Ghee Hiang Biscuits, a Penang Food Souvenir

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy New Year!

An assortment of biscuits from Ghee Hiang

Chinese New Year is once again upon us. It's time for visiting family back in the home town, nightly fireworks, celebrating with friends, and giving lots and lots of gifts. While a hong bao (red envelope) filled with money is always welcome, food gifts are a nice touch, especially if it's the local specialty. Paris has its macarons. Belgium has its chocolates. Penang has Ghee Hiang pastry biscuits. I always bring these back to Texas with me. If I don't, my mom is sure to give me a hard time about it. (Hi mom!) She says they remind her of the Chinese pastries she enjoyed growing up in the Philippines.

Lion Dance, Horsey Dance

A traditional Chinese New Year Lion Dance

Sunday marked the beginning of the 15-day celebration that is Chinese New Year. Penang is about 40% ethnic Chinese, so this is one of the major holidays in town. Let me tell you, it's a very noisy time of year. Every night, people shoot off fireworks. During the day, the sounds of lion dances permeate throughout the city. Sometimes, they dance at private homes. Other times, it's at a business or out in public.

First come the loud "Pop! Pop! Pop!"of the firecrackers. Next is the rhythmic drumming. I've been at home almost all day, and I've heard it outside my window at least 6 times. When it starts up, I run around, peering out, trying to figure out the source. Sometimes, all I can see is a cloud of firecracker smoke rising up behind trees. Other times, I catch the tail-end of the performance.

Performers setting up

On Monday morning, I took a break from watching the Grammy Awards live on TV, and ran over to catch a lion dance from the beginning. Preparations included draping a nearby Mercedes with a bedsheet to protect it from the 7 meter string of firecrackers hanging next to it.



If you owned this Mercedes, would you mind them protecting it from firecrackers with merely a bedsheet?

Loud drums, gongs and cymbals provide music for the dance

In Chinese, the words "tangerine" and "orange" sound like the words for "luck" and "wealth".
These fruits are a common part of the Chinese New Year celebration.

The lion rolls tangerines to the crowd, spreading luck everywhere.

People reach into the lion's mouth to take the coins it's handing out.

Lions visit the hotel check-in desk to perform "cai-ching" by plucking a green leaf from above.
This brings good luck and fortune to the company.

Check out my You Tube video if you want to see the dance in action.

Horsey dance
On the other side of town, many Penangites gathered at the Barisan Nasional (a political party) Chinese New Year Open House to watch the trendy Psy perform his viral hit Gangnum Style and its accompanying Horsey Dance.

Capture the Seasons

"[Malaysia] is a springless summerless autumnless winterless land. One day might be a drop wetter or a mite drier than the last, but almost all are hot, damp, bright, bursting with lazy tropical life, conducive to endless tea breaks and mad, jostling, honking rushes through town to get home before the afternoon downpour."

from Evening is the Whole Day be Preeta Samarasan

Living in Central Texas, I was always envious of people who got to truly experience the seasons. The winter there is so mild. But moving to Malaysia has been an exercise in forgetting seasons altogether. We arrived last year in July, when wearing shorts, tees and flip flops seemed quite normal since that's what we'd been wearing when we'd left our Texas home. But then the months slid into December, and we were still wearing the same outfits day in and day out.  I was hoping that the short-sleeved velveteen dress I had brought wouldn't be too warm when my daughter wore it to the school Christmas concert. Now, I don't even check the weather reports because it never changes. Even the days are almost the same length. There's only a 38 minute difference between the longest and shortest days for the year. I miss the change of seasons — even the Texas version of it.

This is my entry in Booked.net‘s “Capture the Season.”  German expat living in Texas, Country Skipper, invited me to join her in the contest. I hope you enjoy my East versus West take on it.

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I realize is is Autumn when...



Hayfield Maze at Sweet Berry Farm, Marble Falls, Texas — October

Hayfield mazes start cropping up in Texas. Every fall, we'd make the trip out to Sweet Berry Farm to pick pumpkins, stuff scarecrows and navigate through the Hayfield Maze. Notice that we're still wearing shorts. Tip for Parents: If you are chasing two mobile kids through a maze, carry your baby instead of pushing a stroller. Otherwise, you have no hope of keeping up with the mobile ones and end up yelling, "Freeze! Where are you?"

