Chinese New Year Eve, the Reunion of the Year

Today is the eve of the Chinese New Year. This evening will see the much anticipated event, the most important reunion dinner of the year. This is the reason why families make the long journey home, from all over the country and from other countries too, either driving, flying or catching the train or bus. In countries where there are Chinese people, they will all make their way home, no matter where they work.

Kuala Lumpur, the busy metropolis, whose roads are usually clogged with heavy traffic is unusually quiet. Almost deserted roads make it a pleasure to drive, especially for a person who is no longer familiar with the roads.

A week before, families would have spring cleaned their homes, inside out, in readiness for the new year. For those believers, they would have sent off the Kitchen God with offerings, among which is the nien gao or sticky glutinous cake, so that his mouth will not be able to give adverse reports of the family.

Red is the prominent color, for it signifies prosperity. Most people would dress in red especially the children. House decorations are also in red, red paper cuttings of auspicious characters, red lanterns, red packets dangling from plants. Ang pows or red packets containing money are readied, to be given out to children and the unmarried ones when they offer you greetings for a Happy and Prosperous New Year. The married ones will give ang pows to the singles and to children.

The reunion dinner these days is held in restaurants rather than at home as it is deemed to be more convenient. The mothers will not have to slave over hot stoves to prepare the special dishes to welcome home their brood and grandchildren. Everyone will enjoy the evening in comfort and partake of the scrumptious food prepared by the chefs that strive to outdo one another.

Hotels and restaurants advertise set menus for tables of ten guests each at different prices, depending on the type of dishes they are offering. These are very special dishes that have expensive ingredients and delicacies that are not usually offered at any other time of the year.

However in my family, it is the tradition that our members bring a dish or two to my youngest brother's house where the ancestral tablets are and prayers are offered to our ancestors. After the prayers, we then sit down to our reunion dinner and the evening is spent in familial bonding.