{"id":33551,"date":"2026-03-29T14:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T06:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?p=33551"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:32:24","slug":"cny-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stuif.com\/blog\/?p=33551","title":{"rendered":"CNY 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In my last blog post about the Chinese New Year, CNY 2025<\/a>. I mentioned a few more CNY-reports. Interesting for me to read them again, as I forgot many details. They are basically all very similar, spending a few days with Aric in Parit Baru, meeting his extended family, and having lots of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post is not different, but I have tried to change the format a bit and add some details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compulsory preparations for CNY are buying new clothes and having a haircut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Early Celebration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten days before CNY, there was an early reunion for Aric’s maternal family in Kepong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Family members had prepared food for reunion dinner in buffet style.-<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Of course ther was Yee Sang, tossing a salad.The higher you toss, the more luck it will bring you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was also a birthday celebration and of course the traditional group photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two days before CNY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We arrived one day earlier than usual, because Aric needed time to prepare the CNY decorations. We reached Parit Baru in the evening and had dinner in the fishing village, a few km from the family house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not many people yet. We had dinner with Aric’s older brother Ah Peng, older sister Aei Ling, and her two kids, Teng Wei and Chun Yee. Of course, we had seafood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY Eve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is nice to join Aric at Parit Baru, after so many years, it feels like I am a family member. But it is also a challenge, because it is difficult to get some privacy. Fortunately, the family has a bungalow, a few minutes’ drive from the family house. We stayed overnight there, and Aric was my Grab driver when I needed some rest and privacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Next morning, we drove back to the family house, where an offering table had been prepared, prayers for the ancestors. That is a tradition on the last day of the year. At the back of the house, there was another, smaller offering table, which I had never noticed earlier. Apparently, it can be found in the countryside, also on the last day of the (lunar) year. Google gives various explanations (chicken, local deities, ancestors).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Aric was busy the whole day, preparing the CNY decorations with the help of nephews and nieces. It was a kind of three-dimensional construction kit, not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had nothing to do, so I decided to take some pictures of the house and its surroundings. The house is located in a Malay kampung. Many years ago, Aric’s father and two uncles started a hardware shop here. Three families lived in the house. The hardware shop is doing well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the past, the three families always had the reunion dinner on CNY eve together, but this time it was separate. Aric’s brother Raymond had arrived with his family. Of course, we had the traditional steamboat \ud83d\ude09 .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY day 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, Aric is inspecting the result of what they had prepared the day before. He is a perfectionist, so he was not 100% happy. “It could have been better”<\/em> But it was good enough to enable him to create his usual digital CNY card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was another offering table for the ancestors. The first day of the month, so vegetarian this time. Note that the table is set for nine ancestors. The Deity on the altar is Tua Pek Kong, the Taoist god of Prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was a quiet morning, but a bit hot to stay inside the house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the afternoon, we drove to a small shrine, a few km from the house. It’s a Datok Shrine, dedicated to a local deity, you find them everywhere in Malaysia. This one is situated nicely beside a small stream. We visit it every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back at the house, I took a few pictures of the shrines there. Left is the shrine for the sky god, right a small Datok Shrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During the day, many more cousins, often with their kids, had arrived. I know the names of Aric’s nephews and nieces, but not of his cousins. Here everybody is relaxing in the common living room, playing cards or watching their smartphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scenic photo of the front door with Aric’s decorations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY Day 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year (and also the next two years), CNY and Ramadan start in the same lunar month. Because the Islamic calendar requires the new moon to be sighted, the actual start of the fasting is one or two days later. Parit Baru has a Kedai Kopi with very good roti canai, we went there for breakfast on the last day that it was open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More photos of the family house. The living room and the kitchen are shared by the three families, but meals are prepared separately. There are three fridges, dining tables, kitchen sinks, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left the part of the kitchen for Aric’s family, the other photo shows the tables for the families of the two uncles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left the toilet and shower section. Right the backyard, doing laundry is a daily chore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After many days of Chinese food, I was in the mood for something different. We drove to Sungei Besar where they have a McDonald’s. I enjoyed a cheeseburger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY day 3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last part of my pictures of the family house. The house is partly wooden, especially the first floor, where each family has its private rooms. During CNY so many people come back that all available space is used to put mattresses. Good that I could escape to the bungalow \ud83d\ude09 .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Giving and\/or receiving Ang Pow<\/a> is part of the CNY celebration. The small red envelopes contain money and signify good luck and prosperity. They are usually given by older people to younger ones. I give Ang Pow, as Uncle Jan, but I also receive them, not sure why ;-). Giving Ang Pow to Aric’s nephews and nieces is always a nice ritual. Aric invites them to the family room, where he has prepared surprises for them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A few of the young ladies had prepared two beautiful vegetarian Yee Sang plates. The three families did the tossing in the common living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Day 3 is always the party day for the Cheah family, with Aric as the organiser. It was a bit unfortunate that it started raining in the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The family had decided to use a caterer for the buffet dinner. Indian food for a change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For the young kids, a fire was prepared, so they could put marshmallows on a stick and fry them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Later, the rain stopped. Aric always organises a kind of lottery game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The traditional group photo. More than 50 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Of course, there were fireworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY day 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the morning, there was another offering table, set for one ancestor only. The first wife of the grandfather, who had passed away on day 4, many years ago. The family is very traditional in keeping the rituals alive. In the right photo, you see how everybody is folding “ghost money” to be burned later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After lunch it was time to go home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I had asked Aric to bring his drone and take some aerial views of the family house and the surroundings. At the horizon the Bernam river, with Perak at the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left Pekan Pari Baru, right a close-up of the Cheah “mansion”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CNY day 5<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was quite exhausted after a 6D5N stay in Parit Baru. But on day 5, we were invited to another CNY reunion in Damansara Mutiara, near where we live. Another big crowd, I escaped to the garden. Aric’s extended maternal family this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both kids and adults like to play cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And of course, another group photo, the third one for me \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hokkien New Year Eve<\/strong>,dy 8 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After recovering during the weekend, there was a nice, small-scale finale on day 8. Aric’s brother-in-law is Hokkien, and they celebrate the New Year on day 9. We visited them in Puchong on the evening of day 8.There was the usual offering table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although I am not a Taoist, I don’t mind joining them in prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Folding the joss papers and burning them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After midnight, there were fireworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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