Festival

FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL

Fest.

An event that is ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect of that community and its religion or cultures.

02 21 63 77 91 105

Introduction Chinese New Year Qing Ming Dragon Boat Festival

Winter Solstice

Content

Mid-Autumn Festival

馬來西亞普天同慶

介 紹

良 辰 吉 日

忌 掃舍 安葬 破土 安床 開倉

1

黃 道 吉 日

宜 開光 嫁娶 出行 納彩 祈福

Gregorian Calendar

公

Gregorian Calendar

公

What is

Gregorian Calendar?

Gregorian Calendar （公曆）is the calendar that widely accepted as standard and it is used in most of the world.

intro.

05

Gregorian Calendar is solar calendar with 12 months of 28-31 days each. A regular Gregorian Calendar consists 365 ¼ days. Every four years, the year is known as leap year.

公曆即陽曆， 按照的地球繞太陽轉動的 規律確定的日曆。

A leap year（閏年） is a year that contains an additional day which is 366 days.

In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28 days.

06

Chinese Calendar

Chinese Calendar

農 曆 既 不 是 陽也 曆不 ，是 陰 曆 。 Chinese Calendar is also known as Agricultural Calendar, Former Calendar, Traditional Calendar or Yin Calendar (Lunar Calendar), it is a lunisolar calendar（農曆） which look upon years, months, days according to astronomical phenomena.

intro.

09

What is

Chinese Calendar?

Lunisolar Calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the Moon phase and the time of the solar year which is the Lunar Calendar and Solar Calendar（陰陽合曆） .

10

Periods in a calendar (such as years and months) are usually, though not necessarily, synchronized with the cycle of the sun or the moon. The most common type of pre-modern calendar was the lunisolar calendar, a lunar calendar that occasionally adds one intercalary month to remain synchronized with the solar year over the long term.

intro.

11

For Chinese festivals, it is based on Lunisolar Calendar. Some festivals are based on the Lunar Calendar whereas some festivals are based on Solar Calendar.

2021

April

29 星期五 Friday

農曆三月十九 農曆庚子年庚辰月丁卯日

So Lunisolar Calendars are lunar calendars within contrast to them, which is an additional intercalation ruler being used to bring them into a rough agreement with the solar year.

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What is Lunar Calendar?

A Lunar Calendar （陰曆） is a calendar that based on the monthly cycle of moon’s phases, which is using the phases of the moon to measure time, usually measuring the time from new moon to new moon as one month.

陰

曆 lì

Based on the Moon changes phases, some civilizations created calendars that followed this. There are roughly 12 synodic months in a solar year.

intro.

13

yīn

In the past, people got situated in measuring time and they began to observe – and one of the things that can be observed by them is the Moon changes phases.

陽 曆 yáng

On the other hand, Solar Calendar （陽曆）is a calendar that dates indicate the position of the Earth on its revolution around the Sun and it is based on the seasonal year of approximately 365 ¼ days, and the time it takes is the Earth to revolve once around the Sun, is considered as one year.

lì

What is Solar Calendar?

14

Malaysian Chinese

華 裔

Malaysian Chinese

華 裔

100% 90% 80% 70%

67.4%

60%

7.3%

Indian

40% 30%

10% 0%

Malay

20%

0.7% Others

24.6% Chinese

50%

Culturally, most Malaysian Chinese have maintained their Chinese heritage, including their various dialects, although the descendants of the earliest Chinese migrants who arrived from the 13th to 17th centuries have assimilated aspects of the Malay or indigenous cultures, where they form a distinct sub-ethnic group known as the Peranakans in Kelantan and Terengganu, Baba-Nyonya in Malacca and Penang as well as the Sino-Natives in Sabah.

The total population of Malaysia is 32.7 million.

Malaysian citizens consist of the ethnic groups Bumiputera (67.4%), Chinese (24.6%), Indians (7.3%), and Others (0.7%).

intro.

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We are Malaysian!

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo. It is known for its beaches, rainforests and mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and European cultural influences.

Malaysian Chinese People or Chinese Malaysians are a local ethnic group in Malaysia. Today, they are the second largest ethnic group after the Malay majority.

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Sub-ethinc groups

Most of them are descendants of Southern Chinese immigrants who arrived in Malaysia between the early 19th century and the mid-20th century.

