Name Me a Name

I have always thought it is sweet of Americans to name their newborns after someone dear to their hearts. Like you know, little Sue is named after Aunt Sue who passed away 3 months ago. Or little Peter is named after Grandpa Peter, who passed away years ago. Bless his soul, after being run down by a car when he was out for a walk.

Apparently such practice is not allowed in the traditional Chinese custom. It is considered bad luck to name a newborn after a departed relative. It is like putting a curse on the newborn. I have seen how the elders in the family have to do their homework in recalling the names of all their cousins, uncles, aunties, brothers or sisters, just to make sure that the name Mei Hwa was not taken up years ago, by a bad luck aunt who died choking on fishbone, or an Ah Kow who had passed away a decade ago, falling into the drain due to bad street lighting.

It's a no-no thing. :(