culture is an odd thing

Happy Lunar New Year! On the 14th, I (Ox) passed the torch of good luck onto the Tiger. Personally, I would've preferred to muscle a few more days, but what would be the odds of an ox taking out a tiger? Best of luck you bloody 86ers!

A few days ago, I was contemplating my luck for the year. Traditionally, one should not clean on the day of the Lunar New Year or you will be sweeping out your luck for the year. Girls shouldn't wash their hair for the next 3 days or you'll wash out your knowledge. And my all time favorite: parents and elders given their young'uns ang pows - red envelopes with money.

The holiday is wrought with superstition. I find myself a rational person, yet I always have the urge to clean my room and eat long noodles around the Lunar New Year. It's not just superstition, it's my culture. Of course, being one in favor of fusion, this is also the opportunity for more New Years Resolutions.

Just like that cultural based impulse that makes me clean my room around the Lunar New Year, there is also the hard wired impulse that tells me a cheongsam is a wardrobe staple I need.

Perhaps if I wasn't part Chinese, I wouldn't care as much about my need for a cheongsam. Given that I am part Chinese, I can't help but think that the cheongsam not only emphasizes that, but was made to look good on people of the region. To top that off, the thing is so ethnic looking, it can sometimes look like a costume, a wicked costume, but costume no less. There's nothing like owning a piece of clothing and thinking 'damn, this looks really really good on me.' Culture is an odd, but awesome thing. I'd feel so out of place in an Aodai, a Kimono, or Hanbok given my lack of exposure to any of those cultures - those would all be costumes on me, but I feel quite at home rocking a cheongsam.