This week, Chinese people around the world will usher in the year of the ox with family and friends, happy food and habits all designed to bring happiness to a turbulent year.
In strictly controlled Singapore, the government allows the celebrations to continue during a time of Covid, but its leaders urge the country to exercise restraint when articulating Chinese New Year expressions, or endangering fines and imprisonment.
According to the country’s recently updated legal laws, which call for a popular ritual called ‘Lo-Hei’, a cantonal expression meaning we must throw in luck, ’emphatic expression of favorable utterances’ is not allowed at restaurants .
The custom is common in Singapore and Malaysia, and is a dish called Yusheng, a mixture of sliced vegetables, fruits, raw fish, crispy strips and seasonings. As ingredients and spices are added, individuals gathered around the dish demand abundance, love, career success and good marks. The group then uses chopsticks to mix the ingredients in the New Year and throw them in the air with more heartfelt wishes, in a loud and confused matter.
In the run-up to the year of the ox, which begins on February 12, ethnic Chinese residents – who make up the majority of Singapore’s 5.7 million residents – usually have multiple meals with the colorful dish.