SIBU, Feb 11 — Sarawakians living abroad or away from their hometowns will miss the annual Chinese New Year (CNY) reunion dinner tonight and celebrating the Year of the Ox.

The various standard operating procedures due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, along with travel restrictions everywhere have meant this will be a CNY like no other.

Systems architect Elliot Foo, who is an Australian permanent resident, said this would be the second year he will not return to Kuching for the festival.

"We didn’t go back last year because my father-in-law passed away so we could not leave Perth. I thought I could visit home sometime in the later part of the year, but then the coronavirus struck.

"This year we will have a potluck and barbecue dinner with my wife’s side of the family, who are originally from Hong Kong,” he told The Borneo Post on Monday.

The 48-year-old said he feels bad not going home to celebrate and spend time with his ageing parents, especially his mother.

"She is physically healthy but is affected mentally by the endless pandemic. She has had bouts of depression over the past year.

"Thankfully my parents are living with my youngest sister and her family. Even though she has two young kids to look after, she is fully devoted to taking care of our parents’ well-being. For that I’m really grateful for such a ‘superwoman’ sister,” he said, adding that another brother living in Singapore also could not make it home this year.

Mal Liang, 29, said the reunion dinner at home has always been a big do, usually hosted by his eldest uncle, with whom his grandparents live.

"We have the entire crowd, some 30 of us, over for dinner. Sometimes we order from restaurants, sometimes we do potluck buffet. It is great to catch up with everyone because most of us are not based in Kuching and we only get to see each other during this time,” he said.

The Taiwan-based advertising designer noted this will be the first time he spends Chinese New Year away from home in all the years he has been residing outside Sarawak, first in Kuala Lumpur and then in Taiwan, as he always makes it a point to go home for at least a week.

Liang said another highlight of Chinese New Year that he would miss is the family’s road trip on the second day to Sibu, where his mother’s twin brother lives.

"My parents, my sister, and I would get up really early for it. Despite the lousy road conditions, we always enjoy our journey. It is another round of reunion dinner with my uncle and aunt. They don’t have kids, so they love to have us over,” he said, adding that he is worried for them in particular, with the Covid-19 situation in Sibu.

Liang said to celebrate the festival this year, he will join some fellow Malaysians.

"Just a small gathering to count down to a better Year of the Ox. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy wherever they are,” he said.

New Zealander Hayley Chiu, whose father is Sarawakian, is disappointed she would not be able to visit her paternal grandparents and other relatives in Kuching.

The 20-year-old student said she only gets to bond with her Malaysian relatives during Chinese New Year, something she looks forward to every year.

"Besides that, I really love the food, especially the pak lo braised duck! When we go house visiting, I like to try all the various homemade goodies. My favourite is the seaweed snack that’s wrapped with dried fish meat,” she said.

On how she will spend this coming weekend, Chiu said it will be a Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration at home with her family and her aunt’s.

"My mother is of Vietnamese descent, born in Australia, while my father’s younger sister is married to a Vietnamese. My maternal grandparents suggested that we should honour our Vietnamese roots by celebrating Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, so that’s what we will be doing.

"The adults are actually taking two days off work this week in order to celebrate the festival. We will be making all the traditional Tet dishes, including a type of sticky rice known as banh chung,” she explained.

Perak-based analyst Geraldine Chang, 31, said she was a bit sceptical when she booked her flights home to Kuching for Chinese New Year.

"I did not put too much hope in it as my previous attempts to return home last year were also impacted by flight cancellations.

"In light of the rise in cases and the discovery of the mutant strain in Malaysia, I feel that it is better to sit this round of reunion out, as it will definitely lessen the level of distress one would need to go through amidst these uncertain times,” she said.

The thing that Chang will miss the most is her family’s version of open house, as it is always packed with delicious food and good company.

"Nevertheless, I wish all Sarawakians who are at home or abroad, to make the best out of their reunion and celebrate responsibly. We must overcome this together so that we can return home to celebrate in the near future,” she said.

For Miri-born Alicia Loh, 35, home is so near and yet so far as she cannot leave Kuching where she and her husband, also from Miri, have resided for the past 10 years.

"We used to travel back six to eight times a year. As for Chinese New Year, we usually alternate our reunion dinner with our families. One year it’s with his parents, another with mine. This year it’s supposed to be with my side of the family. I miss everyone very much as I haven’t seen them since last March, although I occasionally do video calls with my parents,” she said.

Loh, who is currently a homemaker, will not be celebrating the festival at all, as she finds it pointless to do so.

"The world is battling Covid-19, and people are dying everywhere. I just don’t see the point to celebrate in view of such a depressing situation. It just doesn’t feel right,” she said.

Loh, her husband, and their six-year-old son will have a hotpot dinner at home using ingredients that they pre-ordered from an eatery.

"Even our parents back home have decided to have a quiet dinner. My parents have even told my siblings not to visit them. My husband’s younger brother is working in Brunei, and he is also a case of so near and yet so far from home, so my parents-in-law are also not celebrating.

"Our families will not be doing anything special this Chinese New Year, but this is what we need to do to stop Covid-19 from spreading, and I hope other Sarawakians do their part too. There will be future dinners and gatherings when the world is safe from Covid-19 again,” she said. — Borneo Post