CNY is almost over… so goodbye, 2010, famously the horrid Tiger year that Feng Shui masters proclaimed “bad” for many other animals of the zodiac. (Kings and I are “dragons.” Dragons, “everyone” knows, don’t see eye to eye with Tigers. Rockstar is a “pig”. Might I add, an unplanned pig who landed us bad service at Sanatorium because pigs are desirable (they will “never go hungry” ie will have good life) so the staff were horribly overworked at Christmas.)
We don’t really follow this closely but my mum is quite an avid Feng Shui-er so we get an occasional earful…
And this is very much not an older-generation thing, one of my close girlfriends didn’t start trying for a baby til after July last year because she didn’t want a Tiger baby… I overheard a colleague in the office give the same reason for skipping a year…
Come to think of it, the very obviously “desirable” vs “non-desirable” years probably make quite a difference to school intakes and various other kiddie facilities in Hong Kong so if you are not into Chinese superstition and live here, milk it! (For eg one of our pastors loves the “death floor”. There are no 4th floors in newer buildings in HK, (or 14th, or 24th or 34th and so on) so he seeks out old buildings and “death floor apartments” so he can negotiate cheaper rent.)
But, I digress.
If 2010 was a crappy year for you, you can Dar Siu Yan (literally Beat The Small Person). I think the definition of “small person” is the same in English as it is in Cantonese, ie back stabbers and such in the office. But there’s an additional belief that if you had bad luck (usually in health or business) it might be because “something bad” is “following” you, or some small person did something like this to you. So this is not just revenge, it’s kind of self defense?
(My friend speaks only Cantonese ok, think that’s easy to reproduce in English??)
For that, you only need a name. And under this flyover in Causeway Bay is the famous “Dar Siu Yan” service. Note the burning candles next to the lady in the grey jacket. (At my incredulity, my companion responds “What, this is famous, don’t you know?”)
You only need to give these aunties a name. My friend earnestly tries to remember if you also need their birthdate (he thinks maybe not), but assures me you don’t need the “Siu Yan’s” nail or hair clippings (he thinks this is useful for you to know). Wonder if this is why I once saw a guy count his nail clippings and make sure he properly disposed of every single one after he finished clipping his nails.
Unlike in temples where they accept “donations,” you must pay an official fee for this service. Then the auntie will take out a clog (traditionally), though that may have evolved into a shoe nowadays, and she will start hitting something with the name of your small person and recite a ditty something like this:
“Dar Lei Ge Siu Yan Tau
Dar Dou Yau Hei Dou Ng Sik Thau”
(Rough literal translation: Beat on your small person head, til even if you’re alive you will not know how to draw breath)
That was all my friend remembers, there are apparently many and varied chants
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When I first got here, one of my former (half-Aussie) bosses regaled me with tales of a market near Times Square that sells snake – apparently you could see Chinese Tai-tais stuffing bloody snake parts into expensive Louis Vuitton and Prada bags so on a whim one day I went looking for it. Never did find it, but a local friend showed me Seh Wong Yee or Snake King II, the famous Causeway Bay cooked snake/ snake stew restaurant… Eating snake is popular when it’s cold, like right now, usually in a broth or thick soup.
(And yes I’m aware of the “chiak jua” eating snake pun – in Hokkien or Teochew it apparently means to slack off)
This store used to open just 3 months a year, my friend continues, but the “younger generation doesn’t eat as much snake” so they open longer and throw in chicken and duck meat nowadays to supplement their income.
Closeup of the store
(Eating cat or dog is –surprise, surprise – illegal in Hong Kong btw, but not snake. So if you see someone selling dog/cat meat please feel free to call the cops on the bastard. I’ve met local Hongkie dog owners who say they’ve done that before years ago in the Pok Fu Lam area.)
