Old Granny’s Stories Part 1: Lunar New Year: Old Granny’s Stories, #1

By James C. Kei

My granny passed away last year after a long battle with lung cancer. She was dearly beloved by all of her grandchildren. When we were kids, we used to love listening to her stories, especially those about her childhood in China before she came to the United States. This book series is an anthology of her stories, my tribute to her memory. Part 1 revolves around the Lunar New Year, which is considered to be the most important traditional festival in the East Asian community. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: James C. Kei
• Release date: Jun 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201471392

Book preview

姬俊

Kei, James C.

Hayward, CA 94541

Prologue

My granny passed away last year after a long battle with lung cancer. She was dearly beloved by all of her grandchildren. When we were kids, we used to love listening to her stories, especially those about her childhood in China before she came to the United States. This book series is an anthology of her stories, my tribute to her memory. We love you, Po-Po!

Lunar New Year

For those of East Asian descent like myself, we would have a reunion dinner or nin je faan (年夜飯) with the whole family, either immediate or extended, on the eve of every Lunar New Year or Cheun-Jit (春節; spring festival). Think of it as an Asian Thanksgiving, without the official days off, unless of course you reside in East or Southeast Asia! The Lunar New Year is also known as Seollal in Korean, Shogatsu in Japanese, and Tet Nguyen Dan in Vietnamese, made infamous by the Tet Offensive.

For much of the East Asian diaspora in the Americas and Europe, the Lunar New Year is probably the only traditional holiday that everyone would still celebrate, although the Mid-Autumn Festival or Jung-Chau (中秋) comes in at a close second. Other festivals such as the Double Fifth Festival or Tuen-Ng (端午), the Double Seventh Festival or Chat-Jik (七夕), and the Double Ninth Festival or Chung-Yeung (重陽) only hold significance amongst the first generation of East Asian immigrants.

Regardless, many businesses here in the United States owned by Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Ryukyuans, and even a few Japanese, typically would give their employees some days off during this period (Since 1873, Japan has celebrated their New Year the same as the Western World, it is only in Okinawa, where the Ryukyuans continue to celebrate it along with the rest of East Asia). In fact, for some of these businesses, it is practically the only time of the year that their shops or restaurants would be closed!

Usually, my siblings and I would be off with our partners to some exotic location for Thanksgiving, as we do not celebrate it