Chinese New Year celebration for the Nanyang (Overseas) Chinese - Learn from Singapore

 

Chinese New Year in Malaysia, 2021

1.  Population of Malaysia - 32.7 million.

2.  Demography : 

3. Area of Malaysia - 330,803 sq km.

4.  Covid 19 cases: 

     (a) In Malaysia

     (b) While in Sarawak:

Obviously, in a pandemic like this, getting together raises enormous problems.   Consider, for example: 

All this "sound and fury" from representatives of 23.2 % of the population ..........

Read https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/02/05/guan-eng-adds-to-chorus-of-ridicule-for-cny-sops-says-ridiculous-rules-show/1947180#google_vignette

....... when this SOP .....

Read http://covid-19.moh.gov.my/faqsop/sop-perayaan/sop-pkp-tahun-baru-cina-chinese-new-year-2021

...... was announced by the "backdoor, minority"  Malay-led Government (whose authority was not recognised by 90% of Chinese according to the DAP leader Lim Guan Eng).  The Malay-led Government  compromised with this minority and the SOP was updated.

Read https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-cny-rules-revised-to-allow-more-to-gather-for-reunion-dinner

Who says size matters?  Not when you have  Warlords Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng from the DAP on your side!

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Meanwhile, in a nation just south of Malaya (a small City-State where most of the population are descendants of settlers and colonists from the Middle Kingdom of China) the rules were slightly different.    Here, the celebrations for the Year of the Ox during the Covid-19 Pandemic had already been carefully drawn up by January 26th 2021, by the PAP-led Government  that had been ruling the country since its Independence.

Chinese New Year 2021 in Singapore

1. Population 5.69 million

2.  Demography :

3.  Area - 728 sq km.

4.  Covid 19 cases: 

5.  All the following are extracts from :

Read https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-cny-things-to-know-8-visitors-lohei-mask-dining-out-14020958

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Chinese New Year Celebration for the Middle Kingdom (People's Republic of China - PRC)

1.  Last year for the Year of the Rat :

2.  This year, the Year of the Ox :

Read  https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-lny-travel-new-dst-intl-hnk/index.html

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Here's A Chinese New Year video by Namewee.

PS   Wee Meng Chee's CV.

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Another PS. Sorry.

Is 2021 the Year of the Ox or the Year of the Cow?  It seems both are acceptable. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Cow symbolizes an animal with a gentle nature associated with Buddha. The Ox on the other hand, represents a diligent and dependable personality.

There is however a difference between a cow (lembu betina  in Malay) and an ox (lembu jantan).

The West is quite categorical about the difference.

 

Finally, whatever the day, whatever the Celebration, keep well and safe and healthy for the sake of our loved ones, our Rakyat, especially the Frontliners, and our Nation.  

Abide with the SOP.