26.8.07

First-moon dinner for a baby


This week I attended a first-moon dinner in celebration of a friend's one-month-old baby.


I wasn't aware of the Chinese tradition, and asked a Chinese-Canadian friend about it. She told me that it is customary to give a small red envelope containing money as a gift.




I went to a shop on Dundas Street in Chinatown and found an envelope. There were a lot of different designs. The couple in the shop helped me pick out the right kind.


I asked the host at the restaurant in the Queen's Quay Terminal where to put the envelope. He said to give it to the baby's mother, which I did.


A very nice tradition. The multiple-course meal made up of small dishes was excellent and it was very nice to celebrate a new life.