I still recall fondly that feeling – everything at home was spick and span, of having families around me and counting down to a new year. I miss it.
I have not watched Chingay in person for many years. My memories of it were limited to floats and stilt walkers and dancers and VIPs / celebrities waving at the floats. That was when I was young, where we would watch it on TV with my families.
Chingay, to me, kind of marks the end of CNY.
One of most memorable things about CNY – is the preparation of reunion dinner at home, with my mother. She’s 88 years old now and has advanced dementia. She barely recognizes me. Back then, on CNY eve, she cooked up a storm and I would there to help her with preparation and washing up while she cooked. We would then all gather to have our reunion dinner. It’s a warm feeling that I would never forget.
After dinner, it would be a rush to clean up the place, hung up new curtains and CNY decorations and arranged the many flowers bought especially for CNY. The final part is helping my parents to get the ang pows ready and watch CNY countdown programs on the TV.
I still recall fondly that feeling – everything at home was spick and span, of having families around me and counting down to a new year. I miss it.
Author: Ping Hwei Chua