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It’s time for the Chinese community around the world to celebrate the Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, by cleaning their homes, hanging decorations and prepare food for their guests. In ushering one of the big festivities celebrated in the Sultanate, the Weekend Bulletin spoke to several celebrants who shared their new year preparations. Dato Victor Lai said, “Just like the Malay community preparing for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we also clean our house to prepare for the new year. For the Chinese, it’s a belief to not sweep their houses on the first day as it may sweep away the luck and wealth away. “As for the decorations, my family usually puts up auspicious words, normally in red colour to ward off any bad luck. We also prepare a feast for our guests as much as possible as it symbolises ‘enough food, good food’ throughout the year.” Dato Lai also said, “Another common practice for the Chinese is to have our relatives and families to dine together on the Lunar New Year eve, symbolising the unity among family members in joy and to face challenges in the year ahead.” ![](https://media.everythingbrunei.com/public/cAxcrJvvw0pHk-pOd1XST-aQJQ0qLBMdRVW_I85T7jV.jpeg) A lion dance costume and Chinese New Year decorations on display at Dato Victor Lai’s house. PHOTO: DATO VICTOR LAI & SEE LIN ![](https://media.everythingbrunei.com/public/G4Aa72Idb4gBzB-EKnHkl-wdbNpTfSgQ7SvMtLAtNTA.jpeg) ABOVE & BELOW: Dato Lai poses in front of his door; confectioneries and food served at See Lin’s house. PHOTO: DATO VICTOR LAI & SEE LIN ![](https://media.everythingbrunei.com/public/9vdxHqEZXN5-CG89-d7Le-LLeoF36IU934DnKLebpsu.jpeg) PHOTO: DATO VICTOR LAI & SEE LIN ![](https://media.everythingbrunei.com/public/Qzxq9olenLy19cVt4z5LH-gLmXq2yRvlW63OjZgIgf5.jpeg) PHOTO: DATO VICTOR LAI & SEE LIN Another celebrant, See Lin, took time off from work and took advantage of the long weekend, to get last minute preparations for her home. “Thankfully, our house is just the right size for us to prepare on time for the festive celebration. We managed to clean our house and the garden a week before the new year during our off day,” said Lin. “We usually prepare our decorations a few days before the new year. Our decorations centred on the dragon, symbolising this year’s festivities. We also included flower arrangements and getting the living room ready for visitors. After getting everything prepared, my family will leave our house in the evening to my mother’s house and join my other siblings for the new year’s eve dinner and gathering,” she added. Meanwhile, another celebrant, Kai Wei said his family just did minimal decorations for the new year to go along with the traditions and beliefs. “We will be celebrating this year’s festivities in Miri as my mother is a Mirian, so most of our relatives and families are there. But we started cleaning and decorating a week before the big day. My mum is usually busy in the kitchen as she often cooks a feast for all of us. It’s up to the rest of us to decorate and prepare the house,” said Wei. Like many others with tight working commitments, Joanne Lu was only able to prepare the coming festivities at the very last minute. “We still managed to buy the decorations and the things we need for the festivities despite the time crunch. I hope this Year of the Dragon will bring great fortune, good health and joy to everyone,” said Lu. One of the customs of the Chinese community is that they do not celebrate the new year for at least a year if there is a death among a close family member. Ching, who lost her grandmother just over year ago, will keep her festive celebrations low key and only be expecting a few visitors. “Our decorations are minimally done and we won’t be serving much to our guests except the ones we received from our friends,” said Ching. – Lyna Mohamad

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