 

 

Deepavali decorations at the Penang Sports Club, Malaysia — October

Deepavali decorations start showing up around Penang. This city has a large Indian population, and Deepavali/Diwali/Devali is part of the fabric of the community. Beautiful rangoli designs made out of colored rice decorate public areas and are a sacred welcoming areas for Hindu deities. Sometimes, the artwork is very large and elaborate.

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I realize it is Winter when...

An unexpected snowfall is always a treat in Austin, Texas — February

Snow falls on the ground in Austin, and the city screeches to a halt. It happens every couple of years. Our Valentine's Day gift from Mother Nature was a smattering of snow on the ground. Ever try to make snow angels in 2 inches of snow? You end up with a very muddy coat. Here, we've scraped up enough to make a 12-inch snowman with a baby's hat on top.




Just a small part of the massive Kek Lok Si temple complex, Penang — January

Thousands of lanterns and lights adorn Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.  Starting sometime in January, Chinese New Year decorations hang everywhere in Penang, and you can see the temple on the hill from miles away lit up in celebration. There are fireworks all around town almost every night for 15 days. The last census showed the Chinese population just edging out Malays as the most populous ethnic group in town. It seems that Malaysians mark the seasons more by holidays than by changes in the weather.

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I realize it is Spring when...

It's a field of bluebonnets! I must plunk my child down in it and take a picture.
Austin, Texas — April

Fields of bluebonnets stretch as far as the eye can see in Central Texas. Taking a picture of your family surrounded by bluebonnets is a rite of passage for anyone in Central Texas. After all, it is the state flower. Wildflower forecasts show up online, and people start posting where the best fields are.

Thai New Year Songkran Water Festival, Wat Chayamankalaram, Penang — April

It's time for the Thai and Myanmar New Year celebration. Another New Year celebration? Indeed! April is the hottest time of the year in neighboring Thailand, and the respectable tradition of washing a Buddha to mark the New Year has evolved into an all out water fight. If you attend, prepare to get drenched. Most revelers are armed with water guns, and buckets of ice cold water lie around ready for them to reload. If all else fails, just pour water from your bottle.

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I realize it is Summer when...

Kemah Boardwalk near Houston, Texas — July

We hit the Kemah Boardwalk for some amusement park fun. When my mother-in-law went down to her parents' weekend home on Galveston Bay as a child, it was a quiet, rural area, and they had to bring their own water to drink. Now, the Kemah Boardwalk is located just a few miles up the road, and the Johnson Space Center is fifteen minutes away. We visit every summer to reconnect with our extended family. Between the blazing Texas sun and the humidity wafting in from the bay, it feels like we've never left Penang.




View from school cafeteria, Penang — August

Penang quiets down as many expats go on Home Visits while the international schools are on summer break. We first arrived in Penang a few weeks before the new school year started. (An unofficial New Year, perhaps?) Of course, we were excited to get a look at the campus. I couldn't believe the view from the school cafeteria. That's when I definitely knew we could get used to this place.
 

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Next up is...The following bloggers always have such great photos and stories. I'm hoping they'll join me and show us how they #CaptureTheSeasons.

Brave, or Just Crazy?: Long-time Canadian living in Singapore
Katie not in Prague: American serial expat now living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The World is a Book: Filipino-American like me sharing her tales of world travel with kids
More Kids than Suitcases: Hilarious tales of family trips
Average Traveller: Hits the sweet spot between luxe and budget travel


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travellers Sandbox. Check it out for beautiful pictures that will have you longing for Myanmar and other around-the-world travel inspiration.

Temple Lights at Night are Big and Bright

This doesn't even begin to capture the scope of this place.

Kek Lok Si (Temple of Supreme Bliss) is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia and one of the major sightseeing spots in Penang. Chinese New Year is an especially good time to visit it because it is lit up by thousands of lanterns at night. Imagine the biggest Christmas light display in your town. Now, imagine that it's the only light display in town. That's how magnificent the site is perched on a hill above the city.

I had heard that Kek Lok Si is extremely crowded this time of year with some people waiting in a traffic jam for hours to get in. So, I somewhat justified my lack of planning and total disregard for children's bedtimes when we drove right up at 9:45 p.m. and immediately found a parking spot. The boys were reluctant participants (to put it mildly) but my little girl thought the lights were beautiful.

