Gong Xi Fat Choy

The wording reads: "Gong Xi Fat Choy" - literally it means "Congratulations and Be Prosperous". This is a common New Year Greetings in Chinese tradition :).

Binondo residents get busy on eve of Chinese New Year



Chinese practices combined with Catholic faith in Philippines

MANILA: Around a million Chinese living in the Philippines are busy during this time of the year preparing for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Combining Chinese practices with the country's dominant Roman Catholic faith, hundreds of Chinese Catholics gathered for a special thanksgiving mass to welcome the Year of the Rat. Parishioners came in various shades of red and even priests were vested in red. Chinese liturgical songs that were translated from Filipino hymns reverberated throughout the church. Red Chinese lanterns added to the festive atmosphere as the congregation prayed for peace, joy and prosperity in the new year.

The liturgy ended with the Catholic Rite of Ancestor Veneration. One by one, parishioners came forward to light incense for their beloved dead.

Father Aristotle Dy, Executive Secretary, Chinese-Filipino Apostolate, said: "It's important for the overseas Chinese in the Philippines to continue preserving their culture, to have a link to their culture of origin. The church is able to play a role in that effort to preserve the culture by integrating the celebration of the most important Chinese festival within the celebration of the mass.

"It's very important to show people that there's no dichotomy or conflict between Chinese culture and the Catholic Christian faith. That's a problem we've had in history, where people considered the Catholic religion or the Christian faith as a foreign religion. We are trying to show people that the Catholic faith is universal."

After the mass, both young and old crowded for their share of lucky hong paos.

This union of the Chinese culture and the Catholic Christian faith have contributed to a much more meaningful celebration of the Lunar New Year for the Chinese in the Philippines.

Catholic missionaries are constantly finding ways to help the Chinese faithful take pride in their Chinese cultural heritage, and to find ways of integrating it with their Catholic faith.

That is why even colourful lions and dragons first paid respect at the sanctuary altar before proceeding with their spectacular performance.

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