A group of Malay singers has performed a Chinese New Year (CNY) song with a festive video to welcome the Year of the Tiger.
CNY, also known as the Lunar New Year, is believed to be significant to ensure good fortune and prosperity for the coming year and has many religious traditions and beliefs.
CNY 2022, the Year of the Tiger will be celebrated on Feb 1. The tiger is considered the symbol of power in Chinese culture.
The four-minute video has garnered over 600,000 views since it premiered on YouTube on January 7.
The Bahasa Malaysia song, ‘Dong Dong Qiang’, is a Malay version of the traditional CNY song.
It features a number of local artistes including Ayie Floor 88, Harry Khalifah, Sarah Suhairi, Beby Acha, Lia Aziz and Aidilia Hilda and had been produced by MVM Music.
Certain Chinese phrases like ‘Dong Dong Qiang’ (traditional Chinese drum sound) and ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai’ (Wishing you prosperity) are peppered through the song, making it very relatable to the Malaysian Chinese community.
The song also incorporates Malay phrases such as ‘Lain bangsa tapi bersama’, ‘Luar kita berbeza, hati tetapkan sama’ (Different race but the same; We’re different on the outside, but have the same heart).
This story first appeared on RadioInfo.asia