. Thank you for those who had spent thousands of RM to give me this free entertainment. I guess in this year of the Ox, we shall have the endurance to shoulder the challenge of the current economic ‘chaoses. So have a very good year guys!
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