Honouring Your Ancestors

One of my friends is really superstitious. If she sees a row of three drains she won't walk over them. When someone gave her a clock for Christmas, she had to hide her horror. Have you ever seen those little light spots that sometimes appear on photos taken with a flash? For some reason they seem to congregate around me. Many a debate have been heard over the dinner table about these light spots. Some say they are light flares. Some say they are dust particles that are reflecting the flash. My friend is adamant that they are spirits. To her, spirits are ghosts haunting her. She doesn't want spirits around her.

Maybe I am just trying to make myself feel better, but I don't get scared by them. If they really are spirits, I feel quite honoured. Nothing bad has happened to me so maybe these spirits are my guardian angels. Maybe they are my ancestors watching over me. So what better time to thank them than this weekend?

This weekend is Chinese New Year. To some people this means a new outfit, a juicy fat red envelope of cash and an excuse for loud drums and firecrackers. Maybe that's what it felt like to me in the past. But this year I feel really excited about going home. In a way, it's just the same as every year. The house will be going through a major spring clean as I type, mum will have got in all sorts of traditional Chinese grub, preparing for the biggest test for my stomach - VEGANISM. To be vegetarian is one thing. But to avoid all dairy is hard. Imagine your cornflakes with no milk. Your toast with no butter. Your sandwich with no cheese. That is one of the challenges that I have. And I love it. If the monks can do it, so can I. There is so much variation that you would never get bored. So that's all good news for my belly. The traditional phone call to my grandparents on the other side of the world, timed perfectly so everyone can talk before the clock ticks to another day, is another tiny thing that now seems to important.

All these tiny things piece together to make one day that is looked forward to and remembered every year. All these little traditions were made by my ancestors and passed on to another generation. So if those little light spots are my ancestors, here's my chance to say thank you. Here's my chance to say Happy Chinese New Year...again :)