This week, Chinese people around the world will celebrate the Year of the Ox with family and friends, lucky dishes and customs, all designed to bring good luck after a tumultuous year.
In strictly controlled Singapore, the government lets the festivities go ahead during Covid, but its leaders beg the nation to exercise restraint when verbalizing Chinese New Year’s expressions or risking fines and imprisonment.
“Emphatic utterance” is not allowed in restaurants, according to the country’s recently updated legal statutes, which mark a popular ritual called “Lo-Hei”, a Cantonese phrase that means to throw good luck.
Common in Singapore and Malaysia, the custom revolves around a dish called Yusheng, which is a mixture of shredded vegetables, canned fruits, raw fish, crunchy strips and spices. As ingredients and spices are added, the people gathered around the dish demand abundance, love, career success and good grades. The group then uses chopsticks to mix and toss the ingredients in the air to announce the New Year with more heartfelt wishes, in what is usually a lively and messy business.
Before the Year of the Ox, which begins on February 12, ethnic Chinese residents – who make up the majority of Singapore’s 5.7 million population – usually have more meals with colorful dishes.