MANY Chinese-Cebuanos are expecting a purposeful and bountiful 2020 as they welcomed the “Year of the Metal Rat” on Chinese New Year.
Unlike the Filipinos, the Chinese are more traditional in celebrating it, yet they celebrate it in various ways.
Anjel Co, 22, who was born and raised in Cebu, said as a tradition, they would place the food they ate all in one plate and wait until the clock struck 12 midnight to attract an abundance of food during the coming year.
Aside from gathering with the family, Co added they would often go temple hopping to pray for a prosperous new year.
But this year, Co and her family have decided to forgo celebrating the Chinese New Year after her grandmother passed away recently.
For Julieza Chua, 22, her family usually welcomes the New Year by wearing red clothing, which according to Chinese tradition, helps usher in good luck and scares away spirits of bad fortune.
“We take away broken things from the house and create a space for new things that we can use. It’s our way of welcoming new blessings into our home,” Chua said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
During the New Year feast, Chua said her family would usually prepare Tikoy, a type of cake made out of glutinous rice flour that is traditionally consumed during the Chinese New Year.
Chua said that like the regular new year celebration, they also prepare round shaped fruits, which symbolize the unending cycle of wealth and lit fireworks to deflect misfortune in the household.
This year, Chinese-Filipinos will celebrate the “Year of the Metal Rat.”
Co also shared that she is part of the fourth generation of their family that was born and raised in the country.
Though not coming from a traditional Chinese-Filipino family, Meryl Yap, 30, said she and her family still celebrate Chinese New Year but differently.
Yap, who works as a computer programmer for her family’s business, said aside from the usual feast prepared by her clan, she would often go with her family for a day out such as to watch a movie.
“We are not purely a traditional Chinese family, but we still embrace the old customs and add something modern like last year, when we all went to the beach for the Chinese New Year,” Yap said.
Yap said for this year, she prayed for success and more luck for their family, especially since her younger brother just took the bar exams last year and is awaiting the results. (JCT, JKV)