Hanami

Hanami means flower appreciatng or flower viewing.It tend to refer to sakuras or cherryblossoms which blossom during late march to early may.The blossom forecast is announced each year by the weather bureau.In modern Japan it is nomally an outdoor party beneath the sakura trees.Hanami when at night is called yozakura (lit. "night sakura").

History of Hanami:

This practise is centuries old & was said to be influenced by the Chinese Tang Dynasty.
Poems would be written praising the delicate flowers, which were seen as a metaphor for life itself, luminous and beautiful yet fleeting and ephemeral. This was said to be the origin of hanami in Japan.The custom was originally limited to the Imperial Court, but by the Edo period, it was spread to the common people as well.Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts.
Today, the Japanese people continue the tradition of hanami, they gather in great numbers wherever the flowering trees are found. Thousands of people fill the parks to hold feasts under the flowering trees, and sometimes these parties go on until late at night.They continue the tradition of hanami by taking part in the processional walks through the parks which is a form of retreat for contemplating and renewing their spirits.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanami

Opinions

Jiayin: I find hanami rather meaningful. This is a great way for family bonding in which people gather together under the cherryblossoms to appreciate nature wonders. Personally, I hope that such festival can be conducted in Singapore.

Saradevi: I feel that Hanami is meaningful as it encourages family bonding & appreciation of nature.In my opinion, this calming festival should be participated by more families.

Yu Shan: I feel that Hanami is a significant and important event. Famiies and relatives can take this opportunity to bond together, have a reunion dinner and appreciate the beauty of Mother Nature and poems. It is also an interesting way of reuniting with our families and relatives. Hanami is similar to the appreciation of Sentosa Flowers in Singapore.

Alvita: I feel that Hanami is a good way to calm your soul. You will feel as one with nature and at peace. This will be a good time with your family or even distant relatives. We can also celebrate the peacefulness with your close friends.

Literature Part B

Similarities in Jess's Easter (Chapter 8) with my Chinese New Year Celebrations:
- Both of ended up playing while doing work ( Jess had squirted milk while my cousins & I had splashed water)
- We get to wear new clothes
- Both of us had to go for prayers (Jess went to church while I went to the temple)
Differences of our in experiences:
- Stories were told in the chuch but there were no stories told in the temple I visited
- Jess invited Leslie over while I did not get a chance to invite my friends over for Chinese New Year
By: Saradevi

Chinese New Year (Assignment 3)

Part (b) : -Christmas-
Similarities
-Both of us celebrated the festival with our family.
-Both Jess and I were fustrated with problems
-Both Jess and I dreaded the approaching festival but appreciates and enjoyed it at the end.
Reason why the festival was dreaded.
Jess: Did not know what to give for Christmas
Me: The stress of the common test and the amount of homework
Reason why we enjoyed it.
Jess: Leslie managed to cheer Jess up with the help of Prince Terrien (P.T)
Me: Chatting with my family members helped me to forget all the worries in school and enjoy myself.

Differences:
- Both of us are troubled by different things
Jess: Did not know what to give others for Christmas
Me: Worried that there might not be enough time for the revision of the Common Test
- Jess was not having fun when spending time with his family. Instead, he was trying to please his father. On the other hand, I had a great time conversing with my family.
- The festive mood was spoilt in different ways.
Jess: The whining and teasing of Leslie by his sisters. His troubles made it worse.
Me: The mood was spoilt by the consistent race against time

By: Jia Yin (9)

Chinese New Year (Assignment 3)

Part (a) :
This year, time seems to be running out due to the common test and the homework.That might be the reason why i seemed to lost my enthusiasm of Chinese new year.After what seems like an eternity, the day before Chinese new year came! At around 6pm, my family and I went to my Grandmother's house for reunion dinner. There, we met up with my relatives and we began with a hearty conversation. It was amazing how fast time flies. We began to start eating after managing to squeese into a single table. By the time we went home, it was already late. We stayed up late to watch some television programmes such as movie specials.

The next morning, after wishing each other good wealth and prosperity, we ate our meals before watching more television programmes. I was bored at some of the television specials and almost fell asleep. After eating an early lunch, we made our way at my Grandmother's house to meet with my relatives. Then, we began visiting other relatives who lives in Upper Serangoon and Ang Mo Kio. It was fun to try boarding a lift with 10 people though i was worried that we will be trapped if the lift broke down.I find that visiting them is a good chance to know more about each other as we seldom meet.

Then, my family travelled to Bishan for another small family reunion. My grandmother on my mother's side was a great cook. I could not help but to request for a second helping. I am relieved that I did not ate too much new year goodies at my other relatives' houses. After dinner, we sat down and watch a television special of 'Little Nonya'. Even though it was quite short, we enjoyed ourselves and commented on the show. By the time we went home via taxi, we were already exhausted. Though tiring, I appreciate the time spent together. This year was not as bad as i thought after all!

By: Jia Yin (9)

Literature assignment (Chinese New Year)

By: Saradevi
For this Literature Assignment, I am doing on Chinese New Year.Every Year unlike most of the other students who stay in S'pore to celebrate, I would would always travel in to M'sia to visit my paternal side of the family.Well you see my dad is a Malaysian & so every year I return back to M'sia for the new year.
For this year, I went back on the eve.We rushed back for the reunion dinner.In M'sia I had to help out cousins to set up the tables,chairs & place the utensils properly. Oh the tables were dirty.It was really dusty & dirty but my cousins & I some how suddenly started to splash water at each other. It was fun.
Reunion dinner...The dinner we have every year although I always sit with my cousins instead of my parents.Its great fun eating with my cousins.We would be telling jokes while they would be gossiping about the Malaysian guys & teachers then we would all laugh like there was no tomorrow.
After dinner we would hide in a room & start telling stories while I share my experiences of school life in S'pore.
Visiting always came the next day.For visiting I always stick to my parents & I would be introduced to all the aunts & uncles of the really gigantic family tree.It was fun & overall I had great time bonding with my family.