The sub-ethnic groups of Malaysian Chinese includes Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew, Foochow, Hainan and Kwongsai.

intro.

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籍 貫 廣東

海南

福州

潮州

客家

福建

廣西

20

農曆正月初一

春 節

大 吉 大 利

忌 掃舍 安葬 破土 安床 開倉

2

恭 賀 新 年

宜 開光 嫁娶 出行 納彩 祈福

Chinese New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year’s Eve

除 夕 、 為 歲 末 的 最 後 一 天 夜 晚 。

Chinese New Year’s Eve

Chinese New Year’s Eve（除夕） is the last day of each year in the lunar calendar which is the day before Chinese New Year.

Family reunion dinner will be held on this day. During this time, bad languages and any unpleasant or sensitive topics are strictly discouraged.

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MYTH

newyear.

27

about Chinese New Year’s Eve

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He started to decorate the house. At midnight, Nian lumbered in but stopped at the front of the old woman’s shelter. It saw the red paper on the door and it started to roar in anger. Firecrackers suddenly sounded and this made it trembled in fear. It saw the beggar, dressed in red, laughing at it, it could only run away.

In ancient time, there is a

monster named “Nian”. It

usually lives in the sea

and comes up once a year

to feast on animals and

humans. On this day, the

villagers would all escape

into the mountains.One

year, a beggar came to

seek for a shelter and only

an old woman let him in

and he promised to chase

the Nian away.

clothing to celebrate.

wear new and festive red

are sounded. People will

midnight, firecrackers

red decorations. At

their homes fortified by

families eat dinner in

on New Year’s Eve,

the color red. This is why,

afraid of loud noises and

realized that Nian was

the next day and they

The villagers came back

01 02 03 旺

福

吉

Clean the house

Get a haircut

Go shopping

farewell to the old year by sweeping the dust away / to welcome the new year.

getting haircut / hairwash during new year is seen as cutting / washing your fortune away in the year, so it should be done before new year.

purchasing new items symbolizes welcoming new things and getting ready for a new start.

04 05 06 發

春

滿

Prepare Angbaos

New Year decorations

Preparing a feast

elders will wrap pocket money / lucky money into red packets / envelopes.

houses are decorated with red lanterns, red couplets and paper cutouts to convey people’s wishes for peace, fortune and luck.

people usually prepare reunion dinner like a feast which family can get together.

the 23rd – 29th preparations

on that day...

07

Staying up late people staying up late or all night on New Year’s Eve for ushering out the old year and welcome in the new one.

08

守歲

Paying respect toancestors

祖先

it is the time that all Chinese pay respects to their ancestors and thank them for everything that they had done for their current generations. ancestor worship is also a religious practice based on their belief that deceased ancestors for blessing.

the day before Chinese New Year

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Reunion dinner is an annual feast where family members reaffirm the love and respect that bind them together as a unit.

It is held on New Year’ Eve of the Chinese New Year, during which family members get to celebrate together and it is considered the most important get-together meal of the entire year.

Normally if one were to choose one day of the two-week-long festival to go home to visit family, this day would be.

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年 夜 飯

團 圓 飯

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taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

aboos s boos

oos os

tab

taboo t ta 34

taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

aboos s boos

oos os 34

Chinese New Year

tab Chinese New Year

taboo t ta taboos

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year （春節）is the biggest and important annual festival for Chinese and the Chinese communities worldwide as well as Malaysia. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chinese Lunar calendar.

newyear.

37

十 二 生 肖 子

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Chinese New Year （春節）is the biggest and important annual

午

festival for Chinese and the Chinese communities worldwide as well as Malaysia. It is celebrated on the first day of the Chinese Lunar calendar.

new year.

35

tab

taboo t ta 36

Each year is named after 12 different Zodiac （生肖）. Prior to celebrations, homes are cleaned and decorated with Chinese New Year decorations.

The Chinese zodiac is a classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat and the following are the twelve zodiac signs in order, each with its associated characteristic. In Chinese astrology the animal signs are assigned by the year represent how others perceive you or how you present yourself.

newyear.

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celebrations

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1 set off firecrackers

2 wear new clothes 新 衣

3 lion & dragon dance

4 visit relatives or friends

5 give angbaos

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1

Firecrackers and fireworks are set off at the stroke of midnight to scare away evil spirits and celebrate the coming of the new year. On New Year's Day morning: In some places, families first set off firecrackers when they open the door or before they go out. It symbolizes good luck throughout the whole year.

