How much longer can we keep our Chinese New Year traditions alive?

When I was a kid, Chinese New Year had felt so magical. It wasn’t just the “ang pows” that made it so memorable. It was the whole atmosphere of joy, cheer and family togetherness!

It was a time of getting together with my maternal grandpa and grandma, my paternal grandma, uncles and aunties, assortment of cousins and second cousins. Uncles, aunts and cousins whom we had not seen for ages would return from far away to celebrate the Chinese New Year with us. We would spend countless of hours at grandpa’s place with many relatives coming and going.

Grandpa’s place was huge ~ a three story house with split levels for the kitchen and the dining area; it was a wonderful place to play “pang pang” (hide and seek) and “ah chi chook”. And who could forget uncles and aunties at the mahjong table playing till the wee hours of the morning?

And what would Chinese New Year be without the adults adhering to the superstitions or “pantang larang”. (Nowadays, I see it more as keeping the tradition alive rather than adhering to superstitions.) Mom was not much of a traditionalist but she adhered to certain rules i.e. hiding the broom and no sweeping on the first day. She used to nag us for wearing black, grey or blue on the first day of the Lunar New Year. She believes that we should usher in the New Year wearing bright colours.

What would Chinese New Year be without “pau cheong” (firecrackers)? As kids, we used to light up fireworks a week before the New Year. The din of fireworks would be all around the neighbourhood. We have a Hokkien neighbour who would light up a huge “pau cheong” on New Year’s Eve to “chip chow san” (usher in the God of Wealth). When we got together with our assortment of cousins, we used to run around the neighbourhood, play “ko kuan” (gala panjang) and all sorts of games that we could think of or create. They were such perfect and carefree times.

Then grandpa died, followed a decade later by grandma and subsequently the other grandma passed on too. Grandpa’s house was sold and we started visiting uncles and aunties homes instead of gathering at one common place. The get together got smaller and smaller as years passed. A few uncles, aunties and their families from far away started returning fewer and fewer times, until a few do not return at all. We (my cousins, sisters and I) grew up and we moved on to larger cities and other countries to study and work. As time goes by, due to work commitments and other things, there are fewer people returning home or if we do, our schedules might not match.

I looked at our family get together recently and realised that it has gotten so much smaller. A few uncles, aunts and their families did not return. A few cousins were working overseas and could not return. I rushed through the New Year back home and returned to KL earlier due to work and dissertation deadlines. Although our get together was fun, the joy and cheer seemed more muted these days. The din of firecrackers and mahjong games has almost faded away. I looked at the faces of my cousins during the New Year and wondered if we would still have this get together in say 10-20 years time. Would we still gather together long after our elders passed on?

We are not kids anymore and perhaps, we do not view festivals in the same light. To some, it might be a chore to go home. To others, they might rather spend the long stretch of public holiday going for holidays. I can’t help but feel that we are losing an essential part of our tradition and culture. Would this festival become nothing more than a date on a calendar one day? Would it be another commercialised celebration; all money, no heart? Would the celebration become a mere memory to be told and retold in history for generations to come? I certainly hope not.

Happy Chinese New Year and an early Happy Chap Goh Mei to all! May the year of the dog bring you good health, fabulous luck, much cheer and plenty of wealth. And may it also bring the family together and build stronger family ties.

Gong Xi Gong Xi!