Today is the eve of the Chinese or Lunar New Year. I checked out the morning market in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur to see if all the stalls were still open. The majority of them were there, to do the last bit of business before closing for the Lunar New Year.
The Chinese vendors will not open their stalls before the fourth day after the New Year.
The fruit stalls are doing good business especially with pineapples as they are symbolic heralds of good luck.
Here the fish vendor is busy chopping up the fish according to the customer's request. Fish prices escalate during the festive season and many people have decided not to buy the more expensive fish as the price can be exorbitant.
The soya bean vendor has many orders to fulfil. He has filled many bottles of soya bean milk all put into plastic bags for his customers to collect later. In the picture are two containers of sweet soya bean custard. He really makes it very well as it is very smooth and slides down your throat.
Many Chinese stalls will open only on the sixth day. As with previous years, business comes to a standstill during the celebrations. Now, with the advent of hypermarkets which are open throughout the festive season, shopping for the daily necessities is no longer an issue, not like in the past when you really had to stock up as Chinese shops and stalls were closed for at least four days, some even longer. They would open only on even days, never on odd.
Kumquat plants sell like hot cakes especially if there are lots of golden fruits which symbolise wealth.
The Indian kacang putih vendor now packs his assorted products in plastic bags instead of the paper cones used many years ago. I still think paper cones are much betrer and more pleasing to the eye.
The jasmine vendors are busy at work threading the blooms into long strings. These are used for prayers. Some ladies wear them in their hair.
Roadside stalls selling clothes and household items are not to be sneezed at. Sometimes you can get pretty blouses, pants and skirts of reasonable quality at a very affordable price.
The market place is also where you chance upon friends, relatives and even siblings!! My spouse encountered his cousin while my younger brother who had just bought morning papers had a chat with us before rushing home to do some last minute house cleaning!!!! Tomorrow the place will be quiet and empty, except for the Malay lady selling nasi lemak and the Indian man selling Indian pancakes. There won't be any Chinese vendors at all and no Chinese customers as all will be busy celebrating the Lunar New Year.
This afternoon my younger sister and I will be very busy preparing for the ancestral worship. More on that in the next blog.
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