Feast of Gathering

Few days ago, all of us will be celebrating the day of 'Chap Goh Meh' that signified the 15th day of the new Chinese calender, that mark the end of Chinese New Year. When I was a child, Chinese New Year is a festive season that create excitement for a child who has just gone in to the elementary school. I often relate this festival with the red packet that contain a small sum of money, which Chinese believe it as a blessing that we receive during this new year.  As a kid, apart from getting the red packets from our parents and relatives, having fun with other children become an important task for us when we get to meet each other. fire crackers will be our toys for that festive season and we will enjoy it and screaming around at the compound of our house.

As we grow older, Chinese New Year is not merely about getting lots of red packet or burning fire crackers around your housing compound. I start to realized this festival as a festival of gathering. Now, family members and relatives will be gather around to chit chat. We might be meeting some long lost relatives as well. Due to the busy life that most of us are facing now, sometimes we can hardly meet our relatives or even talk to them. This also happen among our friends which we are closed to. Chinese new year is a great opportunity for us to meet up and gather around.

Besides meeting, we got a chance to taste different nice food that prepared by our parents. As Malaysian (Me), food is part of our life. We always say: No Food, No gathering!!! Always foods are the main character or host, perhaps some might describe it as a soul for the whole party.

Gathering is a wonderful event that we can meet with people whom we perhaps do not keep in touch with them often.  Besides having a wonderful gathering, I have also enjoyed the food throughout this new year. Oppss...Gaining more weight now. Time for exercise !!!

Great Blessing for this New Year from God

Two weeks from now, the Chinese community including me will be celebrating Chinese New Year. We can see that people start to decorate their house with new year accessories, which believe will bring luck and joy for them throughout the year. Besides decorating their homes, people were also busy with those magazine that explain about their zodiac throughout the year. In summary, they are more concern toward their luck for this coming year.

We often equate good fortune, happiness and luck as things that are subject to fate. There are greater forces beyond us that determine whether we would have a good year or a bad year. The type and number of crystals that we should display in our house or wear around our wrists; the colour of our hair; the animal zodiac and its influence throughout the year; the number of gold fish that I should rear in my aquarium. We often equate good fortune, happiness and luck as things that are subject to fate. There are greater forces beyond us that determine whether we would have a good year or a bad year. The type and number of crystals that we should display in our house or wear around our wrists; the colour of our hair; the animal zodiac and its influence throughout the year; the number of gold fish that I should rear in my aquarium. 

For this coming new year, I’m not going to tell you what’s your fortune for this year, whether you would be experiencing lots of good luck or bad. No. I have a much better prediction for year. It’s going to be great year, a year full of blessings, a year of true joy. Why? Because God has promised to be with you. If God is with you at all times, you don’t need good luck or good fengshui or good omens. God will be you sustaining you, giving you strength to bear with all the burdens of life. God will be with you to help you through the darkest moments. God will be with you guiding you when you feel lost. God will be with you comforting you in your loneliness and pain. God will be with you healing you, forgiving you and blessing you with his grace.