#SHOWBIZ: Elizabeth's Lunar New Year cheer

POPULAR singer-songwriter and actress Elizabeth Tan's favourite times of the year are Chinese New Year and Christmas.

And now that the Year of the Snake is drawing near, the 'Abang Long Fadil 3' and 'Sheriff: Narko Integriti' star is excited as usual to herald the celestial reptile's arrival.

 SITIAWAN

Elizabeth said in a recent interview that she will be returning to her husband's hometown Ayer Tawar, Sitiawan in Perak for Chinese New Year, and has been doing so since 2022, a year after she tied the knot.

"My husband, Jim and I share a common Chinese New Year wish this year. We want to be proud parents of our first baby," said Elizabeth.

"Regardless of whether it is a boy or a girl, it will be great to have a Snake baby, for the celestial Snake symbolises wisdom and resourcefulness, just what I like."

 YEE SANG

As for Chinese New Year food, Elizabeth loves the festive season's "musts" such as yee sang and mandarin oranges.

Even her aunt's Shanghai-style 'nian gao' or kuih bakul is a delightful delicacy.

"Pineapple tarts are also my favourite, they are a yummy indulgence that I never get tired of.

"While I do gain weight each Chinese New Year, I'm quick to head off to the gym and get myself in shape again, so I don't worry that much about it."

 

Elizabeth Tan eagerly awaits the Snake Year (Picture courtesy of ELIZABETH TAN)
Elizabeth Tan eagerly awaits the Snake Year (Picture courtesy of ELIZABETH TAN)

As a Malaysian Chinese, Elizabeth believes that Chinese New Year in the country is unique with its own specific traditions, such as yee sang and lion dances.

"Many of us now know that yee sang was invented in Malaysia, and our lion dances are different from those found in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"And the tradition of having open houses, where Malaysians of all races celebrate the festival together and share ang pows or red packets, is what makes it special."

 JOY

When asked how her family celebrated Chinese New Year when she was a child,  Elizabeth said that she attended traditional Chinese New Year eve dinners with her extended family at restaurants in the Klang Valley.

"The Chinese New Year eve dinner is always a moment of joy for me because that is where I get to catch up with my cousins, uncles and aunts. And it's also where I get to enjoy lots and lots of scrumptious, traditional Chinese dishes."

Elizabeth also said that Chinese New Year meant a lot to her as a pre-teen because she got to collect red packets.

"In fact, there were times when I collected as much as RM2,000. That was perhaps my best Chinese New Year experience as a child," she said, adding that there was nothing better than hanging out with her loved ones.

 LUCKY

Elizabeth has a confession to make.

"I used to fear lion dances and hide in my bedroom whenever the dancing lions came to perform before us.

"I gradually overcame my fear.

"And when I look back at this, I just laugh at how ridiculous I was back then!"

 

Elizabeth Tan has always celebrated Chinese New Year in Malaysia (Picture courtesy of ELIZABETH TAN)
Elizabeth Tan has always celebrated Chinese New Year in Malaysia (Picture courtesy of ELIZABETH TAN)

When asked if she had ever spent Chinese New Year away from home, Elizabeth said that she was lucky that she did not.

"So far so good. The showbiz industry has always allocated time for me to celebrate the festive occasion with my family.

"This year alone, I have a week off to celebrate it."

Elizabeth's Chinese animal zodiac is the Cockerel, and it is compatible with the Snake.

"While I am not into astrology, I have learnt from conversations with family and friends that this will be a good year for Cockerels," she said, adding that more fame and fortune has been predicted.

Elizabeth has several new projects to herald the Snake year and one of them is a movie produced by Infinitus Productions.

"I can't reveal the details yet, but it is quite an exciting adventure on the big screen.

"This new movie will premiere in cinemas later this year. As for music, I have three new singles on the way."

 STEPHEN CHOW

Elizabeth is a fan of Chinese New Year movies, and her all-time favourite is Stephen Chow's cult classic 'Kung-Fu Hustle'.

"That's a masterpiece, which I never get tired of watching. In fact it is great to watch it every Chinese New Year.

"As for local movies, if there is one starring Jack Lim, I'm definitely game for it."

Elizabeth loves watching fireworks displays every Chinese New Year, even though she has never played with them for safety reasons.

"No Chinese New Year is complete without the colourful bursts of fireworks. Just watching them explode in the sky is a beautiful sight.

"These days, however, I prefer watching lion dances. It is a difficult art form and requires lots of discipline, strength, patience and teamwork.

"I'm always happy to see Malaysian lion dance troupes win big in international lion dance competitions."

 HOMETOWN

Elizabeth has always celebrated Chinese New Year in Kuala Lumpur, her hometown, and she hopes to do so every year.

"Celebrating Chinese New Year overseas does make me homesick. I love having a KL Chinese New Year, because nothing beats celebrating it in your very own hometown.

"My family hasn't gone on Chinese New Year holidays at our relatives' homes overseas, because these overseas relatives return to KL to spend the festive season with us."

dchua@nst.com.my

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