I’m an Asian Woman and Proud | Lunar New Year

This post is sponsored by CF Richmond Centre. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own.

With the recent world events, this is a phrase I find myself saying more often than not. Being woman is one thing, being a woman of colour is another. But you know what, I am Asian and PROUD. All your experiences, and those things you don’t think much of while growing up create a mould that shapes who you are, how you think, what you value, and I hold true to that.

I’ve got American roots, Malaysian culture and Canadian experience all wrapped up in one and I don’t think I appreciate it as much as I do during the Lunar New Year!

Why?

It’s the time of the year where tradition and culture take centre stage, where all your families merge into one and you find yourself completely immersed in what it means to be Asian. I can’t help but love the many different flavours that make up who I am. Hence, this post is dedicated to sharing some of my family traditions during the Lunar New Year with you!

During every Lunar New Year, my family (immediate and extended) go out for a Reunion Dinner on the day before the 1^st day of the Lunar Calendar. It’s a time to come together and well, reunite! It’s also part of my Chinese-Malaysian tradition to do the ‘Loh Sang/Yee Sang’. The Yee Sang is a colourful dish consisting of  a variety of coloured crackers, salmon, and topped with a yummy sweet sauce! The family is supposed to gather with chopsticks and lift parts of the dish, mixing them together – all while speaking well wishes and hopes for the new year! It’s a fun tradition, and a messy one!

Then begins the Lunar New Year celebration that lasts 15 days! The first couple of days are set aside for family visits to your grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends and the list goes on! It’s basically a huge visiting party to connect, celebrate and eat.

We clean the house prior to the Lunar New Year and take a shower the day before, because friends, there ain’t no showering on the first day of LNY because you’d be washing away all that good luck!

PS: the lucky colours for this year are RED, GOLD AND PURPLE!!

I think my favourite part has to be the red packets filled with moolah. So for those of you who don’t know- red packets are usually given to singles and children. A common question you’d usually hear during get-togethers would revolve around marriage but lucky for me, that’s not the case in my family

Growing up, I’ve always associated Lunar New Year with the loud cracking sound of the firecrackers accompanied by drumming and lion dances! I remember listening to a Chinese mixtape that had one single track dedicated to listening to just, JUST FIRECRACKERS going off.

Lunar New Year is a time to celebrate, to appreciate (your family and culture), but also is a time to SHARE. Sharing everything from your home, to your traditions with friends- no matter what background you have. Life is a lot more fun with bringing diversity together.

So join in the celebration! On Sunday, February 5^th, CF Richmond Centre is celebrating the Lunar New Year with a variety of in-mall events from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Main Galleria, 6551 No 3 Rd, Richmond!

You can expect gorgeous lantern displays, an Eye Dotting Ceremony (Choy Cheng) to kick off the Lion Dance- where performers dressed as a lion dance to bring in good luck, prosperity and happiness!

The God of Fortune will be handing out CF-branded Lucky Red packets to spread cheer and prosperity to shoppers AND if you purchase a $100 CF SHOP! Card at Guest Services from January 13 to February 10, you’d get a custom CF packet of 10 Lucky Red packets of your own to spread the cheer!!!

I’ll be there on February 5^th and I hope to see you there! Share the CF Lunar New Year experiences on social media using #CFLunarNewYear or #新年快樂 #恭禧發財 for a chance to receive a CF SHOP! Card prize.

Wishing you all a Happy Lunar New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai, wishing your good health, wealth and prosperity! Happy Year of the Rooster!

AMAZING Photos by IamJohnYoo | http://www.iamjohnyoo.com/its-me

Outfit by Topshop and Zara, located in Richmond Centre.

To find out more about the Lunar New Year celebrations visit:

• cfrichmondcentre.com
• Instagram: @cfrichmondcentre
• Facebook: @CFRichmondCentre