IT IS the same story every year as Chinese New Year brings with it the hustle and bustle associated with the festivities.
This includes traffic jams on major highways to mark the exodus and influx of city folk to and from their hometowns.
At its peak, the usual two-hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to Bidor, Perak, can take up to four hours.
One particular year, when live traffic feeds were still unheard of, I endured a seven-hour crawl on my return to Kuala Lumpur.
Long queues at bank counters are also an unavoidable ritual for those preferring notes in their ang pow packets to be fresh and crisp.
Somehow, unless the recipient is far away, e-ang pow just doesn’t have the same feel and effect.
There is also plenty of planning and shopping for festive preparations. Baking biscuits. New clothes. Auspicious plants and decorations.
And lest we forget that the meals served at this time of the year are always nothing less than sumptuous, which means hours slaving away in the kitchen.
Why are the Chinese so eager to go through all the hassle?
The answer is simple. This is the time to be with family, some of whom you may only see once a year due to distance and work commitments. It is a wonderful feeling.
There is nothing like the warm, fuzzy comfort of being with your own clan.
One can imagine the joy felt by members of the Chan family from Butterworth, Penang as 487 of them gathered at the SRJK(C) Li Hwa hall for the homecoming meal this year.
It was reported by The Star that this is the third time the Chan family has held such a massive get-together.
The last was in 2010.
Consisting of five generations, Chan Teng Hee, 55, a third-generation member of the clan, said a gathering was called because of the many additions to the family since the last get-together.
Planning for the event had taken place as early as September last year and event highlights included singing songs and gift exchanges.
The Chan’s gathering brought to mind a similar feat organised by Federation of Malaysia Lim Associations (FMLA) president Tan Sri Lim Hock San at Wisma Huazhong, Kuala Lumpur, in August 2018 where 1,000 guests turned up.
This was not a homecoming gathering although the plan was hatched during a Chinese New Year reunion dinner.
The actual event was for the birthday celebration of two family elders but the objective was similar – to foster family unity.
“When a family is united, it is easier to overcome challenges.
True, not everyone will see eye to eye all the time. But give and take, all things will smoothen out,” said Lim in his speech then.
This year, after having spent a large amount of money to buy, renovate and move into our new house, I had to scale back on the festivities.
Instead of making a trip back to Ipoh where my cousins and childhood friends were, I decided instead on a more intimate celebration consisting of only my family of four and a home-cooked meal.
My eldest son, who has been part of the yearly balik kampung rush since he was 22 days old, was the first to comment on the lack of numbers at the reunion dinner table.
Save for the disruptive years brought on by the movement control order, he could always count on sitting down to a grand meal at a Chinese restaurant, surrounded by his mother’s many relatives to usher in the new year.
Naturally, I felt his gloom.
Fortunately, the setting off of fireworks was a multitudinous affair this year.
The sight of brocades, chrysanthemums and farfalle (pyrotechnic terms for fireworks) blooming and booming across the city skyline at the stroke of midnight on the eve brought us much cheer as we watched the spectacle from our apartment balcony.
A lunch invitation from a friend and a dinner date with an uncle on the second day of Chinese New Year also had an uplifting effect.
Having experienced what it feels like to take a backseat where lunar new year celebrations are concerned, I have made up my mind that you cannot forgo certain occasions in life.
As such, I will make sure to plan for a merrier celebration next year.
As Chinese New Year next year falls on Feb 10, it coincides with Valentine’s Day on the fourth day of the Spring Festival.
I am sure that there will be an equal abundance in ang pow and roses next year.
Meanwhile, I will be looking forward to the yee sang tossing session that seven of my school friends have planned for ourselves this weekend.
May the huat (meaning prosperity) be with all of us this year!
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