Imlek: Another big day for family reunions

Imlek: Another big day for family reunions

T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor , Jakarta

Ling Ling, 26, was quick when asked what she liked best about the Chinese New Year. "Ang pau," she answered cheerfully without hesitation.

She was referring to the red envelopes containing money given to children by elder relatives.

On New Year's Eve, she will have a big dinner with other members of her extended family. It will be a reunion with about 30 or 40 people expected to come, said Ling Ling, who was born in Medan, North Sumatra, and now lives in Jelambar, West Jakarta, with her parents and a sister.

Having dinner together with the whole family is a tradition that is always maintained, even though today many prefer to have it in a restaurant rather than at home.

At midnight, the candles will be lit at incenses burned as the Buddhists prepare to pray. Some pray in their houses while others do it at temples in the city.

"It is believed that the God of Money comes to the earth a day before Imlek," Ling Ling said, adding that her mother will prepare offerings consisting of pineapples, sweet candies and kue talam (a kind of sweet cake) at the altar in their house.

Chinese New Year, known here as Imlek, is the beginning of the lunar New Year. This year it falls on Jan. 22.

It is celebrated by Chinese all over the world as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebrations are traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and family ancestors.

The celebration is also called the Spring Festival and it lasts for 15 days. It is highlighted by the appearance of mythical and real animals such as the phoenix, dragon and lion.

Lions symbolize good luck and their fierceness scares off evil spirits. The lions are created from cloth and papier-mache, usually built over a bamboo frame. They are operated by two men who are usually martial arts masters, accompanied by musicians playing a large drum, cymbals and gongs.

It has been said that the Chinese New Year is a combination of the western Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.

In Indonesia, ethnic Chinese observed the New Year quietly at home after the New Order regime issued in 1967 a regulation banning all activities related to Chinese culture and Confucianism, including the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

After the resignation of president Soeharto in 1997, the Chinese were given more freedom to celebrate their culture. In 2002, Imlek was an optional holiday and last year it was made a national holiday.

"Imlek for many Chinese is like Lebaran for the Muslims .... I am quite happy because we don't need to take a day off to celebrate," Lie In Gwee, 32, a Jakarta resident, said.

Since a few years ago, people have been able to watch extravagant celebrations of the New Year at some public places, including shopping malls, which are decorated lavishly in red and gold. The events are highlighted with dragon dances or lion dances (barongsai), which used to be seen here only on television or in the movies.

On the New Year, Chinatown turns into a ghost town of closed shops. People use the day to visit their relatives, greeting them with "Gong Xi Fat Choi" (Wishing You Prosperity). Other greetings include "good health," "hope you make academic progress" and "hope you get a promotion at work."

There is an order to these visits. The younger members of a family must visit their elder relatives. After the elder relatives receive greetings, they in return hand out ang pau, or "lucky money", to their younger, unmarried relatives.

Preparations for the New Year begin about a week or two before the holiday, with a visit to the cemetery to pay respect to the dead.

The house must be thoroughly cleaned to sweep away all the ill-fortune there may have been in the family and to make way for the in-coming good luck. The cleaning must be done a day before the New Year. It is believed that people should not clean the house on New Year because sweeping the house on that day would mean sweeping out the good fortune.

"I don't really believe it. Well, I won't sweep the house in the morning or in the afternoon, but maybe it is all right if I do it in the evening," said Linda, who works as a finance officer in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

Those who are superstitious also believe that they should cut their hair before Imlek to get rid of bad luck.

On the New Year, many people wear new outfits with the expectation that the coming year will bring them prosperity. Red clothing is preferred as it is considered a bright, happy color that will bring them a sunny and bright future. They believe that appearance and attitude during the New Year sets the tone for the rest of the year

Linda said that until a few years ago, she always wore new dresses when she visited her relatives on the New Year. After she finished her studies and got a job, she gave up the habit.

"I can buy and wear new clothes whenever I want," she said.

Ling Ling does not see the importance of wearing new clothes for the New Year, either. But she said she still follows the tradition because her elder sister always buys her new clothes since she got married four years ago. They are not necessarily formal dresses, she said, adding that the new outfits could be casual dresses to wear at home.

Whether wearing old or new clothes, Ling Ling, and many other Chinese here, are looking forward to celebrating the Chinese New Year, especially now that it has been declared a national holiday.

Indigenous Indonesians are also happy about this, even if they aren't celebrating the holiday.

A number of non-Chinese residents from around the country said they welcomed the celebration because Indonesia, with the motto Unity in Diversity, is a country with many different ethnic groups.

They said that like other Indonesians, the Chinese should have the freedom to practice their culture, traditions and beliefs.

"I agree with the government's decision to make Imlek a national holiday ... ," said Anggi Minarni, a resident of Yogyakarta. "This shows that the government respects the rights of citizens."