[VIDEO] Lunar New Year greetings: A time of familial bonds

PERHAPS the most precious aspect for many when marking the end of the ‘old year’, and welcoming renewed blessings of the next calendar, is to be with loved ones – the individuals and community that one finds comfort in.

This Chinese New Year (CNY) showcased that very essence as The Vibes Culture & Lifestyle followed two working-class families that commonly frequent the trade area of Jalan Alor on the eve of their celebrations.

A true family affair

Just a walking distance from the renowned street sits the nostalgic Blue Boy Mansion located at the end of Jalan Tong Shin.

There, 53-year-old Soh Swee Huat lives with his spouse and two young boys on the 5th floor of the seven-storey residential building that was built in 1962.

Festivities started as early as 8am for the Soh family, with Swee Huat and his wife Xing Soh beginning the day with prayers as part of their ritual.

We could see the two prepare prayer offerings (to Heaven, the family gods, the ancestors, and wandering souls) and festive dishes symbolic of the occasion. Not long into the morning, their sons joined them in the activities.

For them, the annual celebration has always been intimate, one that focuses on the immediate family.

“It’s not that it is done by choice but more so due to circumstances,” shared Swee Huat.

“I have multiple siblings, but I am only close with my youngest brother whom I truthfully share a connection with.

“I am still respectful of my other siblings, but we are only great (in our bonds) with our words, not necessarily with our hearts after mom passed away,” he added.

For the part-time massage therapist, not having a big group to commemorate the reunion dinner, or in this case, a reunion luncheon, does not mean that his family is at a disadvantage.

Swee Huat strives to maintain the ideal family values by making sure his children can experience traditions he cherished growing up, as well as opportunities he was not able to enjoy.

Both Alexander, 10, and William, 7, attend the nearby vernacular school called SJK (C) Nan Kai and shared that they love playing mobile games – specifically Mobile Legends, Minecraft, and Mech Arena.

“It’s a robot game,” highlighted Alexander, when asked to explain the last of his top choices.

“I want to be a gamer when I grow up,” he noted passionately. Whereas for William, he aspires to become a policeman “… because I like to catch criminals”.

“You know that it’s hard to catch criminals,” Alexander teasingly responded to his younger brother’s answer.

“We don’t have cousins to play with this holiday, only friends. They are coming later, so that’s fun,” shared the big brother.

They continued to engage in a battle with each other on their scooter, showing tricks to the photographer, along the corridor after deciding they had entertained enough questions. This led the writer to chat with their father some more.

“I was born in Perak, and I left school at the age of 13 to come to KL with my mother to work,” shared Swee Huat.

“Before coming here, I only know my mother tongue and only learned to speak in Bahasa (Malaysia) by interacting with others when working and meeting people in the city over the years.

“I would not have dropped out (of education) as early as I did if I could, knowing how important it is today,” expressed the father pensively.

“You see my children speak in English (mostly because of YouTube), I don’t understand a single bit, but I think it’s impressive and funny at times.

“Thankfully my boys are in school, and I am glad that they are. I’m not rich so I’m just waiting and hoping that they grow up to be great in what they do,” he added.

Having witnessed joy in such simplicity during a festival that is usually portrayed to be celebrated on a large scale, proves that special moments can be created even during the humblest of times. The Soh family teaches that prosperity can be attained when we enjoy the present.

New year, great food, and good company

About 10km away from the first family home, we found ourselves at the flat of the Yong family at Setapak Indah Jaya.

They had decided to take a long 11-day holiday away from their seafood restaurant business back at Jalan Alor to celebrate CNY 2022 with a fresh mood after last year’s restrictions.

“I am very happy that my father, who lives alone, is able to join us this year. This time around, I can finally have my extended family with us as well during the reunion so there is definitely plenty of dishes,” expressed Loong Lai Yin.

Her husband, Yong Tian Chai, whom the Vibes team met the day prior at their restaurant to schedule the visit to his home, was sitting at the very end of the table busily entertaining guests.

“He is on a break from being in the kitchen because he is usually the main cook at the restaurant. So, as you can see it’s mostly myself and my boys on kitchen duty,” said the 41-year-old mother, noting that they prepared a wide variety of dishes that suit specific dietary preferences, including a vegetarian option.

Those who are familiar with the annual function typically would expect that there is enough food on the table to feed a whole village, and this is true where the Yong family is concerned.

They could probably feed the entire floor of their flat with the buffet prepared if they wanted to, with plates on top of plates that can be seen served throughout the day.

It’s a different ‘dining setting’ for the reunion than most households, as the family placed long plastic tables along the corridor in front of their unit instead of inside their home.

“This way our family and our neighbours (whenever they are free) can enjoy the feast without cramming in such a tight space with all the social distancing rules at play.

“In fact, this is usually how we would set up the tables even before the pandemic,” noted Lai Yin.

The atmosphere was notably more energetic compared to the Soh family home.

The Yong clan, which also includes Yong Kien Boon and Yong Kien Tung (Lai Yin and Tian Chai’s sons, who are both in their twenties), was able to showcase that kinship can even extend beyond the bonds of the nuclear family.

One example is when their next-door neighbour, a young boy in primary school who lives with elderly grandparents, could be seen carefreely enjoying the fares served by Yin’s two boys without being chaperoned.

“He is often with us even if it’s not during CNY, always love to nose around to see what we are doing,” jokes Kien Tung, who was busy fanning barbequed scallops for their guests.

“It’s great because he would eventually need to work with us one day since he loves coming over,” added Lai Yin playfully.

Sharing on the significance of reunions, she notes that the occasion should be spent with people that you flourish with to make it memorable and strengthen the symbolic meaning behind why they gather a day ahead and into the new lunar year.

“It’s in the spirit of togetherness and we do so the best way we can given the present situation.

“We are thankful that we get to see the day with each other’s presence, and we hope that the community (at large) celebrating CNY is able to enjoy it as we have in their own way,” shared Lai Yin. – The Vibes, February 1, 2022

The Vibes would like to wish a prosperous Chinese New Year 2022 to those celebrating