TOSS HIGH AND WISH!

Some years ago, an American friend of mine who was here on vacation, joined me and a group of other friends for a Yee Sang treat.

The Yee Sang dish was the appetiser. First the thick, treacly sauce was poured over the ingredients. Then everyone stood up to "Loh Hey". (You have to stand up when you "Loh Hey". Take it from me, half the fun and the spirit of the occasion are gone if you sit down and do it.)

Bemused, my American friend asked me what it was all about. I explained to her that the ritual was an invocation of good fortune and a wish for the myriad blessings the New Year could bring. Everyone at table invited her to join in and she was most eager to.

Unfortunately, she wasn't quite at home with a pair of chopsticks. Could she use her spoon, she wanted to know. No way. The ingredients would slither off. What about a fork? Nope, the thin slivers would get caught between the tines. 

It had to be chopsticks to make the ritual genuinely, authentically Chinese. Using a fork or spoon to Loh Hey would have been like putting the Queen of England in a cheongsam. Not a winning combination, sad to say.

Since it would take too long to teach my American friend the art of using a pair of chopsticks (and we were all famished), we did the next best thing. We improvised. While I "Loh Hey-ed" she placed her palm over the back of my hand. That way, she sort of participated in the Loh Hey ritual too, in a vicarious manner. How romantic, did you say? Hardly. She was a Catholic nun.

But to get back to Loh Hey. The Chinese believe that the higher you toss, the greater the luck that comes your way. But you have to shout when you Loh Hey. Voice out loud what it is you wish for and fill the air with merriment and laughter. That's the way to create the true spirit of Loh Hey. Never mind the neighbours. They'll probably be having their own Yee Sang party.

One practical explanation for the practice of Loh Hey is that it helps the sauce to blend well with the ingredients. That's why the slivers of food are tossed high, and not once but several times.

But there's one lovely and meaningful interpretation of the Loh Hey ritual which I once heard and which I'd now like to share with you. According to this version, when you toss the ingredients high, you lift them towards Heaven, that source from which all blessings come. It's an offering you make to Heaven before you yourself consume the dish. Then, when you utter your wish with all your heart, Heaven hears and responds. 

But wish for something sensible. If you're tone-deaf, for instance, and you aspire to step into Celine Dion's shoes, your wish might be more than even Heaven can manage.

When you Loh Hey, wish for something you can believe in, something that can come about in your life. Then practice the virtue of patience, and before the year is out, what you desire may just come to you.


-BOLDWRITER-