2

It is believed that wearing new clothes from head to toe symbolizes a new start and fresh hopes for the New Year. Chinese believe that New Year's Day sets the tone for the rest of the year, so everyone tries to dress well.

3

In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. The lion dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year. It is performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year. It is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness.

4

A special way for people to express good wishes to each other and an important Chinese New Year tradition is to visit relatives. In some rural places, where families have many relatives, this activity lasts for several days. It is impolite to visit someone without a gift.

5

Angbaos (red envelopes), also known as lucky money, is prepared for children by the elderly and given after the reunion dinner. In folk culture, children will live safe and sound for the whole year if they get the lucky money. This custom still remains and the amount of money is increasing.

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celebrate with FOOD

Food is the biggest part of Chinese New Year!

In Malaysia, the Chinese New Year celebration is just 80% eating and 20% for red packets / gambling.

kuih kapit

kuih bangkit

kuih loyang

pineapple roll tarts

newyear.

43

CNY snacks is one of the most important food for Chinese New Year!

To make your Chinese New Year truly Malaysian, you need lots of cookies and snacks for munching on when you're not busy having an extended breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

shrimp/chicken floss roll

crispy crab stick

crispy seaweed chips

arrowhead chips 44

celebrate with FOOD

Food is the biggest part of Chinese New Year!

In Malaysia, the Chinese New Year celebration is just 80% eating and 20% for red packets / gambling.

kuih kapit

kuih bangkit

kuih loyang

pineapple roll tarts

newyear.

43

CNY snacks is one of the most important food for Chinese New Year!

To make your Chinese New Year truly Malaysian, you need lots of cookies and snacks for munching on when you're not busy having an extended breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

shrimp/chicken floss roll

crispy crab stick

crispy seaweed chips

arrowhead chips 44

taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

aboos s boos

oos os 46

s taboos t taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

taboos aboos s boos

oos os 46

Ren Ri

人 日

Ren Ri

人 日

everyone’s 人人生日 birthday

Renri （人日）is celebrated as part of the Chinese New Year nowadays. People prepare lucky food in the new year, where Malaysian Chinese will prepare the "seven-coloured raw fish" (七彩魚生) .

newyear.

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the history of

REN RI

It’s on 7th day of the first month in Chinese Lunar Calendar.

According to an ancient Chinese myth, the goddess Nuwa was once the only being in the world.

Despite her loneliness, the goddes began to create living beings: chickens on the first day, dogs on the second and the sheep on the third day. And this is followed by boars, cows and horses on the forth to sixth day accordingly.

On the seventh day, the goddess Nuwa started to create human beings.

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LOUSANG

撈生

newyear.

51

yusheng yeesang prosperity toss

"Lao Yu Sheng" is very popular during the Lunar New Year in Malaysia. It is also a unique way for Malaysian Chinese to celebrate the New Year, especially the seventh day of the Lunar New Year as the best day for "Lao Sheng". In fact, "Laoyusheng" is a dish with auspicious meaning, praying for good luck and wealth in the coming year.

魚生

When the family members (or friends, colleagues, etc.) around the round table are ready to use their chopsticks to perform "lousang", they are topped with a special sauce (usually maltose and lime juice, etc.).

Then one person gave the commander, and everyone began to use chopsticks to pick up all kinds of materials in the big disk, and while holding it up, they said: "Louhei! Louhei!

Louhei! Getting better and better!", the higher you "lou", the more you will earn in the coming year, the easier it will be to fulfil your wishes in the new year.

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Lantern Festival

Lantern Festival

燈節

Latern Festival

Chap Goh Mei

Lantern Festival（元宵）is one of the major Chinese traditional festivals in Malaysia. It is also called Yuan Xiao Festival that honours deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar. It marks as the final day of the Chinese New Year celebration. It is also the Emperor Tianguan's（天官大帝） birthday on this day.

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“CHAP GOH MEI”

newyear.

