It was the end of the 15 day celebration of the Chinese New Year that starts during the 1st day of the Lunar Moon and ends 15 days later with a Full Moon. Also known as the Lantern Festival, Bukit Bintang was appropriately adorned for the occasion. The Grand Millenium Hotel, which was stone’s throw away from the street where the grand celebration was to be held, lived up to its name. With a sweeping grand staircase, the whole lobby was punctuated by a 5-6m. high “drop-dead” gorgeous glass chandelier and a magnificent flower arrangement under it just like an exclamation point. With black marble and gold leafed water features on its lobby, this hotel leaves no stone unturned as a hotel personnel await every guest for any assistance that might be needed. This hotel is like the pearl that every dragon awards itself during its dance. (Or was that the lion?)
Other places of interest in the Bukit Bintang area is a mall called the Pavillion. With 7 levels of shopping pleasure, there is no shortage of merchandise when it comes to this indulgence every traveler participates in. As with every Chinese New year, nothing is left to chance when it comes to channeling good fortune. Like the platters of oranges and tangerines required during this special occasions, the preliminary dances shown at the entrance of the primary st. were like hors d’ oeuvres designed to whet one’s appetite of the celebration to come. By this time, it’s apparent that this celebration is not taken lightly by Malaysians, if one judges it by the crowd that has gathered around this corner. It was a small stage and by no measure was it the major stage where the VIP’s were to watch. At this point there were well over 200 people trying to get a glimpse of the entertainment being dished out on this minor stage. This crowd was nothing short of the crowd reminiscent of their Chinatown a few hundred meters away. Like the candy tray that is supposed to be filled up with 8 varieties of dried sweet fruits every Chinese New Year, Chinatown KL boasts of thousands of merchandise being hawked along Petaling St. From perfumes, to handbags, to t-shirts and watches, there is something for every jaded shopper (if only to feel good that you were able to get a good discount). Open from dusk till midnight, Chinatown looks remarkably like any other Chinatown in the world. It’s tight, it’s crowded, it’s every nature-lover’s nightmare, and every shopper’s dream.
In Chinatown I don’t think my press pass would have mattered. But with this crowd, I felt very privileged as I waved my press pass and walked past every other person being stopped by the guards. Little did I know that I was to suffer the same fate once the Prime Minister has arrived. But before that eventuality the KL authorities made sure of his and other VIP’s luck by practically lighting up two viewing stages, one major and one minor in its most elaborate themes. With red undeniably as the theme for the minor stage, it would almost be sad if the VIP’s on this stage don’t experience any amount of happiness during this year of the rat (for the native English speaker, wouldn’t rodent be more subtle?...just asking). As for the bigger stage where the prominent, and I guess real VIP’s were, it was decked in gold, obviously a gesture of more wealth and prosperity for the Year of the Rodent. It was also interesting to observe that the horde of children in rat’s costume were all in gold (perhaps this year of the golden rat is responsible). As we awaited the arrival of the Prime Minister, the crowd, at this point had swelled to numbers which I can’t begin to hazard a guess. Seated on bleachers next to the major stage, all we could see are throngs of people, almost like the family ancestors who are remembered during this auspicious moment. But the minute the shoving and pushing starts, it was as if you wish you never had this many ancestors. The worst part of is, if you are carrying a back pack, you are none the wiser to leave it in your hotel. Now if these people were really deceased ancestors, then it might be a different story. Speaking of ancestors-“ethnic ancestor,” it was spectacular to see dancers in their full costume regalia. Not only was each ethnic group was well represented, even minorities from each ethnic group was there as well. Costumes replete with every imaginable decoration, long, shiny, feathers, gold, beads, make-up, they were all there, proud and ecstatic. Personally, the one’s with pheasant feathers were mesmerizing to me. Unfortunately there was no opportunity for me to ask about their group any further.
As luck would have it, our opportunistic location – along the road, right in between the grand VIP stage, and the performance stage – was soon to run out. Just like dancer’s heralding the arrival of Cleopatra in Rome (for those too young to remember, this was the Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton version), Chinese theater characters paved the way for the Prime Minister’s grand emergence. Unfortunately, it was at this point where all the media people clamoring for a position to get a glimpse of what was to go on were pushed aside leaving us little else but to give up covering the activities. And just like the fireworks, our own steam fizzled out. In hindsight, it would have been wise to position ourselves at the top most bleacher next to the major VIP’s stage and await the opportunity to shoot from “almost a VIP’s perspective.” As patience and drive started to wear-off, our group of 20 made a bee-line, or should I say a ‘dragon-line’ outside the celebration venue. Just like the Dragon Dance-Southern style – the style that symbolizes the myth Chinese New Year – this celebration did not reveal itself to us. And neither did any of the other numbers in the program. One member who was bent on doing more coverage even went back, and disappointingly came back empty handed. I was more shocked when she mentioned that the fireworks were totally uninspired.
However, just like the phrase, “Hope springs eternal…” (unfortunately not a Chinese couplet, nor from a Chinese fortune cookie) there is a lesson to be learned in all these. For posterity and good photos, here are some tips on how to maximize one’s Chinese New Year in Kula Lumpur:
1.) Visit the area where it will be held the day before the celebration;
2.) Make sure you know which is the back and the front of the stage;
3.) If you are press, find out if you can sit at the top most part of the bleachers (assuming they will use the same arrangement) right next to the VIP stage;
4.) If you are not press, look for a restaurant, or a building in the stage area whose second floor is all glass and has a view of the front of the stage;
5.) And last but not the least, do your bathroom break as close as possible before the arrival of the Prime Minister, that way you won’t have to miss any of the program.
So for all the sundry reasons why you choose to see this particular Chinese New Year celebration, may the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth, and the Star of Longevity shine on you…of course you realize that was a Chinese couplet, and because it was from Wikipedia… it may just as well be the Myth of the Chinese New Year.
