Planting roots

theSun, Tue, 13 Oct 2009

FAMILY traditions and activities during festivals are important for strengthening family ties. At the same time, they teach the children values and help us remember our heritage.

As the world around us becomes increasingly seamless, the lines between cultures and norms fade. And it doesn’t help with our wide exposure to the more dominant cultures of the West via the media.

My daughter, for one, used to think Malaysians celebrate Halloween, and that she is an English girl, not Chinese, since she speaks English.

These days, cultural and religious festivals have an added commercial twist. Shopping malls and restaurants grab the opportunity to boost their business by attracting customers with their lavishly-decorated premises, special discounts and promotions.

Many children, and even adults sometimes, can’t help but be drawn into the hype and party atmosphere.

When I was a child, I remember the excitement of getting Chinese New Year red packets or angpows, eating lots of cookies and sweets, drinking iced carbonated drinks and playing with fireworks and sparklers.

However, it is not these things that matter most to me as an adult now. It is the traditions the family practised that I now remember my roots and know some aspects of the Chinese culture.

We also made it a point to visit all our relatives, and I learnt how to address them according to their rankings in our dialect. I knew who the granduncles, grandaunts, cousins, second cousins, uncles and aunts were, and where their place was in the extended family tree.

We need to remind ourselves of and teach our children the history, meaning and traditions behind the festivals we celebrate and even those of other cultures.

By sharing with our children stories, cultural practices and religious rituals of these festivals, we renew our own knowledge while the children gain a better understanding of it.

Cultural and religious festivals are good opportunities to teach our children about the multi-racial community that we live in.

Children need to learn that there are people from various ethnic groups and nationalities around the world, whose culture and lifestyles differ from their own.

They need to be taught that despite the differences, be it in physical appearance, lifestyle or even the food that they eat or don’t eat, they should accept, respect and treat everyone equally.

The last quarter of the year in Malaysia is the time that sees Malaysians celebrating a series of cultural and religious festivals. Muslims recently observed the fasting month of Ramadan followed by Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Chinese folk recently celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival during 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar that fell on Oct 3, and very soon, the Hindus will be celebrating Deepavali on Oct 17.

Come December, there will be Christmas, Awal Muharram and the Chinese Winter Solstice festival. Then, before you know it, it will be Chinese New Year in February next year.

Festivals celebrated by the minority native groups should also not be left out.

Children learn by example and by participating, especially when fun is involved. For example, by participating in simple activities like making greeting cards and decorative items, reading stories about festivals, singing festive songs, cooking and tasting festive food, going to places of worship, visiting relatives and friends at their open houses, and giving and receiving gifts, they learn a range of skills, lessons and values.

These include creativity, motor skill development, math, science, art, music, heritage, culture, faith, love, forgiveness, generosity, sharing, teamwork, respect, friendship, etiquette, history, and even geography.

At the end of the day, we as parents should think about what traditions we want to share and leave as legacies for our children.