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「抛柑覓良緣」

」 「抛好柑、嫁好

「人約黃昏」

「月上柳梢」

in malaysia

”

a

“mandarin orange tossing”

In Malaysia, in addition to

hoping to find a good

maintaining the custom of

marriage. The custom of

eating yuanxiao (glutinous

"throwing mandarin

rice balls) and lighting

oranges and picking

lanterns, there is also an

bananas" is romantic and

interesting activity. On the

distinctive. Throwing

fifteenth day of the first

mandarin oranges on the

lunar month, unmarried

Lantern Festival is

men and women throw

originated from an

fruits to each other, boys

unmarried Malaysian

throw bananas to girls,

Hokkien woman, who

and girls throw mandarin

wanted to "throw a good

oranges to boys. They will

mandarin orange and

write their contact numbers

marry a good old man".

on the fruits,

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the places

newyear.

59

where you can meet your love ones

Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Berjaya Times Square

Kuala Lumpur.

Cheras, Selangor.

Tanjung Harapan

Bandar Mahkota

Port Klang, Selangor.

Ipoh, Perak.

Padang Kota Lama

Taman Jaya

GuanYin Cave

George Town, Penang.

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taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

aboos s boos

oos os 62

taboos ta boos taboos taboos tab os taboos taboos tabo aboos taboo

aboos s boos

oos os 62

公曆四月四日

清 明

清 明 要 晴

忌 破土 安床 開倉 嬉鬧

3

穀 雨 要 雨

宜 掃舍 安葬 踏青 戴柳

Qing Ming

Qing Ming

tomb sweeping day / chinese memorial day / ancestors’ day

The Qingming festival （清明節）, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, also called as Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestors’ Day. It is a traditional Chinese Festival as well as an important day to go and sweep tombs and commemorate the ancestors. It usually falls on 4th – 6th of April.

QING MING FESTIVAL

qingming.

67

During QingMing, Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean their gravesites, pray to them and make ritual offerings. People commemorate and show respect to their ancestors by visiting their grave, offering food, tea or wine, burning joss paper and incense, etc. They sweep the tombs, remove weeds, and add fresh soil to the graves. They usually might put flowers on the tomb.

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qingming.

69

flowers

鮮花

tea / wine

food

fruits

水果

茶/酒

食物

(paper money)

joss paper

紙錢

incense

燒香

offerings to the ancestors 祭祖

why..?

“Making shrine offerings is an act of devotion which expresses appreciation and veneration to the ancestors.

Each item of offering has its significance.”

incense Burning incense will fills the air

joss paper The burning of the spirit money

teaThe/ use wine of tea to worship

fruits Fruits symbolized the truth of

food Cooking and feeding the ances-

flowers Fresh and beautiful flowers,

with fragrance symbolized the virtue and purifying effect of wholesome conduct. This urge us to cease all evil and cultivate all of the good.

ancestors is not only to comfort the elders but also from the notion that the spirits still drink tea like the mortal world and pouring wine on the ground is to show respect.

tors a portion of your meal is one of the most precious way to connect with the ancestors. It is a powerful symbol of gratitude, honoring and connecting with ancestors through the quality of life force.

and paper objects allows for the object to be transferred to the ancestors and ghosts, materialising in the afterlife and even increase in value.

karmic cause and effect, and the fruits of spiritual attainment that lead towards enlightenment for one and all.

which soon become withered, scentless and discoloured serves as a reminder of the impermanence of all things, including our very lives. This urges us to treasure every moment of our lives while not becoming attached.

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PROGRESS / PLANNING

1one week before

buy the ritual offerings

check the cemetery calendar

2two days before fold the joss paper

prepare family picnic

3on that day

perform the tomb sweeping ceremony spend time outdoors

qingming.

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72

the tombsweeping ceremony

「清明」 The Mourning Day 杜牧 A drizzling rain falls on the Mourning Day. Pedestrians are broken-hearted on the way.

Where can a tavern be found to drown their sorrows?

There a cowboy points to a hamlet amid apricot flowers.

by DuMu

qingming.

73

the

「蘇堤清明即事」 Sightseeing in Su Causeway 吳惟信

Pear petals fall in a slight wind on Qingming Day, Men and women, old and young, take a trip to look for spring.

When the wonderful music and songs ended at the sunset, Golden orioles fly through thousands of willows freely.

by Wu Weixin

POEMS 74

「清明」 The Mourning Day 牧

借

路

清

童

問

上

明

清 明

杜牧

A drizzling rain falls on the Day. 時 行 遙Mourning 酒 Pedestrians are broken-hearted on the way.

