SAYACINTAINDONESIA — After the creation of the dragon, 12 Chinese zodiac signs were fulfilled in the auspicious order of life in Chinese culture: rat, buffalo, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, pig.
This year is called the year of the tiger. Since last night. Next year is the year of the rabbit. Next is the year of the dragon. Many Chinese people plan for their children to be born in the year of the dragon: meaning that at the end of next year husbands will have to be more diligent in sowing seeds into their wives’ wombs.
Actually dragons are not the monopoly of the Eastern world. In the West also known the fantasy beast. It’s just that dragons in the West are depicted with wings.
In Indonesia, the dragon zodiac is owned by President Gus Dur. The other three presidents are the same: Bung Karno, SBY, and Jokowi, both have the buffalo zodiac. President Megawati is a pig. While BJ Habibie is a rat.
It has been two years since the Chinese New Year has been in a state of mourning: the Covid-19 pandemic. But still one should say ( xin nian kuai le ): be happy in the new year. Or (gong xi fa cai): congratulations to prosperity.
Unlike the Christian New Year, on Chinese New Year’s Eve there is no celebration. All Chinese families must gather at home: eat. Before eating, it is better to pray to the ancestors. The must-eat menu last night: soy sauce pork, fish, tofu, and noodles.
Then, this morning, the main activity of the Chinese: the distribution of hong bao (ang pao). That is the red envelope. It’s not the envelope that matters, it’s the contents: money.
Older people give hong bao to children or nieces and nephews. Grandparents give hongbao to grandchildren. Today the younger and the children pay a visit to the elder. While hoping to get ang pao .
Those who cannot hope to get ang pao are: those who are married. So many rules around Chinese new year. Different origin, different habits. The Hokkien ancestry is different from the Guangdong one. The Tiuchu one is different from the Hakka one.
Today, for example, it is generally not possible to clean up. Can’t sweep. Bed linen cannot be changed. If you have to sweep in the direction of the broom, you have to go inside. So that sustenance does not come out.
Source/Image: The Jakarta Post/Unsplash
