Thailand is in fact one of the nearest countries to Malaysia. The Thai ladies are known for their tenderness and therefore Thailand is where men can find solace in feminine charms.

Chen Qin Lu, a single man from Teluk Intan, Perak, has travelled to Hat Yai, Thailand, where he met his future wife Kaweiphom from Chiang Rai, northern Thailand.

He soon decided to marry her in Teluk Intan and start their own family.

Kaweiphom told Sin Chew Daily about the different ways of celebrating Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Thailand.

Kaweiphom’s grandfather is a Teochew from China while her grandmother is a pure Thai woman. Their descendants are all married with local Thai people and are therefore used to the Thai language as well as culture since young.

Celebrating Songkran only

The new year in Thailand is known as "Songkran" or the water festival.

Kaweiphom has been celebrating Songkran since young instead of Chinese New Year.

Apart from splashing water during the Songkran festival for blessings, Thais will normaly prepare some food on the day and load it inside a special container with the name of the deceased on it. The food is then sent to a Buddhist temple for prayers.

Like the Chinese, the Thai people put a lot of emphasis on respecting the elders. This can be seen during Songkran as sticky rice, cookies, water and so on are served to parents or seniors. The juniors are also required to accompany them when they enjoy the food and chat with them.

Thais also pay respect to the Kings of Thailand during Songkran celebrations as a symbol of respect for the royal family of Thailand.

Learning Chinese customs from work

Kaweiphom pointed out that due to her poor family background, she only completed her standard four education at a primary school and had to work as a maid for a Teochew family as well as a tailor when she was 15 years old. She later managed to have her own tailor shop.

She said she learned a lot of Chinese customs and Teochew delicacies from the family she worked for. As a result, she found she doesn't find it a problem handling Chinese New Year celebrations in Malaysia.

Getting used to local customs

She added, the Chinese customs also vary according to the places of origin. For example, her husband Chen Qin Lu is a Cantonese and one of their customs is to serve only a sacrificial offering to a god at a time, while the Teochews in Bangkok serve all the gods at home with the same sacrificial offering.

After her marriage, Kaweiphom just follows the Cantonese customs when celebrating Chinese New Year and she completely gets used to the local Chinese customs as well as Chinese festivals.

Making Chinese New Year cookies

During Chinese New Year, Kaweiphom would usually prepare a couple of appetising Thai dishes such as tom yam soup and the red seafood curry for reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

She is also excellent in making local Chinese New Year cookies such as honeycomb cookies, arrowhead crisps and so on.

For her, there are many common features among the Chinese in both Malaysia and Thailand. Therefore, she doesn't have any problem at all to get used to the life as well as festive celebrations in Malaysia!