指

家

人

節

杏

何

欲

雨

花

處

斷

紛

村

有

魂

紛

。

，

。

，

Where can a tavern be found to drown their sorrows?

There a cowboy points to a hamlet amid apricot flowers.

杜 牧

qingming.

73

by DuMu

蘇 堤 「蘇堤清明即事」 清Causeway Sightseeing in Su 遊 梨 萬 日 吳惟信 明 子 花 株 暮 Pear petals fall slight尋 wind風 on Qingming 楊in a笙 即Day, Men and women, young, 歌 and春 起take a trip to look for spring. 柳 old 事 When the wonderful music and songs ended at the sunset, 半 正 屬 收 The burning of the spirit money and paper objects allows for the object to be transferred to the ancestors and ghosts, materialising in the afterlife and even increase in value.

Golden orioles fly through thousands of willows freely.

吳 惟 信

流

拾

出

清

鶯

去

城

明

。

，

。

，

by Wu Weixin

POEMS 74

「清明」 The Mourning Day 杜牧 A drizzling rain falls on the Mourning Day. Pedestrians are broken-hearted on the way.

Where can a tavern be found to drown their sorrows?

There a cowboy points to a hamlet amid apricot flowers.

by DuMu

qingming.

73

「蘇堤清明即事」 Sightseeing in Su Causeway 吳惟信 Pear petals fall in a slight wind on Qingming Day, Men and women, old and young, take a trip to look for spring.

When the wonderful music and songs ended at the sunset, Golden orioles fly through thousands of willows freely.

by Wu Weixin

POEMS 74

農曆五月五日

端 午 節

龍 舟 競 度

忌 破土 安床 開倉 嬉鬧

4

屈 志 從 俗

宜 掃舍 安葬 踏青 戴柳

Dragon Boat

Dragon Boat

What is

Dragon Boat Festival?

The Dragon Boat Festival （端午節） occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese Calendar. It is also called as “Poet Festival” （詩人節 ）and it is one of the four major Chinese Festival.

dragon.

79

端 午

duān

means “beginning”

wǔ

according to the Chinese calendar, the 5th month is the month of “Noon”, where the “午” comes from.

80

dragon.

81 During exile, he did not give up. He traveled extensively, taught and wrote about his ideas. His works are masterpieces and invaluable for studying ancient Chinese cultures.

He saw the gradual decline of his mother country, the Chu State.

And when he heard that the Chu State was defeat by the strong Qin State, he was in such despair that he ended his life by drowning himself into the

This festival wasc derived

from the commemoration

of a great patriot poet, Qu

Yuan. Qu Yuan served in

the court of Emperor Huai

during the Warring States

Period. He was a wise and

erudite man. His ability

and fight against

corruption antagonized

other court officials. They

exert their evil influence

on the emperor, so the

emperor gradually

dismissed Qu Yuan and

eventually exiled him.

his death.

become commemorate of

5th of the 5th month

the fish. Since then, the

food into the river to feed

to throw zongzi and other

his body so they started

fish in the river will eat

body and scared that the

were unable to find his

body. Unfortunately, they

and try to search for his

men raced to the spot

greatly dismayed. Fisher

he drowned, they were

Miluo River. People heard

the the

HISTORY

ORIGINs

端 午 節 的 由 QuYuan 來

82

粽子

zongzi dragon.

83

“bak chang” hokkien

“zong zi” mandarin

“jung” cantonese

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese rice dish made of glutinous rice stuffed with different types of fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves or sometimes with reed or other large flat leaves.

They are cooked by steaming or boiling. In the Western, they are also known as rice dumplings or sticky rice dumplings.

There are total 8 different types of zongzi in Malaysia which are the Hokkien zongzi, the Hakka zongzi, Cantonese zongzi, Hainan zongzi, Teochew zongzi, Nyonya zongzi, sago zongzi and jianshui zongzi.

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Stir-fried glutinous rice with black soy sauce is black rice, the most common zong in Malaysia. But the most special thing about Malaysia is that it contains beans, which can reduce the calories of rice dumplings, and it will not be too burdensome to eat. Hokkien Zong dumplings are mostly salted meat dumplings, which require laborious production.

