New Year Festive

 

"Mom, are we going back hometown for Chinese New Year?"
That is always the first thing I ask a week before Chinese New Year. We would usually go back to Ipoh to celebrate Chinese New Year with our grandparents, together with my uncles, aunties and cousins. Every Chinese New Year is definitely precious to me because we only get to go back once a year and meet everyone there.

One hour and a half car ride made my legs felt numb. Except listening to music and sleeping, no one actually spoke during the entire car ride. My brother and sister had some secretive conversation going on at the back, my dad dozed off for an hour straight, while my mom sped down the road.

Remember those days, the day before Chinese New Year, when we don't have hand phones, my brother and I will fight with our cousins for the only PSP in the house. We played Jenga, Battleship, Uno, Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders to waste time as time always seemed to be slow in the afternoon. Meanwhile, our parents, aunties and uncles will chat at the dining room from morning till dusk, as there were nothing to do. My cousins, my brother and I would hang out at the park every evening, running and cycling around the neighbourhood till one of my uncles would come and yell us to go home. After showering, everyone settled down on the huge tables in the dining room. Staring at my aunties' cooking, those dishes are surely mouth-watering. Everyone gobbled down the food on the tables once our grandparents allowed us to eat. The dining room was full with giggling and laughter. Right after dinner, everyone, including our grandparents, parents, aunties and uncles would gather at the living room to watch the 8TV new year movies, which me and my brother will always get scolded by our parents for sleeping at 1am.

The fireworks in the midnight was loud and noisy. I could not go to sleep every New Year eve nor watch the fireworks either, because the doors were all locked and the window of our room could not even see the sky.

On Chinese New Year, the day itself, my grandpa will light up two bundles of firecrackers early in the morning. Everyone was dressed in red and the house was like a red colour ocean. Waking up early was the hardest thing for me. I was immediately replenished when I saw my cousins, aunties and uncles smiling. After greetings and wishing them, receiving ang pows was the best thing throughout the New Year. I would get up to a hundred dollars pocket money. Some times, there will be lion dances in the neighbourhood. We would gather at our neighbour's house just to watch the lions (and touch them).

"Jie, gor gor ask if you want to go out to the park." My brother slumped on a chair beside me, driving my thoughts away.

He had his badminton rackets in his hands. I glanced up and saw my cousins already changed in their sportswear. Maybe I should put my phone aside for a moment and enjoy the fresh air outside.

"Sure, let's go." I grinned, dashing across the hallway, towards our room and dug my luggage for my sportswear. This year's Chinese New Year is still the same, like last time. Though our average age is sixteen, we still run around, shouting and screaming while playing tag.

Chinese New Year, for me, is the best festival for the year. Not just counting ang pows, I like it when everyone willingly chat and play together under the same roof, no matter what kind of era is this now.

🐯 Rawr 🐯