The Lunar New Year in KL

View from our pool (lights blink) twin towers in the foreground

After memorable lunar new year's spent out of Malaysia we decided to savor KL's lack of traffic and clear skies. Two years ago we wandered the streets of Yogjakarta looking for a place to stay. Doug and I were traveling with Lina.. We had been told that reservations weren't needed. Not true, if is Chinese New Year (CNY). We wanted 2 rooms, but we took a look when a receptionist said he had a perfect room. It was one room with a king sized bed! Last year we were in Laung Prabang. Caravans of families had driven down from China. Small groups wandered through the town looking for rooms. We had reserved a room, but finding a place to eat with available seats was difficult.

We started today (first day of the lunar new year) at a carnival the National Museum. From a newspaper article we learned that it was part of the museum's exhibit "Beads for Beauty." The connection was subtle, and we visited the bead exhibit almost as an afterthought. If you are in KL before 15 February go see it. It is interesting and free. The exhibit included beaded garments, headdresses, and shoes - items produced and worn by different ethnic groups. A person in a ceremonial costume was wandering about the carnival (a

better gig than the person dressed as Sponge Bob who handed out fliers on Times Square in the middle of the winter).The carnival had a few craft demonstrations, freshly cooked traditional cakes, vendors selling herbs and bonsai and beads. A small group from Sarawak (we were disheartened to see how old they were) danced a traditional dance, and a fashion show promoted an upcoming exhibit at the Textile Museum.

The monkey in front of the wood carver took two weeks to make. The piece he was working on at the carnival will probably take a month. While we watched the only tool he used was a chisel.

Next we headed to the Selangor-Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall (SKLCAH) for an open house. We were a bit late, so we missed the lion dance. We helped ourselves to noodles, vegetables, and a potato curry. At Eid, Diwali, Christmas, and Chinese New Year political parties and government officials hold an open house on the holiday associated with their ethnic group. These are come one - come all affairs and apparently can be quite elaborate. Since we aren't particularly comfortable with political Malaysia we were glad to have this opportunity to experience an open house. The SKLCAH is the frequent host of forums and book launches (in English) hat have enriched our understanding of Malaysia and its neighbors.

Eid, Diwali, Christmas, and Chinese New Year the malls do not miss an opportunity to decorate. A few days after Christmas the malls switched their colors to pink and worked horses into their motif. Since we don't usually go to the major malls we decided to visit at least one. Our purpose was to send pictures to our friends in the US who probably saw the malls jump from Christmas to Valentine's Day. We discovered that pictures can't completely pick up the burst of color. And on the first day of CNY the colorful decorations were complemented by some beautiful Chinese-style clothes on women, girls, and a few boys.

Horses everywhere. These will be sold off with
the proceeds going to charity

Temporary carousal with horses - a case of
mall one-ups man?

Capturing the wonder

Gong Xi Fa Cai

UpDate: And on the 2nd day of the lunar new year we walked to a friend'  house for coffee, cookies, and conversation. A week earlier the couple' families gathered to bake love letters, a major project, and other cookies.(Their description of the baking marathon reminded me of times when we visited Mingjai in the US and sat around talking and making dumplings.) We talked with three hours - we shared stories from our travels and they told us tales about notorious Malaysians.

And on the 3rd day we went to a lunch at the home of a Malay friend. Not your typical Malaysian meal - roast chicken, mashed potatoes, assorted steamed veggies, and coleslaw. Not Asian but delicious. A guest asked what the occasion was - the answer "Chinese New Year." A major topic of conversation was Malaysia's current religious/political tensions. There are diverse opinions and beliefs despite the perspective pushed by the powers to be. Later we all went to the home of a Chinese family for cookies and glass noodles with fungus. A lot of conversation - the most amazing one was on death customs. Including Googling to learn how heads are shrunk. We had left home at 2 and returned at 9.

Today is the 4th day and again we are awed at the potential of Malaysia to bring people together and not in a superficial way. People talk about things that matter and embrace their common humanity