Many ingredients are first fried to fragrant before being packaged in the zong leaves.

hokkien

Specialty of Peranakan cuisine, they are made similarly to the southern zongzi. The filling is typically minced pork with candied winter melon, ground roasted peanuts, and a mix of spices.Colored with butterfly pea's natural pigments to make glutinous rice look bluish and cooked with coconut milk. It is very common in most Chinese cities in Malaysia.

It is a kind of rice dumpling with Nanyang characteristics.

You can't eat it in other places!

nyonya

It is wrapped with bamboo leaves filling glutinous rice.

Dried prawn, pork belly, salty duck egg yolk, mushroom, chestnut and well blended fried peanut with the white appearance of Hakka rice dumplings. It grinds the glutinous rice into rice syrup after soaking in water, the rice syrup is drained and kneaded to form a dough, which is very labour-intensive and time-consuming, but the unique flavor cannot be replaced.

hakka

It is a long strip of saltwater straw bales, wrapped in unseasoned glutinous rice and brined glutinous rice. The most special thing about this zongzi is that all its fillings are arranged in a carefully designed arrangement, such as the sweet bean paste inside. Surrounded by unseasoned light glutinous rice, the Chaozhou rice dumplings will taste salty and sweet, but they still taste good in another way. dragon.

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teochew

The representative of the southern zongzi, which is more common with fresh meat zongzi with chicken, duck, pork, as the fillings of dumplings. Cantonese jungs are small, the front is square, back has a raised sharp angle, shape like an awl. The filling of Guangdong rice dumplings is similar to that of Fujian rice dumplings. The biggest difference is that the glutinous rice in Guangdong rice dumplings is not fried in advance, so the color is lighter.

cantonese

The Hainanese rice dumplings are square like a pillow.

They are different from ordinary rice dumplings. They usually are wrapped in fresh eggplant leaves or banana leaves. The weight is several times more than ordinary rice dumplings, and the taste is a bit heavier. Sometimes seafood is added.

hainan

It is called “alkaline water zong” as well, are typically eaten as a dessert item rather than as part of the main meal. The glutinous rice is treated with jianzongshui, or potassium carbonate, giving them their distinctive yellow color. Ganshui zong contain either no filling or are filled with a sweet mixture, such as sweet bean paste. They are often eaten with sugar or light syrup.

jianshui

It is made with sago instead of traditional glutinous rice. It is usually filled with red bean paste and served with palm sugar syrup. The taste is sweeter and more like dessert after a meal.

sago

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dragon boat 划龍舟racings

A dragon boat team consists of 20 paddlers sitting two abreast, a Cox who steers the dragon boat from the rear, and a drummer who sits at the front.

There are many guildhalls in Malaysia, and they will send their representatives to form teams to participate in dragon boat races. The locals also like to eat zongzi. In addition to fresh meat dumplings, ham dumplings, red bean paste rice dumplings, coconut rice dumplings, etc., they taste unique.

When the Dragon Boat Festival comes, you can see many stalls selling zongzi in the streets and alleys of Malaysia, and many Chinese students studying abroad can feel the traditional Chinese festival atmosphere at this time.

dragon.

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Penang International Dragon Boat Festival is one on the many dragon boat races in Malaysia.

It began in 1979, although dragon boat races in Malaysia have been happening since 1934. The boats are about 10 metres long and manned by a crew of about 20 rowers sitting in pairs and the drum beats emanate from the cox (drummer) to keep the rowers in sync.

The boats are usually painted in bright colors and typically have a huge dragon head off the bow and a tail oof the stem. Races take place throughout the day on the Teluk Bahang Dam in late May or early June. The winners are crowned as kings.

in Penang...

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農曆八月十五

中 秋

寒 冬 臘 月

忌 入宅 伐木 開示 行喪 動土

5

花 好 月 圓

宜 祈福 開光 納彩 栽種 嫁娶

Mid-Autumn

Mid-Autumn

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival （中秋節）is also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. This festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night. It usually will fall on the corresponding to mid-September or early October of the Gregorian calendar. midautumn.

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THE MOON

THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL MYTH ABOUT THE MIDAUTUMN FESTIVAL, CHANG’E FLYING TO THE MOON.

94

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival LUFITUAEB A SI EREHT -DIM EHT TUOBA HTYM ,LAVITSEF NMUTUA OT GNIYLF E’GNAHC .NOOM EHT

EHT NOOM

The Mid-Autumn Festival （中秋節）is also known as Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival. This festival is held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar with a full moon at night. It usually will fall on the corresponding to mid-September or early October of the Gregorian calendar.

