Year of the Rooster In the Malls

Malls are always changing their décor to suit the festivals being celebrated. Different themes are planned and the music carefully chosen so that shoppers and visitors will linger longer and patronize the shops.

The Lunar Year of the Rooster saw many malls showcasing roosters and chickens in their themes.

                             Lanterns and flowers decorate the entrance leading into the mall

                                                                      Chickens

                                                Resplendant Rooster suspended in the air

Lanterns were also prevalent everywhere and they came in different shapes. However, the main color was red as red signifies prosperity and luck. Most Chinese people would don red apparel on the first day of the lunar new year.

The bigger malls have very nice décor and the smaller ones make do with  the resources at their disposal.

                                                             Toy roosters for children

Big or small, the lion dance is usually a must-have event and it never ceases to thrill both young and old. The dances have become more acrobatic and the stunts draw collective oohs and ahhs and even gasps at particularly risky jumps from one post to another.

Jenjarom Sparkles In The Lunar New Year

This little township nestled halfway between the royal town of Klang and Banting, came alive in a splendid blaze of lights when the sun sank below the horizon. 

It was a beautiful surprise as we had not heard of this town nor the large temple complex that boasted beautiful gardens with flowers of different varieties. 

 This year is the Year of the Rooster so there are many colorful roosters and chickens superbly lighted up. These are the big draw which attracted thousands of visitors to this little town.

We were invited there by my former sis-in-law after a lovely afternoon tea. 

She insisted that we just had to see the beautiful lights, so there we were. I’d like to share the lovely pictures with you. My siblings and my former sis-in-law who still remains a close family member in our hearts are in most of these pictures.

       The Rooster greets us as we enter the temple grounds of Fo Guan Shan Dong Zen.

 

                                      The Rooster stands tall and proud resplendent in its colors.

                                                                  Orchids behind me

                                     The figures and the heart will light up once the sun sets
                              

                                                                      Chickens!

When the sun went down, more and more people came into the temple grounds, attracted by the lovely lights.

 

The lights will go out after the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. The next event where there will be more lanterns decorating the temple grounds will be the Mid Autumn Festival in the second half of the year.

Delicious Vietnamese Cuisine

Here I would like to share some of the delicious food we had during our visit to Hoi An. I’m not talking of the Vietnamese soup or soup noodles which you can now get in big cities outside of Vietnam but the food which the locals like and which tourists like us have come to love. 

The White Rose is an exotic name for dumplings but they do look like white roses when the super thin pastry is folded to hold the ingredients of minced pork and prawn.

These are steamed in the kitchen and brought up to the dining area where tourists can enjoy the freshly made dumplings.

They also cater to other restaurants that place orders with them. The ladies are specially trained to fold the dumplings so that they look like exquisite white roses.

Another local favourite is the Banh Mi which is a bread roll stuffed with pork and greens. Sometimes the bread roll is white and sliced into half. Then the pork pieces are stuffed inside so that It looks like a burger.

Then there are the spring rolls that Vietnam is famous for. You can have fresh rolls or deep fried ones. Both are equally tasty. I prefer the fresh spring roll.

There are many more dishes which we savored but it is not possible to have them all here in this blog.

Needless to say, I look forward to another visit to Vietnam, just to savor the food once more.