It’s been my third year of celebrating Christmas and New Year abroad but I’m still not used to the deafening silence that greets me. Different cultures, eh. Celebrating Christmas back home doesn’t have any difference on how we celebrate it here. My ‘rents went to a family friend to have Christmas dinner whilst I stayed home waiting for my friend’s text if we’re going out after midnight to celebrate Christmas. But, sadly we didn’t. So I just went back to sleep.
New Year celebration has the biggest difference.
Back home, (at least) two days before New Year’s Eve, you’d be annoyed with all the noise that’s from firecrackers and new year trumpets. And at NYE, by the time the clock ticks at 12, anticipate the different sounds of firecrackers and trumpets and feel free to watch the fireworks from your neighbours. You’d also hear / see people that uses their kitchen utensils (e.g. stainless spatula, pot lids etc) to make some noise and others will start their vehicles. Children and some adults will start to jump; as there was a saying that in order for you to grow taller, you have to jump as high as you can during New Year’s Eve. One of the reasons why celebrating New Year’s is loud and fun back home is because (they say) it’s a way of driving bad omen and/or bad luck away. Throwing coins at the corner of the house are thought to bring more money for the new year.
Anyways, our New Year’s Eve is well, quiet. We celebrated with my dad’s friends (3 of them) to whom I’m not close with or should I say, haven’t met yet. We ate dinner around 11:30pm — too early, I know. My mum wants us to take a picture with our matching green coloured sweaters/shirts and I almost got annoyed. I took a nap after eating — and thank goodness I woke up just before 12MN but since I’m already too drowsy I didn’t get up to greet my ‘rents LOL. I did greet them when I got back from work that day. Last year, me and my friends stayed to a friend’s house to celebrate NYE after 12MN. But for this year we weren’t able to. Maybe next year we’ll do it again.
Celebrating Christmas and NYE makes me want to go back in my home country. Holidays really make me nostalgic.
Oh well. I should be really get used to this.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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