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PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE MOON ON THIS DAY IS THE BRIGHTEST AND BIGGEST

midautumn.

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The Mid-autumn Festival is held in conjunction with the worship. In Chinese culture, full moon symbolizes reunion, so that they reunite with their families for celebrations. They worship the moon together, appreciate the moon together, carry lantern together and even share a mooncake to celebrate reunion on that day.

Moon worhipping is an important part of the festival celebration. The ancient Chinese believed in rejuvenation being associated with the moon and water, and connected this concept to the menstruation of women, by calling it “monthly water”. Women will worship and giving offerings to the moon on the day’s evening.

Offerings of mooncake and pomelo are made to the moon. 13 types of offerings to the moon, signifying the number of months in a full lunar year, are prepared by the female members of the family. Each offering has its own significance. Cosmetics may also be placed on the altar in the belief that it would beautify the user. During the festival, people also admire osmanthus flowers, which are regarded as a symbol of purity and innocence. Osmanthus flowers usually bloom during the festival period.

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story of Chang’e

People soon learned about these activities, and since they also were sympathetic to Chang'e they participated in midautumn.

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these sacrifices with Hou Yi.

98

Hou Yi did not want to leave Chang'e and be immortal without her, so he let Chang'e keep the elixir. However, Peng Meng, one of his apprentices, knew this secret. So, on the fifteenth of August in the Chinese lunisolar calendar, when Hou Yi went hunting, Peng Meng broke into Hou Yi's house and forced Chang'e to give the elixir to him.

In the ancient past, there

was a hero named Hou Yi

who was excellent at

archery. His wife was

Chang'e. One year, the ten

suns rose in the sky

together, causing great

disaster to the people.

Hou Yi shot down nine of

the suns and left only one

to provide light. An

immortal admired Hou Yi

and sent him the elixir of

immortality.

sacrifices to his wife.

liked in the yard and gave

fruits and cakes Chang'e

that he displayed the

happened, he felt so sad

and learned what had

When Hou Yi came back

moon for her residence.

live nearby, she chose the

husband and hoped to

Since she loved her

and flew into the sky.

Instead, she swallowed it

Chang'e refused to do so.

MOONCAKES The mooncake is not just

spiritual feeling. At

to relatives or friends,

a food. It's a profound

Mid-Autumn Festival

to express love and

cultural tradition deep

people eat mooncakes

best wishes.

in Chinese people's

together with family,

hearts, symbolizing a

or present mooncakes

midautumn.

99

Typical mooncakes are

usually made from red

salted duck eggs.

round pastries, about 10

bean or lotus seed paste

Mooncakes are

cm in diameter and 3 – 4

is surrounded by a thin,

usually eaten in small

cm thick which contain a

2–3 mm crust and may

wedges accompanied

rich thick filling that

contain yolks from

by tea.

100

different types of MOONCAKES

月餅 traditional

midautumn.

101

Snowskin iaHgnahS Mooncake ekacnooM

Ice-cream Mooncake

modern

Jelly laripS Mooncake ekacnooM

Kek Lapis Mooncake

102

different types of MOONCAKES

ShangHai Mooncake

月餅 traditional

Spiral Mooncake

midautumn.

101

Snowskin Mooncake

Ice-cream Mooncake

modern

Jelly Mooncake

Kek Lapis Mooncake

102

different types of MOONCAKES

maerc-ecI ekacnooM

ShangHai nikswonS Mooncake ekacnooM

月餅 traditional

sipaL keK ekacnooM

midautumn.

101

ylleJ Spiral ekacnooM Mooncake

modern

102

different types of MOONCAKES

月餅

The Shanghai mooncake is typically round-shaped and encased in a shortbread-like pastry shell. Almost resembling the Chinese heong peng pastry in both appeal and fragrance, the crust is similarly rich, buttery, and crumbly—with an extra slather of butter on the crust surface to give it a smooth texture and golden glisten.

traditional

It is also known as Teochew mooncake, this one presents a spin on the traditional mooncake design. The spiral mooncake is known for its flaky pastry crust and is usually made with yam filling.

midautumn.

