Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year has always held a very special place in my heart.

The feeling and the excitement of bonding with fellow siblings and their siblings, the greeting of "Gong Xi Fa Cai" to our loved ones and all, the giving out of "Ang Pow" or "Red Packets" to the younger ones, the meeting up with old friends whom we do not meet for a year, and most importantly, the few great days we get to spend with our dearest parents whom we hardly visit due to space and time, make this special day even more special.

This Lunar New Year which fell on 18th February was no different. Almost all of the 10 brothers and sisters and their siblings congregated at our dearest Mum's place to spend the new year together.

The reunion dinner was special in many ways. It brought all of us under one roof to dine and wine with our mum, to share our experience, our joy, our moments of sadness, the ups and the downs, the achievement of our children in universities and the work place, the exciting news of forthcoming marriages, graduation.......
Immediately after the dinner and the washing up, the younger ones waited patiently for the "Red Packets".

Then we waited for the clock to strike twelve and sounds of "Happy New Year" echoed through the rooms and the streets outside. Fireworks litted the sky and the occasional firecrackers broke the silence of the night.
Traditionally, we would then head for the nearby temple to pray for the well beings of our family, for good health and for fortune. We also prayed that our dear Mum will have more good years with us.....

This new year, my twin brother who works and resides in Singapore was back as usual with his teenage children and his new toy: Canon DSLR 30D. He adores this new toy and I do not blame him, judging from the many great shots he had with this.

Upon my encouragement and persistence, he set up his brand new blog under the name "EUROVIENNA" and posted some of his great shots to share.

If you enjoy good photography, do drop by here to visit. With his permission, here are some of the shots.