My Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner

It was the time of the year again. The time where the whole family gets together. It is Chinese New Year!

Yesterday was the eve of Chinese New Year, and all Chinese will go to their paternal Grandparent’s house and Celebrate this day.

For me, the day started with a nice hotpot at home.

Our delicious hot pot.

My mum decided that we should have a hotpot for lunch that day as all my other relatives can only make it there at 3 o’clock. The day before I had to help my mum carry all the food from Isetan. As you can see from the image above, there was a lot of food, and we had too many left, so we had hotpot for lunch again for tomorrows lunch.

Then we went to our Grandparent’s house by cab. Along the way, we collected a suckling pig for the reunion dinner as Grandma asked every of her children to bring at least one dish to the dinner.

The suckling pig Grandpa, Grandma, and Me.
My favourite cousin Edric and me.

Even though he is only 4 and I am 14, we like to stick with each other because we are the only boys there. The rest of our cousins are girls!

Grandma and me with all the food she and my relatives prepared

Today, there was a great piece of news. My generation of cousins have become Uncles and Aunties (to be exact, 2 Uncles and 19 Aunties). My eldest cousin, Cindy, who is now 24 years old, just gave birth to my now 2 month old nephew, Aden, last December (Okay that was good news to me because I just knew it that day.). He was such a cute little pink thing. When it was my turn to carry the baby, I could feel the baby in my arms, and I tickled his cheeks. He responded to me by ‘hitting’ me on the face. Everyone laughed at the sight, and I felt a little embarrassed.

Then it was dinner time! Time to eat all the scrumptious food we and Grandma prepared, and boy, it was delicious. Especially when you are eating with all your relatives, there is a special feeling that makes it feel and taste good.

Finally, a climax to all of us young ones. ANG PAO!!! This is also a ‘judgement time’ to see whether you have been a good child this year. The more money you get, the ‘better’ child you are. And again, I got the ‘best’ child again 7 years running (We compared the money in secret once our parents started playing mah-jong and ‘ballack’.).

My first Ang Pao from Grandma.

Edric and I Receiving our Ang Pao from Auntie Irene

After that, the adults played Black Jack (a.k.a. Ballack) and we watched TV and talked about school stuff. Edric then pulled me away from the ‘condemned’ girls and played with him dinosaurs and read his story books to him.

After a great and happy night we all gathered at the living room for the countdown to the Ox year.

Some of us on the living room sofa awaiting the countdown. From right to left: Dad, 1st Uncle Thou Sei, Edric, Grandma, and Me.

A happy and wonderful night, a great reunion party to start of the year of the Ox. To my readers, I wish you a very happy Chinese new year.

This is a New Year Song 新年到, by your favourite meadiacorp artists, enjoy!