Chinatown Field Trip #1

Chinese New Year starts next week and Elizabeth and Megan's classes are both taking field trips to Chinatown to experience the color and traditions associated with the major holiday. Elizabeth's PreK class went Friday morning and the teachers requested a parent/child ratio of 1 to 1. They are obviously aware of how difficult it would be to keep track of a bunch of 4 and 5-year olds in the crowded market.

I met Elizabeth's class outside the Buddhist temple and started the scavenger hunt. Our first stop was the wet market to look for items like prawns, pomelo, oranges and something called "waxed duck." I was thankful that we didn't need to locate the frogs and eels at the market because those images are forever imprinted in my head from my first field trip with Megan right after we moved here. My goal was to exit the market without any "pets" joining us, not an easy task when Elizabeth is involved.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Ms. Kaye's PreK Class

Aside from Elizabeth petting some fish and prawns, it was an uneventful wet market experience. It took us some time to locate the waxed duck and Chinese sausage on our list and Elizabeth didn't care for the smell in that particular area of the market. It's a good thing we visited early in the morning before the heat magnifies the exotic smells.

 Handling a Prawn

 Petting a Fish

 Elizabeth marveled at their sharp teeth

 Waxed Duck (in the vacuum packs) with Chinese Sausage

Elizabeth's take on the market aroma

Once we found our food items, we took to the pedestrian area to browse through the stalls offering all kinds of decorations, candy and flowers. Chinatown is one of my favorite spots, and I love visiting the neighborhood this time of year because the weather is beautiful, the entire area is a sea of gold and red decorations and you can sense the anticipation of the impending holiday. I find it much more fun to experience Chinese New Year here than Christmas because it feels like a genuine holiday, not just a commercial one.

On the streets of Chinatown

After completing our scavenger hunt, Elizabeth wanted a quick snack and I knew exactly where to go. We popped into our favorite "pork jerky" shop near the MRT station for a little treat. I could take or leave beef jerky but Singapore's pork version is delicious. It was the perfect way to end our morning there.

Elizabeth and Claire watch pork jerky being made

Elizabeth enjoyed her field trip and carefully chose her souvenir, an over-the-top pinwheel that amazingly is still operational, unlike many of our Chinatown purchases.

Testing the New Pinwheel

The items on our scavenger hunt were chosen because of their symbolism related to the new year celebration. Here are the main symbols associated with Chinese New Year:

Red- The color red is considered to be a lucky color.

Golden decorations-They signify wealth and prosperity.

Red envelopes- They are also called “Hong Bao” or “Ang Pow”. These red envelopes are usually filled with money and presented to children.

Banners/Signs-They usually carry blessings and good wishes for the New Year.

Greeting Cards-They usually carry blessings and good wishes for the New Year.

Flowers and Pussy Willow-These signify new life and fertility.

Pomelo-This is a fruit similar in taste to grapefruit. This fruit signifies “abundance.”

Orange-The word for orange in Chinese is the same word as “gold”. Hence, oranges signify wealth and prosperity.

Melon Seeds- These signify the growth of new life.

Ground Nuts-Ground Nuts usually come in twos which is a sign of good luck. It is believed that your happiness and prosperity will be doubled.

Sweet Treats-The person who eats them will have a sweet New Year.

Prawns-Prawns are called “ha” in Chinese which sounds like laughter.

Brooms-They sweep away the old year. However, they are not brought out on Chinese New Year day itself as brooms will sweep away all the good luck.

Dragons-Dragons signify good luck

Lions-Lions are said to scare away the evil spirits.

Now you can appreciate that when it comes to a Chinese symbol, I generally assume it is something associated with luck and/or wealth. Also, after studying our scavenger hunt sheet, I opted against buying one of the huge bunches of pussy willow for our home.

I will join Megan and her class later this week for their field trip and I look forward to listening to Megan practice her Mandarin with the merchants. And I'll likely feel the need to add more "3 for $10" decorations to our home to prepare for the Year of the Rabbit.