wrong CNY greetings

i wrote this on 31 jan. to the star’s citizen’s blog, and was hoping it would get published in the star’s hardcopy but it was not. i know only selected articles would get published and there are so many who sent in their citizen’s blog but only a few get published. however, it was published online. wonder is it that all postings submtted to the citizen’s blog will get published online, or only selected ones. i think most probably all will get published… unless those the staff find not suitable, like too vulgar, abusive, racist.

ok i posted it on 31 jan and it was published (online) the day after – 1 feb. you can click here to read. not sure if you have to register to read but for sure you have to register to post. you have to scroll down to the 8th article…. there it appears – ‘wrong CNY greetings’ by lucia lai.

anyway, if you do not wish to go there, click on ‘more’ here below to read, though i advise you to go as you can get to read the postings of others, particularly a post by someone on the petronas CNY ad.

Happy New Year!

Now, I’m sure you know I’m greeting you on occasion of the Chinese New Year, which is now into the 3rd day. (at time of writing).

Why then did people like to use “Happy Chinese New Year”? It is very incorrect to use this greeting. Many people, and even big corporations in their advertisements, seemed to use this wrong and grating greeting.

Technically Chinese New Year is wrong. It should be Lunar New Year instead. This is because the Lunar New Year (based on the Lunar calendar) is not celebrated by the Chinese only but also by the Thais, Koreans, Burmase, Vietnamese.

The phrase ‘Chinese New Year’ was coined by Malaysia to differentiate it from the Gregorian Calendar, where the new year falls on 1st January, and for use in the list of public holidays.

‘Chinese New Year’ is to be used by itself only, say as a noun. It should never be use as a greeting. During the Malay’s Hari Raya, we don’t say “Selamat Hari Raya Melayu” to them, do we?

I don’t know but I find it very annonying (and a bit silly) when people greet me with “Happy Chinese New Year”. Of course I NEVER greet people with “Happy Chinese New Year”. All along, from a little girl to now, I always greet people with, if not “Gong Xi Fa Cai”, to my English-speaking friends/relatives, it is always “Happy New Year”. In writing everywhere, I also use “Happy New Year”.

With that, people will know it’s the Chinese/Lunar New Year, trust me.