All set for CNY reunion dinners, minus the fanfare

GEORGE TOWN: While many have resigned themselves to it, others are not too pleased that they can only dine with their own family members to celebrate the coming Chinese New Year (CNY).

An MNC employee, Jesslyn Tan, who stays with her parents, said they would not hold any gatherings or reunion dinners.

“There is no festive mood this year. All our relatives have agreed to stay put.

“No one is going anywhere. We are all spending time with our own families.

“I will set up a nice and simple dinner with my parents on the eve of CNY, just the three of us,” she said yesterday.

Tan, 31, said her family used to entertain over 50 guests in previous CNY celebrations.

“This year, we will have a Zoom meeting, play games and interact virtually,” she added.

Dr Edna Ooi, 27, who is a houseman in orthopaedics, said her family would not be holding any visits or gatherings either.

“It will be just the three of us. Usually, we will visit our relatives in Kedah and other states.

“I am working on the first two days of CNY, so there will be no celebrations either.

“We are just planning a scrumptious dinner before calling up some relatives to chat.

“We will not be going on any visits, maybe just a Zoom meeting for everyone to gather virtually,” she said.

In Petaling Jaya, some families expressed their disappointment and confusion over the standard operating procedure (SOP) for CNY, especially for reunion dinner gatherings.

An accounts manager, who only wanted to be known as Koh, questioned why families who live near each other were not allowed to have reunion dinner together but could travel to work and make a 10km radius trip.

“My mother, in her 80s, lives with my sister just down the road from my house but with this SOP, we are not allowed to gather in my house.

“I think it is absurd and does not make any sense,” said Koh, in her 50s.

Gabrielle Chin expressed disbelief with the SOP, noting that the partners of the people living in the same households do not live with them.

“What about girlfriends and boyfriends? They are also part of the family. We would usually invite them over for dinner too.

“How do you interpret same household?” the 33-year-old asked.

Bryan Tan, a university student who lives in a rented room in Selangor, expressed his disappointment at not being able to travel back to Penang to see his family.

“I expected it. It is going to be a very lonely CNY for me.

“Perhaps, I will have a reunion dinner with my housemates since we all live together,” the 21-year-old said.

Tan added that he would FaceTime his parents and have a virtual reunion dinner.

Yesterday, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that activities related to the CNY celebrations such as reunion dinners and prayers were only allowed to be done among members of the family living in the same house.

Ismail Sabri also said visits were not allowed and that prayers at temples could be carried out with just five of the temple’s committee members.