Kung He Fat Chai
Literally meaning, “Hope you will be rich,” this greeting for material wealth will be echoed today in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Indochinese dialects in this year’s Lunar New Year. From Sydney to Shanghai, Lima to Lhasa, Vancouver to Venice, Urumqi to Urdaneta, families and friends of Asian descent will gather to wish each other a year of prosperity and material abundance. It is a wish meant for everyone in the planet.
Rituals and rites accompany the observance of this day. At the personal level, individuals don new attire in bright colors dominated by red, avoid saying unpleasant things to one another, clean their immediate surroundings, create booming sounds, settle old accounts, meet obligations and make new optimistic decisions. The same applies to communal space where an accent on freshness is applied; on social ties where discord is skewed and harmony is emphasized; in business relationships where competition takes a back seat to cooperative endeavors.
It is a greeting of hope, a day of wishing each other well not only in material wealth but in life’s general well-being. As flowers are displayed, we focus on the richness of our natural surroundings and vow to conserve it. While scents are charitably spread out, we resolve to pick after the literal and metaphorical litter that we callously scatter around our lives. As incenses are lit, we recall the heroism and bravery, the care and counsel of those who have gone before us, and promise to regale each other with stories of wonder and awe. As essences are generously sprayed, we plan scenarios and strategies to lift out the destitute and the poor from the miseries of their degradations. As aromas from sumptuous food waft through our nostrils and gastronomic delights are liberally shared, we consense on engaging the many in productive labor and assure equitable distribution of net benefits.
We promote this greeting’s sentiment and this day’s spirit. Our world has turned warlike and oppressive. Random acts of terror accompany our conscious daily existence. Critical spots around the world know only destructive frenzy.
Neighborhoods world-wide teach children to distrust strangers and be vigilant in looking over their shoulders. It is time to remind each other of common visions and engage in common missions. It is a day of calling forth utopian hopes to sidle beside concrete dreams and commonsensical practices. Reduced to its basic minimum, this day wishes that each one meet their own requirements before we ring out another year.
Kung He Fat Chai!
