A Reflection on traditions

Nian Nian You Yu [1] Huat ah!” My family and I chant haphazardly tossing carrots, radishes and other yusheng ingredients into the air.

It’s just one of the many traditions we practise during Chinese New Year, along with the giving and receiving of hongbaos [2] and visits to families. In fact, Chinese New Year seems to be the only time my family exhibits any semblance of regard for such cultural traditions. Having spent our childhood years in the United States, my siblings and I unfortunately grew up without a strong sense of connection to our Chinese heritage. While our peers in Singapore had weekly, non-negotiable family dinners with their grandparents, we became accustomed to seeing our grandparents once every two years. While they opened all the doors and windows when they moved house to allow the qi[3] to flow through the new house, we hosted a barbeque when we moved house and invited our new neighbours. Of course, when we returned to Singapore, classmates and friends teased us and jokingly called us ABCs – American-born Chinese for knowing more about the American culture than our own.

Although my family and I did assimilate into American culture to some extent, we continued to practise certain Asian traditions even while in the States. To the perplexity of our American friends, we addressed every adult as ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aunty’. I remember one of my friends questioning me about this Asian idiosyncrasy, pointing out, “But you’re not even related to any of them!” At ten years old, how could I explain the value of respect for one’s elders behind this social custom? How could I explain the sense of shock I had felt upon first hearing my best friend address an adult by their first name and the resulting awkwardness when I tried and failed to make her comprehend the taboo? The short answer: I couldn’t. Instead, I laughed off the observation and that was the end of my cultural crisis – for the moment.

Another Asian tradition which my family religiously adhered to and still adheres to was taking off our shoes before stepping into the house. My mom would have given us a true-blue Asian beating if we had so much as planted one sneakered foot into the house. Meanwhile, other American moms and their kids were tramping around the house in their Converses – on carpeted floors nonetheless.

After moving back to Singapore and experiencing a mild culture shock, I wondered what it was about these two social customs that made us faithfully heed them, even as all our other cultural traditions were thrown out the window. Was it really a sense of heritage? Or was it a sense of sentimentality, an unwillingness to let go of something that distinguished us from our American peers?

In short, my family has no hard-and-fast rule for adhering to traditions. Certain cultural traditions such as greeting elders and removing our shoes at the doorstep are ingrained in us. Perhaps it’s the enduring influence of our Chinese heritage. Or perhaps, it’s simply the prevailing power of sentimentality.

Nasya Chua Yeqi

6.18

[1] Chinese saying that means “abundance throughout the year”

[2] red packets

[3] positive energy