PodAsia Travel Podcast

087 - Chinese New Year Celebrations
by Matthew Holden.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! (恭喜发财) Come with PodAsia as we travel through and tour China Town for the Chinese New Year celebrations in Singapore. We tour the Buddist Temple of Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. Music for this show by Black Lab World.

Scene or Section - Time it starts

Introduction - 00:00:01 minute

Travel through China town - 00:01:30 minute

Music by Black Lab - 00:10:05 minute

Additional information Chinese New Year - 00:14:03 minute

Tour of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - 00:16:50 minute

Thank you and Close - 00:25:01 minute

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In this Episode - Introduction. It’s now Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Cai! (恭喜发财) most people mistakenly believe that Gong Xi Fa Cai means "Happy New Year". However, it does not; it means “Congratulations and be prosperous”. Thus if you were in Singapore or mainland China you would say "Gong Xi Fa Cai" whereas in Hong Kong you would say – in Cantonese - “Kung Hei Fat Choi”

Chinatown in Singapore. Singapore’s Chinatown comprises of numerous blocks and has many preserved pre-World War II shophouses which are at as shops, houses, restaurants amongst other elements.

Today, Chinatown houses three major areas worth a look: Chinatown Heritage Centre, Chinatown Food Street, and Chinatown Night Market all of which are largely maintained today for heritage and tourism purposes. Bordered by two major roads: Northbridge Road and Southbridge Road, Chinatown has a number of insecting streets including:

Mosque Street completed in the 1830’s and named after Jamae Mosque,

Pagoda Street named from the Sri Mariamman Temple. During the 1850s and 1880s, the street was one of the centres of slave traffic. It also had its share of coolie quarters and opium smoking dens,

Sago Lane and Sago Street got their name because in the 1840s there were a number of sago factories located there to produce sugar sweet for cakes,

Smith Street named after Sir Cecil Clementi Smith; Governor of the Straits Settlements 1887 to 1893,

Temple Street refers to the Indian Sri Mariamman Temple,

Trengganu Street now forms the heart of the tourist belt in Chinatown.

CHINESE NEW YEAR: Chinese New Year – or sometimes called “Lunar New Year” – is celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese of which Singapore has many. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had a strong influence on the new year celebrations and in Singapore the holiday period is usually ½ day on New Years Eve and two days afterwards.

On New Years Eve, families get together for a New Year Eve feast. There has been lots of cooking on the days preceding Chinese New Year as it is bad luck to cook on New Years day. Red packets for the immediate family are sometimes distributed during the reunion dinner. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that reflect good luck and honorability. They are always given to the eldest members or infirmed members of the family.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, is for the welcoming of the spirits of the heavens and earth. Many Buddhists, abstain from meat consumption on the first day because it is believed that this will ensure longevity for them.

From Day Two onwards, family will visit one another. Daughters visit birth parents and always come with two orange mandarins Red “Ang Pow” envelopes are given to children during Chinese New Year. Always give $8 in the newest notes available. We suggest that for close or important business associates $88 is a very generous gift.

All houses are decorated with lanterns, Chinese calligraphy and those depicting the fortune Gods. Houses will also have Lion Dances performed to ward off evil spirits and ensure that the house or home is cleansed for the new year.

BUDDHA TOOTH RELIC TEMPLE & MUSEUM, SINGAPORE: Located on the corner of Sago Lane and South Bridge Road is the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum. A Tang Dynasty style building and has many Buddhist features and relics. The goal of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is to become the iconic Buddhist cultural complex in the region. This particular temple was completed in 2007 and is in superb condition. It houses many Buddhist statues over five levels: 100 Dragons Hall, Exhibition Hall, Buddhist Cultural Museum, Sacred Buddha Relic Chamber and the Roof top Ten Thousand Buddha’s Pavilion.

Gift shop also available.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple: 288 South Bridge Road, Singapore 9 AM-6:30 PM. The imposing main hall hosts a 27-foot statue of Maitreya Buddha, and the sacred relic itself, reputedly one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s teeth, can be found on the fourth floor (visible only during daily ceremonies at 9-11 AM, 2-3:30 PM, 6:30-8 PM). Free entrance.

MUSIC PROMOTION: PodAsia supports and promotes impendent artists. Music in this episode is from the podsafemusicnetwork.com and features Black Lab and his track "See the Sun" from his album Passion Leaves a Trace. Visit www.blacklabworld.com

Tracks from this self-produced album can be heard on FX’s promo for season 6 of “the shield,” in CBS’s “numb3rs,” “ABC’s “6 degrees,” and films the benchwarmers & lovewrecked.

 

 087 - English [00:27:01m]: Play Now | Download

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