My blog was a mere baby during last year’s Lunar New Year festivities. Still, I wrote a few in-depth posts about some of the traditions, the food, and the visiting that goes on during the holiday. Read the first one at Chinese New Year, Days 1 and 2 (obviously titled before I realized the importance of using years – did I think my blog would only last one year?). If you weren’t a regular reader then (I think there were only about two of you – Hi Mom & Dad!), I’d urge you to click back and read that one first.
I didn’t want to repeat all that info again this year – that would be boring for all of us – but I still want to give you a glimpse into what it’s like to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Singapore. So this year, I decided to make a photo diary of our activities on the first day of the new year, thus combining two very popular post types: cultural posts and “Day in the Life of” posts. This is guaranteed to be a winner – so read on!!
Before we get started, I should note: I have only celebrated three Lunar New Years in Singapore, but this one was quite similar to the last two (and, KMN assures me, is representative of *every* one).
6:30 AM: I wake up to an eerily quiet street. All the shops, restaurants, and corner kopis (coffee shops) are closed. There are few cars and zero pedestrians out and about. This was just as I’d remembered from last year – almost spooky! Singapore bustles through basically every other holiday (our first year here, I was shocked at how few establishments stopped/closed business for Christmas!) – but from the afternoon of the Lunar New Year’s Eve through the second day of the Lunar New Year, this bustling, commercial city slows, stops, and turns its attention to family. Now, let’s turn our attention to the photos:
[For those of you reading on phones that don’t format captions, the relevant text for each photo is posted as a caption, and thus will appear under the photo.]
7AM: I sneak in an hour of work before the madness begins. I start with a call to a client in the US, then do some scheduling and planning.
8 AM: KMN and I steal some ‘alone time’, sharing the trails at McRitchie with a surprising number of other runners/hikers. 7.5 miles of trails isn’t a bad way to start a holiday!
10 AM (we were still running at 9 AM): I rehydrate, grab a quick breakfast, and schedule a few social media posts.
11 AM: We head out for our first visit of the new year! [It’s rather ridiculous how often my selfies are taken on subway escalators. Because, you know, what ELSE would I do for those 15 seconds?]
![12 PM: We are at the first (of 4) of KMN's great-aunt's houses. Her children and grandchildren are also there. We enjoy a traditional Peranakan dish of chicken and potatoes in a savory gravy. This is officially lunch - but there is much more eating to be done, so we pace ourselves! The table can't accomodate everyone at once, so we eat in shifts, and people filter in and out, as everyone has visiting to do today. [If you're interested, you can read more about Peranakan culture in this post: I Married Into a Matriarchy.]](http://runwithholly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CNY-Day-1-12-PM-1024x768.jpg)
12 PM: We are at the first (of five) of KMN’s great-aunt’s houses. Some of her children and grandchildren are also there, and people flow in and out constantly. We don’t know them all, but greet them anyway, and wish everyone a Happy New Year. We enjoy a traditional Peranakan dish of chicken and potatoes in a savory gravy, served with spicy red peppers for zing and crusty bread for dipping in the gravy. This is officially lunch – but there is much more eating to be done today, so we pace ourselves!
[If you’re curious, you can read more about Peranakan culture in this post: I Married Into a Matriarchy.]
1 PM: Our second visit is literally just next door (another of KMN’s great-aunts); and after some more Peranakan food and chit-chat, we pile into the car for Visit #3. Normally, KMN and I travel easily around Singapore by public transport. But on this particular day, we do save quite a lot of time and energy by hopping a ride with my in-laws.
2 PM: Pretty much all households in Singapore are no-shoes-indoors. As you can see, we are not the only folks at Visit #3 (yes, another great-aunt).
3 PM: We make a quick stop at one of the Chinese temples, where the ashes of several of my Mum’s (Mum = my mother-in-law) relatives are kept. Cremation is common in Singapore, as land is very scarce – but relatives would never take a family member’s ashes back to their own home (bad luck!). Instead, ashes are usually kept in an urn at a temple, where relatives can visit and leave offerings – something that is often done during on the first two days of the new year. The temple is, as usual, quite crowded.
4 PM: At yet another great-aunt’s house – this makes Visit #5 for the day. If you can ignore the highway and cargo ships, she really does have a lovely ocean view out her front window!
![5 PM: Leaving Visit #6, laden with clothespins and clean, folded plastic bags - a very practice gift from one of KMN's uncles. [Seriously - we need the plastic bags for garbage bags, as we use cloth bags for our groceries!]](http://runwithholly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CNY-Day-1-17-1024x768.jpg)
5 PM: We leave Visit #6, laden with clothespins and clean, folded plastic bags – a very practical gift from one of KMN’s uncles. He ‘patrols’ his HDB (apartment) estate for orphaned clothespins that fall from the upper stories (people hang clothes out the windows), disbelieving that they don’t run downstairs to fetch a single fallen pin. [Truly, though, the gift is useful – Mum uses the pins, and we all need the plastic bags for garbage bags, because we use cloth bags for our groceries!]
![6 PM: What would Chinese New Year be without a stop at McDonald's? Kidding. It was one of the very few places that was open, where we could sit and wait for the fifth great-aunt to return home. [That's one problem with so much visiting by so many people - sometimes the person you want to visit is...still out visiting!]](http://runwithholly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CNY-Day-1-18-1024x768.jpg)
6 PM: What would Chinese New Year be without a stop at McDonald’s? Kidding. It was one of the very few places that was open, where we could sit and wait for the fifth great-aunt to return home. [That’s one problem with so much visiting by so many people – sometimes the person you want to visit is…still out visiting!]
7 PM: Visit #7. One of KMN’s great-aunts keeps a gorgeous garden around her home – completely with lots of orchids. Here, KMN and his Dad admire part of this oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Also, she gave me red worms for vermicomposting (!!!!). More on this in another post. SOON.
8 PM: We head in to our eighth, and final, visit of the day – dinner with some of Pa’s (my father-in-law) family. Here we are in parking garage #Idon’tevenknow for the day. I am SO THANKFUL that Pa chauffeured us around!
9 PM: I conned a few family members into a group photo. Cue mad group selfie skill on my part, and good-natured compliance on theirs.
10 PM: Empty glasses, mostly-eaten dessert, and some Mandarin orange seeds – See? We don’t just gift them – we eat them, too!
11+ PM: KMN’s parents drop us off at our place. I feel so grateful for how easy it is to visit extended family, when everyone lives on the same small island. However, our introvert selves are utterly exhausted, so we head inside for showers, half a glass of wine, and BED.
The second day of the new year is also a popular day for visiting – but we only do a very small bit of visiting that day, so our Day #2 was considerably less hectic. But, that’s another story for another post. For now, I hope you enjoyed traveling with us through our Day 1 visits! Please do come back for Day 2. 
Any questions?
Does this match or conflict with anything you’ve seen or read about Lunar New Year celebrations?
Is there anything here you’d like to read more about, that I can elaborate on in a future post?