103

While the traditional mooncake is usually filled with indulgent salted egg yolk and lotus seed or red bean paste, this one comes with delightfully lighter fillings such as fruit, sesame, coffee, and cheese.

Ice cream mooncake takes the baton as a successor to the decades of hype for ice cream cake. With minimal to zero mooncake ingredients in here, this is the treat for you if you prefer playing out the tradition with a mouthful of creamy ice cream instead of the conventional lotus paste.

modern

The mooncake filling wears a wobbly jelly ‘crust’, sometimes infused with pandan for a dash of sweet fragrance. Alternatively, the whole mooncake, including its filling, can be made of jelly.

The appeal of jelly mooncake is its convenient potential to come in a variety of colours and fruity flavours.

There’s a kek lapis (layered cake) shop in Kuching that fuses the two traditional treats. This kind of mooncake flaunts a variety of filling designs with colourful layers, available in both baked and snow skin crusts.

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different types of LANTERNS

燈籠 traditional

midautumn.

105

Inflatable Plastic nretnLantern aL noidroccA Lantern

modern

Character Bubble-blowing nretnaL enahpolleC LED Lantern Lantern

106

different types of LANTERNS

Accordion Lantern

燈籠 traditional

Cellophane Lantern

midautumn.

105

Plastic Lantern

Inflatable Lantern

modern

Character LED Lantern

Bubble-blowing Lantern

106

different types of LANTERNS

elbataflnI Accordion nretnLantern aL citsalP nretnaL

燈籠 traditional

gniwolb-elbbuB retcarahC Cellophane Lantern nretnaL nretnaL DEL

midautumn.

105

modern

106

公曆十二月二十一日

冬 至

日 長 一 線

忌 破土 安床 開倉 嬉鬧

6

屈 志 從 俗

宜 掃舍 安葬 踏青 戴柳

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice

Winter Dongzhi Solstice Festival

Winter solstice, also known as Winter Festival. It is an astronomical phenomenon that marks the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. It is celebrated as Dongzhi Festival （冬至）.

dongzhi.

109

r e 過 冬 大 如 年

It is also a traditional festival for Malaysian Chinese in our country. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period more than 2,500 years ago, China had used Tugui to observe the sun and determined the winter solstice. It was the earliest one of the twenty-four solar terms to be drawn up, and the time was from December 21 to 23 in the solar calendar every year.

Between days, this day is the shortest day and longest night in the northern hemisphere.

Although Malaysia does not have four seasons of weather in spring, summer, autumn and winter, it is still regarded by the Chinese as a custom that has been passing down from generation to generation. dongzhi.

111

湯 圓 • 團 圓 • 冬 至 圓

TANG YUAN

Tangyuan（湯圓） or tang yuan is a Chinese dessert that is a ball of glutinous rice flour and water that has been either boiled and served in a hot broth or syrup or else deep-fried.

Tangyuan can be either small or large and filled or unfilled. The round and round glutinous rice balls also represent the meaning

of family reunion and a complete winter. There is even a saying that eating glutinous rice balls is a year old. Many wanderers who work outside usually go home on this day to "winter" and celebrate this day with their family, which is a unique symbol of reunion.

112

These traditional glutinous rice balls are rarely seen in the market and can only be found in certain traditional sugar water shops and traditional homes.

Nowadays, they are usually red, white, and green glutinous rice balls that are made of glutinous rice and mixed with syrup.

Different sub-ethnic group also have different ways of making glutinous rice balls.

For example, Hakka glutinous rice balls are salty glutinous rice balls, and the soup will be filled with some condiments such as pork, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimps, leeks, etc.; while the taro sweet potato glutinous rice balls of Hokkiens will be covered with peanuts; TeoChew dumplings are square.

2

put the flour into a pot and add water into it and knead it

3

MAKE YOUR OWN TANG YUAN

1

prepare glutinous rice flour

knead until it is clay-like texture

4

tear the dough into small pieces and make them into balls

5

dry them off on a table

6

after drying, boil them 114

Appreciate for all the talented writers and photographers.

Special Thanks to TanTan News and photographer, MaaHao

family members can pass down their ancestors' good qualities along with the cultural legacies t hat have influenced the Chinese community for thousands of years.

when a family is in harmony . ”

“ Everything blooms

Chinese believe family is far beyond a place where the clothes, foods, and accommodations are provided for and relatives are convened.