Happy Chinese New Year 2559

Happy Chinese New Year 2559 (Lunar Year.) This year is the year of the Rat. I wish everyone success and prosperity in this new year.

This year I got to celebrate the Chinese New Year with my family in Indonesia; the first Chinese New Year since 1995, the year I left home for US. It was nice to be around family and relatives again although I have to admit it did feel a little weird. In Chinese tradition, during the Chinese New Year the children will receive a red envelope from the married relatives. I was a teenager back in 1995 so getting a red envelope from relatives was cool and all. Now iI am an old man, and getting a red envelope

Anyway, I went to a Buddhist temple on Chinese New Year’s Eve to pray and to celebrate the Chinese New Year with the masses. There is a Kwan Im statue at the temple that was unveiled in November 2005. It’s 22.8 metres in height (about 76 feet high) including the Lotus at the bottom. It’s the largest statue of any kind in South East Asia. There was fireworks at the turn of the midnight to bring in the new year.

Chinese New Year in Pematang Siantar