Prayer lamps hung in remembrance of those who have passed on.

This temple complex is huge. There are several large halls, prayer rooms and courtyards with a dizzying array of Buddhas, Chinese gods and Bodhisattvas. Steps lead us up higher and higher through the terraced levels.

Swastikas?

I even learned something when I went home and Googled the swastikas that were painted on the ends of support beams for one hall. The swastika symbol represents eternity and has been used by Buddhists since centuries before Jesus walked the Earth. In East Asia, counterclockwise swastikas often mark the location of Buddhist temples on maps. At least, that's what the collective minds at Wikipedia tell me.

At one point, I reached a man semi-guarding a partially closed door. "Can lah?" I asked which is perfectly acceptable Manglish (a mix of English and Malay languages) to find out if we could go through. He shook his head no but proceeded to permit pushier people to enter. So, I just barged ahead through the door, too.

These joss sticks filled the air with incense.

We made our way up into a hall filled with joss sticks and pineapple-shaped jars holding oil candles.  The kids were particularly attracted to the wishing tree. For a small donation, you could select a ribbon pre-printed with a wish. Each of the kids selected one to hang on the tree. My sweet, little girl picked out "World Peace." My younger boy picked out "Everything as You Wish."

Well, he must have some mighty strong wishing power because the lights in the temple started going off. At first, I thought it was some fluke since there were still plenty of tourists around and that they'd turn them on again. Or maybe they'd flash them on and off a few times to let us know it was time to leave. Nope, they were being turned off for good. My boy who had been asking "When are we leaving?" ever since we arrived 15 minutes earlier was getting his wish. Perhaps I should have listend to that guard.

We started making our way down through the many terraces and stairs. At first, the remaining lanterns lit our way, but after a while, even those were off. Luckily, some well-prepared tourist had brought along a strong flashlight and was kind enough to shine it on the stone steps for everyone.

On the drive home, we listened to Whitney Houston singing "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" on the radio, not realizing that she'd be gone the next day.

I tucked in the kids hours past bedtime and asked my oldest if there was any teeny-tiny redeeming part about our excursion. He thought about it for a second then replied, "Well, if my wish for 'Success in Everything' comes true, I guess it was okay."

May all your wishes come true, too.

Mystery Fruit #2: Elixir of Immortality

The weekend before Chinese New Year started, I was at my local market's fruit stall. Nestled among the apples and pears was something that caught my eye. A curvaceous piece of fruit with a pretty red bow just begged for me to pick it up. So I did and asked the fruit man what it was. He placed his palms together, fingers pointing up, and replied, "For praying."

Hmmm, that's interesting. For praying. I don't normally pray to fruit, but I bought it anyways so that I could look at it some more, maybe even put it on my table as a decoration. As he took my money, the man repeated, "For praying," about three more times just to make sure he got his point across.

I couldn't figure out what kind of fruit it was. Because I found it amongst the apples and pears, I thought maybe it was some sort of pear which had been manipulated while growing so it had a cinched middle. I searched the term "water drough" which the man had scribbled down for me and came up with nothing. One day, it suddenly hit me. It's a gourd! I don't know what took me so long.

In Penang, the bottle gourd or Hor Lor Pu is a symbol of prosperity, longetivity and good luck during the Chinese New Year. The gold characters on one sticker say "Wish You Good Fortune", the traditional greeting for New Year. The other sticker reads "Everything As You Wish". At least, that's what my dad deciphered when I held up the gourd during our Skype session.

Hor Lor Pu is supposed to hold the magic elixir of immortality consumed by Buddhist deities. Sounds like something Voldemort would want to get his evil hands on, doesn't it? Displaying it in your home is supposed to ward off harmful energies and promote long life.

Too bad it started rotting.

Chinese New Year Festivities

Fancy Chinese New Year lanterns at the upscale mall

Believe or not, Austin, Texas does not have a very big Chinese New Year celebration. (In your head, I should sound slightly sarcastic.) Each year, I'd scope out the events at the Austin Chinatown Center shopping mall in hopes that the kids and I could catch a Dragon or Lion Dance. But something like a basketball game or birthday party always came up during the few hours that the celebration lasted.

Chinese New Year festivities were something that I really looked forward to when we moved to Malaysia. Penang is about 40% Chinese, so I figured something must happen. Boy, does it.

