The Fall of Singapore happened on the 15th of February, 1942, on the Chinese New Year day. It was the largest surrender of British-led forces in history.
Singapore was supposed to be an impregnable fortress.
Older people in Singapore and Malaysia still remember the hardship they endured over three and half years under the Japanese occupation. My 81-year-old mother remembers the black Chinese New Year day when the Japanese invaded. Many families did not finish their New Year meal.
I wrote three series of articles recording the history of this period of time in my other blog:
- Letters from China series
- Changi Tales from Singapore series
- Chin Peng and Malayan Emergency series
Please pop over there to have a good read and share your thoughts with me.
Yesterday, my nephew shared a New Year gathering picture from Singapore with me. The picture shows that nearly 70 years after the Second World War, my elderly parents are now happily surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
They enjoyed a symbolic meal called the Prosperity Toss, or Yusheng, in a restaurant in Singapore.
It was a far cry from 1942, when my mother recalled after the Japanese occupation, as a malnourished 10-year-old, she carried stones in a bucket at Changi area for the Japanese, in exchange for some rice and cassava. My mother’s war-time memory is in my Changi stones and Prisoners of War in Singapore post.
What is the Prosperity Toss?
This Prosperity Toss meal is very popular in the South East Asia over the past few decades. Some people argue that the dish was originally a Cantonese dish, but it has been transformed and developed in Malaysia, and the ritual of ‘tossing for prosperity’ was formed.
My friend Hui-Min from Singapore also recalled enjoying this symbolic meal with her family: Everyone would toss the ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying auspicious wishes.
The painful war was over. Now let the New Year bring us hope and peace. Let us learn to appreciate the happiness and fortune we have today, and value the sacrifices of many people during the war.
What a moving and interesting story you have shared with us! I have learned a lot about how Chinese people celebrate their New Year in different places and countries.
Thank you, Janet, for your devotion.
All the best for the New Year of the Horse.
It’s amazing to see how the Chinese New Year is celebrated in many different glorious ways. Chinese culture is rich in regional diversities. Many of us are coming from different parts of the world, though we may speak the same language, our customs and beliefs may not be the same. I hope more people continue to exchange ideas here, and learn to appreciate different traditions.