今年的农历新年来得早，刚忙完开学，就得忙着买新衣办年货。虽说经济不景，但依然看到大家开开心心地大血拼。大家都说年是属于小孩的，对大人来说只是大出血，花钱如流水。其实我可有点不认同，新年应该是属于每一个人的，不管你此刻身在何处，最重要的是有好心情。其实前两年心情不是很好，好像感觉不到新年的气息，今年心情算是恢复正常，带着期待准备过新年。小孩过年肯定开心，长大后过年感觉虽然不再一样，但却是对新的一年充满着憧景，有着新的计划，抱着新的期待。重生后的我对过新年的心态也许不再一样，但对新年的盼望依然强烈。除了是久未碰面的亲戚朋友相见的好日子，也让忙碌的生活有个喘气的空间。 
Chinese New Year (CNY) is early this year. After school reopen, we start to prepare for the CNY. Even the economic is down but still lot of people shop happily. Most people said CNY is for children. For adult that is time where you have to spend money and I seem not fully agree. CNY is for everyone. It doesn’t matter where you are. The most important is your mood. Two years before this, my mood was not so good and I did not feel the environment of CNY. This year, I am looking forwards to it. No doubt; children will be the happiest one. As we become older, even the feeling changes but still hopes for the coming new year. Have a new planning and hopes in mind. After “reborn”, coming new year might be different but I still high hope for a better one. Besides meeting with relatives and friends, this CNY also allow our busy life to have a break.
很小的时候对过新年的印象模糊，只知道说有得吃，有得穿美美，又有红包拿。稍微大一点后，就知道农历新年非常特别。每一年的三十晚我们会讨论或设计一、两道特别的菜肴，然后煮出来一起吃团年饭。那种感觉很兴奋也很期待。晚上会忙着接财神。接着就是双亲派压岁钱的时候了。我们会把压岁钱放在忱头下。
When we were young, the only thing that we still remember was lots of delicious food, nice dresses and “AngPow” during CNY. When we grow older, we realised CNY is so special. At new year eve; ”san zhap mei”, we will discussed and created one or two special dishes for that night. This made the dinner become exciting because of our new dishes. That night, we will welcome our ‘Cai Shen’. Then our parent will give us a red packet ‘ya sui qian’ which we will place it under our pillow until the next morning.
接着大年初一全家总会到庙里烧香，那一天家里会持素半天。所以家人会一起吃早饭，然后去亲戚家拜年。过后大家会自由活动，爸妈在等后辈来拜年，我们就各自找朋友。由于年初一不能扫地洗衣，所以就只是吃喝玩乐。
The first day of CNY, we will go to the temple to pray. Then we were only allowed to have vegetarian food before noon. After breakfast, we will visit our relative. Then we will visit our friend. Our parent will stay at home waiting for other to visit. We were not allowed to sweep the floor nor to wash cloth. So on that day we will really enjoy ourselves.
年初二算是开年, 妈妈一早做了早饭，会先拜神。她会包好一堆小红包，每个二十仙（以前在学校能买一碗清汤面）放在冰箱上，谁开始做今年的第一份工就赏一个红包。兄弟姐妹就开始强红包大赛了。扫地，拿一个红包；抹地，拿一个红包；洗衣、晒衣、洗菜、切菜、洗碗、摆饭桌。。。各拿一个红包；感觉很好玩！妈妈也乐得清闲，会出去找朋友。
The second day is ‘kai nian’ where we started our work that day. After pray, my mother will place a lot of ‘ang pow’ on the refrigerator. Anyone of us that started to do our first job this year will get an ‘ang pow’. That is the time we had our fun, we started to chase for the ‘ang pow’. After sweeping the floor, we will get an ‘ang pow’; after mopping the floor, we will get a ‘ang pow’. Each time we finished a work, we are allowed to get a ‘ang pow’ for our selves. My mother will visit her friends.
年初三开始就像是恢复正常的生活，直到年初八又见到父母买一大堆的食物准备晚上拜天公。小时候住在广东人的地区，拜天公的人只占少数，但家里还是闹哄哄的。拜天公后还会即时斩烧肉配上红鸡蛋吃面条，很开心。不管如何累，第二天我们都必须带着熊猫眼上课。
The third day we will start our normal life back. Until the eighth day, my parent will buy a lot of food for praying the ‘tian gong’ that night. We were staying in a ‘cathenese’ community; those who is praying ‘tian gong’ were not much. After praying, we will eat the noodle with red egg and ‘siu ba’. No matter how tied we were, we had to go to school the next morning.
接着就是十五，由于是新年最后一天，拜了神明，又吃一顿大餐，我们那天晚上会收回所有的布置，让家里恢复新年之前的情景。
On the fifteenth day of the CNY, or the last day, we will pray and eat. After that, we will keep every thing back to normal means the CNY is over.
结婚有了孩子过后，心态又不一样了，要包红包给老的、小的，新年节目就是看电视及睡觉中渡过。不同的是全家人有时间坐下来谈天，拍一张全家福做记念。觉得新年时拜年这一项活动应该持续下去，让亲戚朋友在这个时候互相认识交流。看着孩子们跑啊、跳啊、唱啊，感受一下新年的气氛。在此恭祝大家牛年行大运，恭喜发财。After have child, the feeling of CNY is totally different. We had to give ‘ang pow’ to the elder and the
younger. The activity for CNY are watching television and sleeping. The whole family will sit together and talk, that is the time we take family photograph for memory. I felt that we should visiting relatives and friends during CNY. That is a chance for you to know each other better. I wish everybody 'Happy New Year".
