Mediacorp TV treated us to a full-on Lion Dance yesterday...
I can't really recall ever having a lion in any office I have worked in before. A few monkeys, the odd weasel and maybe even a dog or two but never a lion.
This was a Chinese Lion who came to do a little dance to the sound of crashing drums and cymbals. An amazing spectacle, made all the more fascinating by the fact that it was conducted in our reception. The Lion duly 'ate' our offering of oranges, lettuce and ang bao (red packet containing money). He left us a chinese symbol made out of orange segments, a lucky number (8138) to signify prosperity in the year ahead and plenty of orange peel.
Not surprisingly, it was one of those days when I truly realised I was in Asia...
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Gong xi fa cai... or Happy New Year (Chinese version) to you... it's 'Year of the Pig' apparently...
Two New Year's in as many months. Ripper. Could get used to this. The Chinese version is a little less about getting caned, shouting the one line you can remember from Auld Lang Syne and trying to snog anything still conscious at midnight though.
Food features pretty high actually. The Lunar banquets put on by various media owners in Singapore are epic. At least 10 courses (any correlation that it's the Year of the Pig ?). Problem is I'm flagging after the dim sum. How on earth does everyone here stay so slim ?
Very different to the MPA Chinese New Year lunch at the Yang Sing back in Manchester (which I managed to make a brief evening-only 'guest appearance' at this year). As usual, that had much more in common with a traditional British New Year bash (minus the rendition of Auld Lang Syne maybe). Good to know that some fine traditions remain in tact whilst I'm away...
Steve Blakeman
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Last login: 27 Oct 2008
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