February 09, 2005
Cockle-Doodle-Doo
Before I forget, Happy New Year to everyone out there reading TMB in the blogosphere! Chinese New Year is crossin' over y'all. In another five years it'll actually be recognized as a legitimate American holiday. Hey, one can always hope...
Now here's how I know my parents -- who've been here in the states for 30 plus years -- are what we researchers like to call "acculturated". For as long as I can remember, I used to receive red envelopes stocked with benjamins from them during this time of the year. Okay, they weren't always benjamins, sometimes they were andrew jacksons, and when I was really young they were george washingtons.
This year? Nothing. In fact, I haven't gotten anything from them since hitting my thirties. "You make your own money now," they tell me. Now the Chinese New Year rule is you are supposed to receive red envelopes until you get married. I'm not getting married 'til later this summer, so this was my one last chance to cash in on this venerated tradition (it's a great tradition until the rulebook says it's time for you to give money to others). That's how acculturated my folks are: they no longer dispense the loot, traditions be damned.
On the other hand, it's also supposed to be bad luck to get married during the Year of the Rooster. But what do I care, I'm way, way acculturated. And it was a Mexican guy who told me about that too.
Posted by thomas at February 9, 2005 10:26 AM | TrackBack