YOUNG Malaysian Chinese may find some Lunar New Year traditions difficult to observe. Wearing new clothes, preferably in red, on the eve may be easy but other customs may need effort, such as remembering to greet their relatives by their proper terms. And, bad words are forbidden. Cleaning the house before New Year’s Day brings good luck but doing it on the first day sweeps it away. Fish, chicken, duck or goose are eaten whole, denoting beginnings and endings, in other words, completeness. These are among the customs young celebrants must obey and some may feel that they have a lot more to deal with during this period compared with Christmas or the Western New Year. It is a common complaint among the older generation that young people do not take the festival’s time-honoured practices seriously.
The connection between traditions and their meanings progressively breaks as time passes and older relatives die. The fast- paced and technologically-driven world we live in today makes it even more challenging for families to keep traditions alive. This is not peculiar to Chinese communities here and elsewhere; it is true in almost every society in the world. Some, especially the younger generation, believe that traditions associated with major festivals and rituals are outdated or reflect a value system that is not applicable today. But some mothers and grandmothers of Chinese families in Malaysia insist on maintaining the multitude of festivities that make up the celebration despite the current trying times. They take a few shortcuts, either by reducing quantity, postponing luxuries or recycling decorations. They declare that abundance should not only be enjoyed on the eve of the big day but throughout the year as well. However, some things are hard to give up. Prayer rituals, New Year’s Eve reunion dinners and ang pow-giving figure prominently on the “must do” list. Young families who live away from their parents also fear that prayer rituals will disappear when their parents pass on.
Lunar New Year festivities in Malaysia and around the world are beginning to reflect younger tastes. It has become fashionable to take family vacations overseas instead of celebrating the event at home. Hotel buffet dinners and multi-course restaurant reunion meals take the burden of preparing a full-blown meal away for many. And, the older generation are more accepting of those in black designer clothes. Some in Malaysia’s Peranakan community worry that the younger generation will lose or dilute the Peranakan identity to an unrecognisable form. They are upset that young Peranakans do not appreciate their heritage and have taken steps to educate them. Some traditions are smooth and simple to embrace but others require more planning and work and the outcome is usually tiring and cumbersome. But making traditions a vital part of everyday life is important for teaching the next generation about a particular or shared past. Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage has shaped our collective identity and we need to preserve it.