22 March 2011

Kung Hei, Kung Hei!

It's Chinese New Year's Eve and I'm breathing excitement.  This time of year is arguably more symbolic for me than regular New Year's Eve because it's not just the beginning of a new chapter, it's a celebration of my culture and family.  Regular New Year's Eve usually only involves getting half the day off of work and imbibing inappropriately so.

Tonight my family and I will pay respect to our ancestors by burning incense and offering rice, chicken, fruit, and some other gifts laid out on the dining table.  However, I'm currently stuck at work because it was a busy day and thus, delaying the offering, which doesn't please my mother.  It's supposed to be a good, happy feeling, but I always feel sad when I think of my grandparents who have passed.  I never met my dad's father or mother, and I can't help but wish I had.  As far as my mom's father goes, I was actually rather close to him, despite our language barrier.  He took me to the gas station to buy candy and watched Barney with me before school.  That's all that mattered.

Tomorrow is actual Chinese New Year so obviously I'm going to wear red and maybe put my hair in braids to feel more Chinese.  I guess I'm being sort of partial by calling it Chinese New Year rather than Lunar New Year or Tet or anything like that since most Asians celebrate it, as it's the new year according to le moon.  That's French for moon.  No, it's not.

Friday we have a surprise Dragon Dance coming to town!  And by town I mean work!  And by work I mean a machine shop!  So this should be fun.

Then, Saturday is a Tet Celebration (The Vietnamese way of expressing Lunar New Year) at the U of M.  It's supposed to be a comedy about an Asian-American struggling with the traditions of the old Asian ways and the modernity of the new American life.  Story of my life.  

(Well I just found this unpublished piece of work a couple months later...but I like CNY so I'm posting it anyway).

No comments:

Post a Comment