Ashes in the Light

This year’s Lunar New Year felt quiet, simple, and very much centred around home.

Instead of going out or having an elaborate celebration, I spent time in the kitchen preparing food for our family reunion dinner. There’s something special about cooking during this time of the year — the kitchen gets busy, the house slowly fills with familiar smells, and you know everyone will soon gather around the table.

Some of the dishes were simple, but they carried the warmth of tradition. Reunion dinners have always been less about how fancy the food is, and more about the meaning behind it — being together, sharing a meal, and starting the new year surrounded by family.

As a Singaporean growing up in Singapore, I’ve always felt that our way of celebrating Chinese New Year is slightly different from how it’s traditionally observed in China. Many customs here have naturally become simpler over time. Life moves faster, families are smaller, and celebrations tend to fit into our modern routines.

In China, the traditions can be much more elaborate and deeply rooted. There are rituals leading up to the new year — cleaning the house to sweep away bad luck, preparing symbolic dishes, and decorating homes with red couplets and lanterns. The reunion dinner itself is often a large gathering with extended family, sometimes stretching late into the night.

In Singapore, while we still keep the heart of the celebration, things are usually more relaxed. Reunion dinners might be smaller, and some families choose to dine out instead of cooking at home. The traditions are still there, just adapted to our everyday lives.

One thing that remains very familiar, though, is Chinese New Year visiting. In the first few days of the new year, families make their rounds — visiting relatives, exchanging greetings, and of course giving and receiving red packets. Houses are filled with snacks like pineapple tarts, bak kwa, and love letters, while conversations flow easily from one living room to another.

These visits may seem simple, but they carry a sense of continuity. It’s a way of staying connected with family, catching up with relatives you may not see often, and starting the year with warmth and well-wishes.

Preparing the reunion dinner this year also reminded me of something else — how traditions quietly move from one generation to the next. When we were younger, it was our parents or grandparents doing the cooking. Now, somehow, we find ourselves standing in the same place — preparing food, setting the table, and keeping the tradition going.

The night was filled with the usual laughter, conversations, and of course, far too much food. But that’s exactly what reunion dinners are meant to be — warm, noisy, and comforting.

As the new year begins, I’m grateful for these moments. They may seem ordinary, but they are the ones that stay with us the longest.

Here’s to a new year filled with good health, good food, and many more meals shared around the table.