Lunar New Year 2019 (Year of the Pig)

We were supposed to go to Chinatown in Dowtown Vancouver to watch the Chinese New Year Parade last Sunday (February 10, 2019) but I changed my mind. There was a prediction of snow fall and it's been really cold the past days (-2 to -6 during daytime). Mahirap mag-stay nang matagal sa kalsada para manood, baka magkasakit lang kami.

We're not Chinese and we're not really celebrating Chinese New Year (at least in its truest sense) naman but I just wanted Nathan to see and experience different cultures. Canadian siya kaya dapat well-exposed siya sa diversity. Oh well, next year na lang when the weather is better.

Buti na lang din napadpad kami sa Tsawwassen Mills last Saturday. Meron sila doong artificial cherry blossom tree where you can hang your wish/es. At least nakapagsabit kami at naka-experience kahit papano ng festivity.

Aside from the usual prosperity wish, ang talagang dinadasal namin ngayong taon (at sa mga susunod pa) ay good health for our family and loved ones.

Ang daming gimik ng mga malls at supermarkets dito about the lunar new year. May mga dragon and lion dance syempre kaso nga hindi namin napuntahan. Ang layo na nga kasi namin. Usually sa Richmond (kung saan concentrated ang mga chekwa) at Surrey ang mga yun. The new year fell pa on a weekday kaya talagang malabo.

Thank you sa ang pao, Tsawwassen Mills. Naaliw ako.

Ooops by the way, from now on, Lunar New Year na ang itatawag ko Chinese New Year. Nito ko lang din naliwanagan na hindi lang naman mga Intsik ang nagse-celebrate ng unang araw sa lunar calendar kaya mas politically correct na tawagin nga itong Lunar New Year. Nandyan ang Vietnamese, Koreans, Cambodians, Malaysians, Singaporeans, etc.

We Filipinos are not really following the lunar calendar. Pero dahil mahilig ang Pinoy maki-holiday sa ibang lahi, nausuhan na rin sila/kami ng "Chinese New Year." In fact, declared as special non-working holiday na nga rin ang February 5, 2019 sa Pinas. Napansin ko rin na maraming mga Pilipino na rin ang bumabati/nakikipagbatian ng Gong Hei Fat Choy sa FB, nakakaloka. Sabagay, mas maraming occasions at holidays, mas masaya nga naman hehe.