For the first two days, many stores and restaurants are closed so people can be with their families. The malls stay open and decorate everything in red and gold. Lanterns are strung up crossing over streets.

The fireworks go on night after night. The first time we heard the loud pops, we all rushed to the windows to take a look. Since we're high up, all the displays were below us. Looking out over the hills of Penang, we could pick out many different spots that were shooting them off. The fireworks were still worthy of our attention for the next few nights. After a while, we wouldn't even bother to look out anymore. On the ninth day, offerings are made to the Jade Emperor of Heaven. The fireworks that night were INSANE and more numerous than New Year's Eve. They started just before midnight and went on for 3 hours. We wanted to yell, "Enough already!! Just let us sleep!"

Who needs sleep? The Jade Emperor of Heaven must be appeased.

Dragon Dances pop up everywhere. Instead of a singing telegram of good wishes, people get a bunch of young men hopping around with a huge dragon draped over them. One afternoon, I heard incessant drumming and looked out the window to figure out its source. A dragon danced out of a nearby house, did their performance, then dashed away. I've seen them outside a doctor's office on a very congested street. At least I had something to look at while stuck in traffic. I even saw a dragon dance performed for the security office of an underground parking lot. Let me tell you, those big drums really reverberate in that kind of concrete area.

This dragon was little different because it was a giant multiperson puppet on poles.
Usually, the dragon is draped over the people, and just their legs stick out.

There was a huge Chinese Heritage Festival in the historic area last weekend in conjunction with the New Year Celebrations. I think my boys' favorite part was playing Wei Qi (Chinese Chess).

Fifteen days after they started, the festivities will come to an end in Malaysia with Chap Go Meh, nicknamed Chinese Valentine's Day. Unmarried ladies scribble their name and email address or telephone number on oranges and hurl them into the ocean. Eligible bachelors fish out the oranges and make contact. Doesn't that sound like a great set up for a reality TV show? I really think someone needs to pitch it to Hollywood.

The last night also marks the Lantern Festival.

Tossed Salad of Prosperity

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

The direct translation is "Wish You Good Fortune," but in my mind, it's always meant "Happy New Year!"

January 23 kicked off the multi-week celebration that is Chinese New Year. Growing up in America, I never realized that the festivities lasted more than one day. Here in Malaysia, it's just party after party for 15 days. The first two days are even a public holiday since people go home for a big family reunion.

Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar, so the date floats around on the Gregorian (Western) calendar. Some years, it's as late as Valentine's Day, but it was extra early this year. Our school even delayed the start of Spring Semester to accomodate all the Chinese who needed to travel home for the occasion.

A big group from hubby's company went out for a celebratory Chinese New Year lunch, and the locals had a good time teaching all the expats about food traditions. When my hubby came home and told me about Yee Sang, I just knew the whole family needed to try it. "Yee Sang" is a near homophone to the word for "abundance", so it's considered very lucky. It's such a popular dish here in SE Asia, that Malaysia and Singapore are actually battling over who gets bragging rights for inventing it.

When we sat down for the restaurant's Chinese New Year dinner, a big platter of Yee Sang was waiting for us on the table.

All the elements were arranged in tidy little piles around the center of crispy fried wanton strips that symbolized a floor full of gold. You could tell that someone in the kitchen had been busy with the food processor. There were julienned strips of carrots, radishes, pickled ginger, maybe some jellyfish, halved limes and a few other crunchy bits I couldn't quite identify. We added in the thinly sliced raw salmon but skipped the five spice powder.

Then came the fun part! Everyone sticks their chopsticks in the salad and starts tossing. The higher the toss, the greater the prosperity in the upcoming year.

Come on kids! Let's see how high we can toss it. Okay that's high enough. No, no. You must at least attempt to have it land on the plate. No, there are no extra points for hitting other diners. Ack! Sorry m'am. Didn't mean to hit you. I guess some of our prosperity is coming your way.

You're also supposed to say various auspicious wishes out loud, so I just kept repeating, "Good Fortune! Abundance! Prosperity!" This is what the platter looked like when we were done.

See, most of it is still on the plate. Afterwards, we all dug in and started eating. It was delicious — really crunchy with a citrusy tang. We are definitely doing it again next year.