10 CNY traditions celebs do every year, from the wacky to the wonderful

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

I really like cheongsams so I’ve been wearing them every Chinese New Year since I can remember. I feel it is truly Chinese New Year when I put on a cheongsam. I prepare four to five qi paos every year. I don’t mind modern cheongsams but they must have Chinese elements and cannot be black.

After I went public with Nick [Teo], I would force him to wear couple outfits during Chinese New Year. I’ve prepared five sets of chinoiserie-inspired outfits for us which I ordered them from Taobao six months ago so they would arrive in time. (Laughs)

What do you like most about Chinese New Year?

I love to go to the Chinatown bazaar to buy Chinese New Year goodies. I love the festive atmosphere and jostling with the crowds. Yes, I am a traditional youngster. I would go with the intention to just browse but I always end up buying a lot of snacks ‘cos there’s just so much variety and the deals are too good to miss! I would happily sample the snacks and end up spending a few hundred dollars. This year, I even want to check out the snacks in Johor Bahru to see if they are any different from the ones here.

Photos Instagram/@honglingg_

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

On the first day of Chinese New Year, my family and I would go and watch a Chinese New Year movie at the theatre together. We try to make it happen every year, but it’s been less frequent in recent years ‘cos my parents are getting older and they tend to fall asleep in the cinema. We used to watch a lot of Jack Neo, Stephen Chow, and Jackie Chan films. Even if we don’t go to the cinema, we would watch a movie at home.

Any memorable moments?

My fondest memory is entering the cinema with popcorn and soft drinks in hand and my whole family seated in one row watching the movie on the big screen. It was very fun… I can still remember that feeling [now]. There was one year where we brought my nephew and niece along and they were very noisy! It was so difficult to focus on the film. My nephew tried to narrate the movie and made a lot of comments. I had to shush him. (Laughs)

Photos: Instagram/@romeotan

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

In the past, before I got married, I would shamelessly ask people for red packets. I would go “Happy New Year!” and stretch out my hand. There are no more words required. I loved to do that as I see it as a fun form of interaction with friends and family. At the end of each day, I would count my ang bao loot - it’s like doing accounts - and tear the red packets to make sure I don’t accidentally throw any cash away. Then, I would put the money aside and only use it the next year as I believe the money is a blessing so you should keep it.

[Since I got married,] the tables have turned. I would tell the young ones who want their ang bao to queue up and wish me “Happy New Year”. I am still quite traditional, so I must wear red during Chinese New Year, and everything must be new, from innerwear to outerwear. Last year, my wife (Jesseca Liu) and I wore red couple outfits.

What do you like most about Chinese New Year?

Meeting up with friends and family and updating each other about our lives. It’s like updating our software. Perhaps it’s because we are getting older that we want to meet up more often and find out more about each other.

Photo: Instagram/@jeremychanmy

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

Every year, at my home [in Kuala Lumpur], we used to get firecrackers which we would light at midnight together with the rest of the neighbourhood. Whenever someone lighted the firecrackers, we would run away ‘cos it was very loud and quite frightening… but it’s fun! (Laughs)

My dad and brother were the ones responsible for lighting the firecrackers and us girls would just stand far away with a “shield” or hide behind a car. They would use newspapers to light them ‘cos it is safer as you are further away from the firecrackers, but I don’t have the guts to do that myself. But we moved last year so I don’t know if we can still play with firecrackers [at our new place].

My family also has this tradition where we would roll a pineapple in the house and walk in wooden clogs. I think it is to welcome the New Year. I have no idea what wearing the clogs symbolises, though.

What do you like most about Chinese New Year?

Now that I live in Singapore, I always look forward to going back to KL for Chinese New Year. I have to miss reunion dinner every year ‘cos of the countdown show so I always make sure, even if it is just for three days, I will fly back and spend time with my family.

Photo: Instagram/@denisecamillia

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

Gambling! On first day of Chinese New Year, my family would have lunch then gamble all the way till night. It’s a tradition for my family. I started playing when I knew how to count and now we are training my cousins and nephews. This is not bad, okay. You can tell a lot about someone’s personality by the way they gamble - whether they dare to take risks - and can train your math skills too. We play Si Ki Pi (a game similar to Blackjack), Blackjack and mahjong.

Any memorable moments?

There was once, I was so excited when I saw my cards that I accidentally smashed the glass doors of the cabinet behind me, so now there’s a hole in the door. (Laughs) Now when I sit in front of the cabinet, my relatives would remind me to be careful. That was an okay year in terms of winnings. The past few years have been pretty good.

Photos: Instagram/@chaseetan

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

Our family tradition is getting our kids to kneel down to bai nian (give their best wishes) to us on Chinese New Year. Those are very precious memories. Some people think it is old-fashioned but Zhi Cai (Edmund Chen) insists on it. We do the same when I go to my elders’ or in-laws’ house, too.

I also make it a point to wear something red during Chinese New Year. It is kitschy but I like that it is kitschy. Sometimes I would check the zodiac predictions to find out my kids’ lucky colours for the year and buy clothes in those colours for them, but I would still stick to red for myself. Last year, I couldn’t celebrate Chinese New Year as I was in Shanghai for work, but even then, I wore a red sweater and posted a photo of myself in it on social media.

What do you like most about Chinese New Year?

I like lively atmospheres so I really enjoy getting together with lots of friends and family, but Zhi Cai likes it quiet. He gets dizzy when it is too crowded. He would say he cannot breathe so we have to leave.

Photos: Xiang Yun

​​​​​​​What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

I am from Macau so every Chinese New Year, my family and I would play with fireworks at a designated zone near my home. That area will be very crowded, noisy, and filthy, but everyone will be excitedly shooting off fireworks. It is quite scary but also exhilarating because it is only during Chinese New Year that we can play with fireworks. It is prohibited during other times of the year.

We usually do this after the third day of Chinese New Year because that’s when the fireworks go on sale. They can be pretty pricey - a big pack can cost around S$100. My parents would usually buy the smaller, child-friendly fireworks ‘cos of the kids.

What’s your favourite Chinese New Year tradition?

What I enjoy most during Chinese New Year is lou hei, and it’s best if I can lou hei from the first day of Chinese New Year all the way until day seven or eight. I’ve always liked to lou hei since young because I enjoy the fun atmosphere and the sayings while tossing the yu sheng are auspicious. I would never turn down an invitation to lou hei. This is not only a Chinese New Year tradition, but it’s also part of our culture, so I think we should keep the tradition alive.

There’s a Teochew-style yu sheng that I particularly love and will da bao home for lou hei. They add lime juice to their yu sheng and use ikan parang (wolf herring), which they slice very thinly. They make everything themselves including the sauce and mandarin jam. The coffee shop is in the Bukit Timah area - that is all I can tell you. There aren’t a lot of ingredients so I would add my own abalone slices, and before tossing, I would have my eye on the abalone so I will be the first to grab a slice after we finish tossing. It is best eaten with red wine.

What do you like most about Chinese New Year?

When I was young, it was receiving red packets, but now it’s giving them. It is a blessing to bless others - it’s not the money, but the thought that counts. I would give them out to everyone, from the security guard and cashiers at the petrol station, to our colleagues at the makeup and wardrobe units, and even fellow actors who are not married. I was the God of Fortune in our Chinese New Year countdown show for a couple of years and really enjoyed handing out red packets.

Photos: Instagram/@raysonttm