of us a valid enough reason to shop and get into the retail spirit of the Chinese New Year.
Our mission is to look for Chinese traditional attire because that is the dress code for the party. She wanted a red cheongsam (although her favourite colour is pink). And so after three malls, after a full day of retail therapy, we could not find a decent red cheong sam that fits my 5 year old girl. She was frustrated at first, but after a lot of reasoning, my daughter settled for a jade green cheongsam with an elegant peacock printed on it.
At the shopping mall(s) I was hoping to find oceans of traditional Chinese clothes to choose from but I
guess it is true that the shopping experience during festive seasons have shifted. Shopping has become
an all-year-round event, just like our Malaysian weather – wet and dry all-year-round or like our local
fruit season, you can get durians all-year-round now.
Whilst most towns in our country turned literally red this Chinese New Year with ornaments and decorations, it isn’t the same with the wardrobes of most new age 'leng luis' (beautiful girls).
“Cheongsam is no longer a compulsory and the colour red is overrated, sometimes 'kolot'”, said Cherish
Leow, Astro AWANI Senior Marketing Exec.
For Jessabell Soo, the anchor and reporter for Gala TV, she does shop for the Chinese New Year but
cheongsam is not in her shopping list. She would go for clothes that she can wear anytime of the year
like new jeans, shirts or even dresses. And they all should not necessarily be red.
Tan Su Lin, our award winning reporter said, she used to look forward to shop for Chinese New Year
when she was younger but now she sees no reason to, because Su Lin now shops on a regular basis; on a weekly basis to be exact.
“I have stopped shopping for new clothes during Chinese New Year mainly because I tend to wear them
even before the occasion arrives. Mum agrees because I spend less money on clothes. Plus, as we grow
older, there’s less emphasis on having new clothes for Chinese New Year,” said Cynthia Ng, Astro
AWANI’s Anchor and Senior Producer.
They have also one thing in common though, black or any morbid colours are a definite no-no on the
first day of Chinese New Year. Even in this era of modernity, even when certain customs and
superstitions aren’t set in stone, only certain strong beliefs must be uphold.
The Lunar New Year is all about celebration. A celebration that will last for fifteen days. Regardless of the colours you wear, the main agenda would be spending a really good, fun (and mostly loud) times with family and friends. So, why sweat the small stuff?
Here’s wishing you luck in the year of the horse and a very Happy Chinese New Year to all my Tiong Ha
friends and family.
