Saturday 20 February 2010

Happy Birthday Everybody!

Happy Birthday to everyone!

Yes, I really mean it... everybody is a year older TODAY! (well... this is according to our Chinese lunar calendar... :D)

Anyway, today is the 7th day of Chinese New Year, also known as 'Yan Yat' (People's Day or Common Man's Birthday).

According to Wikipedia:
The seventh day, traditionally known as renri 人日, the common man's birthday, the day when everyone grows one year older. It is the day when tossed raw fish salad, yusheng, is eaten.

This is a custom primarily among the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Singapore. People get together to toss the colorful salad and make wishes for continued wealth and prosperity.

Of the recent years, this yusheng dish has been more and more popular, sometimes, days before we started celebrating Chinese New Year, we would have already toss this raw fish salad to celebrate the coming CNY festival. Now, this is what a yusheng looks like:
Yusheng , yee sang or yuu sahng (simplified Chinese: 鱼生; pinyin: yúshēng), also known as lo hei (Cantonese for 撈起 or 捞起) is a Teochew-style raw fish salad.

It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients.

Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. While versions of it is thought to have existed in China, the contemporary version is created and popularised in Singapore in the 1960s amongst the ethnic Chinese community and its consumption has been associated with Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore as well as in neighbouring Malaysia.

So again, I wish you all Happy Birthday, one year older, one year wiser! :D

8 comments:

Felissa Hadas said...

Gung Hay Fat Choy and Happy Birthday to you too.

Stopping by to say hello with Friday Follow. Have a fantastic weekend.

Felissa
Please stop by my new blog to say hello
www.twolittlecavaliers.blogspot.com

www.felissahadas.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday back!

elvira pajarola said...

Highly interesting....fantastic Information!!!!!!!
Dear, I hope I will be able to fullfill your wish about posting a photo of a rainy, grey day in tuscany, ok!!

Enjoy your so new and young year!!!! together with your baby and husband!!!!!!

ciao ciao elvira

I'm a full-time mummy said...

Hi Felissa!
Gong Hei Fatt Choi & Happy Birthday to you too! :D Thanks for dropping by!

Hey Carolina Girl!
Happy Birthday to you as well!

Hi elvira!
Oh yes! I hope I'd be able to see you post some beautiful pictures on the rainy dark gray sky of Tuscany! Can't wait! Hope I'm not demanding too much! :P

Anonymous said...

That's really neat! Happy Birthday to you, too! :)

Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!

I'm a full-time mummy said...

Hi withoutadornment!

Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest to you too & thanks for dropping by!

le Chef said...

I can live without the year older thing, but I sure wish the U.S. had more awesome traditions.
Dang!
Happy SITS!

I'm a full-time mummy said...

Hi Jessica,

Hahaha... living in a multi-racial country (like Malaysia) has its perks too! More holidays, foods, customs and festivities!

Thanks for dropping by! :D

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails
 

I'm a full-time mummy Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved Baby Blog Designed by Ipiet | All Image Presented by Tadpole's Notez | Distributed by Deluxe Templates