A very different Lunar New Year
“In Chinese culture, sharing food is how we show love – we rarely say it with words, but instead we pass the plate of pork buns to our siblings or put a bundle of noodles onto a loved one’s plate. This year we cannot even do this.”
Image - Michele’s Family Archive
Words by Michele Theil, edited by Shayma Bakht.
Lunar New Year means something different to every person and every family who celebrates it. Just as Christmas traditions diverge slightly among different families across the West, so do ours. But one thing that remains unchanged are the staples of the Lunar New Year - these pockets of tradition remain mostly identical across households.
My childhood memories of celebrating the Lunar New Year consist of large fireworks displays over the shimmering Hong Kong harbour, eating delicious Chinese food – dumplings, sticky rice, noodles, crispy Peking duck – and wearing red. The day would start with me receiving red envelopes from my family, and then setting off to visit family-friends in the local village to wish them a happy new year. Our house was always decorated head to toe with lion motifs and Chinese idioms that promote good health, good fortune, love and luck in the coming months.
In recent years, my own celebrations of Lunar New Year have been spent in England where I currently live - away from my family. Though they differed from the week of national holiday in Hong Kong, they, too, were special in their own way. I created new traditions: always visiting Chinatown and always ordering too much Chinese takeout, in amounts that were impossible to finish.
However, this year, none of these moments will be repeated. There will be no strangers gathered around harbours watching how fireworks make the water tremble, nor will jeans become unzipped in the middle of a popular West End restaurant. The Covid-19 pandemic has taken so much from us all, and it will leave Lunar New Year unrecognisably different for everyone celebrating today. We cannot host our big family gatherings, or take a trip to the bustling shops of Chinatown that act as a reminder of home. Unlike last year’s Christmas, there will be no lockdown reprieve for the religious and cultural celebrations of minorities this year. Many will be stuck indoors mourning the loss of our comforting traditions.
One of my most poignant and cherished memories that will be lost this year, is the communal washing of chopsticks and bowls, which happens before every meal. I cannot be certain if other families do this, but mine taught us to clean our utensils before eating. On Lunar New Year, my family would allocate each person around the table with a different role: collecting, washing, drying, and placing the utensils back at each place setting.
We have one special pair of chopsticks that is used to collect the food - traditionally everyone uses the same one before dishing it into their own plates. However, this tradition cannot be continued in the world we are currently stuck in. We have to be so careful about our hygiene because of the virus, and sharing food is no longer an option. In Chinese culture, sharing food is how we show love – we rarely say it with words, but instead we pass the plate of pork buns to our siblings or put a bundle of noodles onto a loved one’s plate.
Among my friends, I am the only person who celebrates the Lunar New Year, but they all understand how special it is to me. I’ve explained my traditions, shown them how to celebrate like we do back home, and it always makes me feel a little better about being away from Hong Kong, where the magic of Lunar New Year lasts for weeks. Now, in lockdown, I am no longer allowed to take solace in even those small things.
Another common Lunar New Year tradition is the giving and receiving of red envelopes. Only those who are older, and possibly married, are supposed to give red envelopes to the younger people in your family or circle of friends. The amount received also varies based on how close you are to the person gifting the envelopes. But, what people do not understand is that red envelopes aren’t about money. They are about bringing good fortune to those around you. I now fear that red envelopes will be phased out too. Cash is being used far less in society and bank transfers do not carry the same as the joy.
Coronavirus and our increasingly cashless society will mean that many children will lose out and never experience that precious feeling of collecting notes to save for a rainy day. Every year, my mum would keep red envelopes given to me from family and friends, and pass them on to me later, so that I can experience that unique kind of joy even as an adult.
There are so many small cultural things that are a part of our psyche, a part of our love for Lunar New Year, and I wish I could participate in all of them this year. Today, I’m wearing red, I’m eating dumplings and drinking bubble tea. I will remember the fireworks, the chopsticks, the food, the family, and the love that sustained us before. I will remember them and hope that next year, we get to experience them again, because I will not let Covid-19 ruin Lunar New Year for me again.