In today's context, the 'reunion dinner' that precedes 'Chor Yat' (The first day of the Lunar Calendar or Chinese New Year) might not mean much to some of the younger Chinese especially those in Malaysia. Now, before you bite my head off hear me out!
To begin with, how many people are there working abroad or 'out-of-station' leaving their family behind? Not as many as those in days of old, I suspect, as most young ones live within the comforts of the M-40 familial surroundings. But then again, that's generalising.
To experience a true reunion dinner, one would have to be away from the family. After all if one lives in the same house, daily dinners would probably already be a common feature, so where is the reunion and who does it involve? This question was posed to me by my adult daughter.
And so, the history of reunion dinners is more reflective of the fact that in China, many parents leave their children behind with grandparents or relatives in order to fend for the family in a faraway town or city spanned across 5 time zones! And with the importance of reuniting with family, the reunion dinner becomes a focal event, leading up to the festivities. Not seeing one's parents is very common in China, and you can only imagine the difficulties in days before 'wei-xin' chats (China's equivalent of our Whatsapp).
In my family, my late mom (May she rest in peace) used to work in a small town, almost 2 hours away from Kuala Lumpur. She leaves her two older children with her mother-in-law, while the third is left with her adoptive family to attend school nearby just to get to work during the week. As the youngest, I got to experience my younger years away from KL in that small town called Morib. The reunion would be weekend dinners. During CNY, the evening prior to the new year would mean a big dinner involving our immediate family, in my auntie's house as she was single. The quintessential lotus root with pork bones soup (with some fatt chai), lotus root minced meat served with lettuce leaves, steamed chicken, Hakka pork with black fungus and fried pomfret was the fare. Although we would sit as a family every forth-night, those reunion dinners were truly a reunion!
With the nation having transitioned to endemic-status post MCO (covid lockdowns), this reunion dinner is even more meaningful for me especially to reunite with my family after being away for 4 years. I imagine too for the many who have only started to travel unrestrictedly that this reunion dinner would mean even more to them.
I suppose too for those who are still living under the same roof, this reunion dinner though not that all too different from the daily dinners would also mean more, that this year of the rabbit will be ushered within the familiarity of their homes.
Happy Chinese New Year to those celebrating and may your reunion dinner bring your family all that much closer, spiritually, culturally and physically!
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