Grateful 17 Feb: CNY Connections (1)

Today is CNY, and it poured like nobody’s business! Given the recent hot spell, today's rain was such a blessing, but it also meant negotiating rainy weather for my visits. Still it was a good CNY Day 1. So on this day, I give thanks to the following:

• Connecting to my Heritage: Traditions. CNY is a powerful reminder of what it means for me to be Chinese. The rituals we practise - mandarin oranges, auspicious couplets, everything in red, red packets, red banners, well-wishes, the Chinese zodiac - are not just festive customs. They are living expressions of a culture that has shaped how I see family, relationships, and myself. Beyond these visible symbols lie deeper values of order, kinship, and bonds. I use the word “order” in a very Confucian sense - an understanding of where we stand in relation to one another, and how respect is expressed through our words and actions. These traditions connect me to my past and they gave me a deep sense of rootedness. In honouring them, I am not merely celebrating a festival; I am reaffirming my place in my Chinese heritage and in my own sense of “Chineseness”.

• Connecting to Others: Visitations. CNY Day 1 has always been reserved for visiting seniors in the family, with later days set aside for more junior relatives, friends and reciprocal visits. This, apart from hierarchy, also recognises and honour relationships that have shaped me. Through these visitations, family ties are renewed and affirmed meaningfully. Although I usually do not visit friends during CNY, today was an exception. I visited a friend who is battling oesophageal cancer. Giving him the Day 1 “privilege” felt important - because he is older than me, because this may be his last CNY, and because he is unable to visit his relatives and friends as he is still observing his 1-year mourning period for his late mother. I am deeply thankful that he allowed me to visit, as not many people would accept visitors during such a time.

• Connecting to Self: Rest. Because of the heavy rain, the absence of uncles, and the fact that I had already visited my aunt yesterday, today turned into a superbly restful day. I could not clean the house (lest I sweep away good luck), I did not need to cook (thanks to leftovers from CNY reunion dinner), and my only visitation was late in the afternoon. I spent a large part of the day using AI to restore old black-and-white family photos, colourising them, and sharing them with my cousins and sisters. I was initially worried that they might find my "spamming" of their WhatsApp bothersome but their positive responses surprised me. One of them even asked me for "more more more"! Grateful that I could bring some joy to them on this auspicious day. Although unplanned, I found connection not through visits, but through memory, shared history, and affection.  

CNY Day 1 went by quickly. Tomorrow is CNY Day 2 and my sis will visit me tomorrow, after which I will return the visit and drop by her place for dinner. It will also be a small get together with an old neighbour. I look forward to it.