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Kung Hei Fat Choi is NOT Happy New Year

February 18, 2007

Congratulations and be prosperous!

Kung hei fat choi is always mistaken by non-Chinese as a translation for Happy New Year.

I got so used to Kung Hei Fat Choi when I was still in the Philippines. Most Chinese in the Philippines belong to either the Fujianese or Cantonese dialect groups of the Han nationality. As many as 98.5% of the Chinese in the Philippines trace their ancestry to the southern part of Fujian province, according to Wikipedia.

Here in Singapore, Mandarin is the common language used to unify the various Chinese dialect groups. The first two days of the Chinese New Year are public holidays. The Chinese Year celebrations are marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends, and the liberal use of the color red. Red packets (hong bao: Mandarin; ang pow: Cantonese) are given to juniors and children by the married and elders. A reunion dinner is held on the eve of the lunar new year. Yum!

Happy New Year!

Xin nian kuai le! (Mandarin) Sun nin fai lok! (Cantonese)

Written by Bean · Filed Under Current Events, OFW, Personal 

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