She brought my brother (Bro#1) & I, on one of such visits made before & through Chinese New Year (CNY). It was therefore very special & etched in my mind.
We arrived in Hongkong a couple of days before CNY.
We stayed the "family home" where my grandmother ruled the extended family. Mother immediately, joined the hustle and bustle in the final touches of the preparations for CNY.
My younger brother and I had great fun, playing with our cousins. Whenever the adults turned their backs, we swooped down on the different types of cookies which came out of the oven continously. Then we scooted off laughing, to share our loot.
Activities climaxed on the Eve of CNY.
Offerings were made to the deities & the ancestors' tablets at the altar, in the day. This was done again in the evening before dinner.
My uncles' wives lit many strands of firecrackers, in front of the house, before joining us at the table for dinner. The table groaned under the weight of the feast on it, as we merrily tucked in.
The sound of our family's fire-crackers, contributed to the day's intermittent but incessant explosive sounds of crackers in the neighbourhood. As we dined, that sound suddenly cresendo into a thundering explosion, reviberating and shaking the grounds as the whole neighbourhood fired their crackers, apparently in unison.
After dinner, my uncles took my cousins, my brother and I out to "han fah tze" (transliteration: "walk flowers market") or to the floral market. We walked on a thick carpet of red, fire-crackers paper all the way from home to the floral market. We (the kids) laughed as we kicked into the carpet of red; sending the pieces of red paper into the air and onto each others hair and clothes. Elder uncle chided us good naturedly, and reminded us to me mindful of the other children who were out on the streets, throwing their lit fire-crackers hap-hazardly.
(Chidren & adults who mishandled fire-crackers caused tragedic accidents, loss of fortune, limbs and lifes. In later years, fire crackers were banned by one country after another)
Our uncles bought a few pots of cockscomb in various hues & a huge bunch of brillantly coloured flowers at the market.
Elder uncle and the delivery man sent the pots/flowers home in a trolley. My younger uncle (Uncle#2) chaperoned us back. Being sleepy & tired by then, we straggled & whinned along the way.
Boy! We were a handful of brats then!
Back home, we hardly had energy to wash and change into our new pyjamas before we crashed into bed.
Next morning, cousin Hoong, (elder uncle's first born/son) who woke up earlier than all of us, shouted "It's New Year! Wake up! Our mothers are ready to offer tea to grandmother."
We jumped out of bed, each scooping a few "ang pow" from under our individual pillow before we headed to the bathroom. We created a rachet, trying to outdo each other with "clacking" our new clogs. 2rd aunt dressed, beautifully in a gorgeous, colourful "qua-ah", intervened and supervised us to wash our faces, brush our teeth and changed into our new clothes. That done, she herded us into the living room which was swathed in an aroma of the fragrance of flowers & sandlewood.
Grandmother sat regally on one of the intricately carved chair. There was a set of such single seaters, triple seaters chairs and tea tables in the living room. All of them had fine, intricate carvings, coloured stones & mother of pearl.
Grandmother spotted an impeccable hairdo, adorned with hairpins of luxuriant green jade, rubies and pearls. She was dressed in a dark coloured "qua-ah" with beautiful peonies and bats on it. On the floor, at grandmother's feet were 2 prettily sewn red cushions with dark red pipings.
Grandmother placed the water pipe that she was smoking with, on the tea table next to her, when my elder uncle and his wife went to her with a cup of tea in hand. Both of them knelt on the cushions, raised their cups up to their eyebrow level before offering the cups of tea to grandmother. They wished her a happy new year and a year that exceeds her best desires/ wishes.
(To be continued)
