Thankful for the return to normalcy

Lucky year: Alice Sum (right) and friends (from left) Chloe Yeap and Chloe Pang posing with rabbit figurines at Treasures of Teochew Heritage, 1 Utama Shopping Centre. The year marks a special time for Alice as she was born in the Year of the Rabbit. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star

PETALING JAYA: The time-honoured open house tradition and gatherings have returned in a big way as the Chinese community ushered in the Year of the Rabbit.

The start of the Chinese Lunar New Year was also a lively occasion for Malaysians of various races who joined the festivities.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong extended their Chinese New Year well wishes to the Chinese community, while the Selangor and Johor Rulers also wished a happy Chinese New Year to all Malaysians.

Their Majesties and the Rulers said the celebration would continue to strengthen the spirit of goodwill, unity and tolerance among Malaysians of different faiths and races.

In Kuala Lumpur, the iconic Guan Di Temple at Chinatown saw celebrations conducted in a simple yet lively manner that included a lion dance performance, reported Bernama.

Several lion dance performances were held at various popular tourist spots and malls across the Klang Valley.

Festivities have been largely muted over the last two years due to the Covid-19 movement restrictions.

In Kelantan, a light drizzle did not stop more than 50 residents from flocking to the Swee Nyet Keung temple in Gua Musang for prayers.

The Kek Lok Si Temple in Ayer Itam, Penang, was also once again brightened up with thousands of beautiful lights in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration.

As part of their Chinese New Year traditions, the Chinese people in Sabah held open houses and went to temples.

Thousands of people used the long weekend holiday to visit tourist attractions such as Kundasang, which is located at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, and Gaya Street, which is famous for its people’s market every Sunday.

Checks found that people who visited public places were still adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb Covid-19, which included using face masks and disinfectants even though the SOPs have been relaxed.

In Sarawak, the long holiday also enabled family members to return home to celebrate the new year with their loved ones.

For Lum Chi Hong, 37, this year’s celebration was more meaningful because his immediate family members – including his father, who works in Singapore – were able to return to Sarawak after not being able to do so for two years due to the cross-border restrictions.

“This year, the Chinese New Year celebration is more lively; all family members far and near can gather together to welcome it,” he told Bernama.

Teo Teck Wei, 38, said the worry over Covid-19 is still there, but knowing that the situation has improved from the past two years makes celebrating the festival this time around more meaningful.

For Chong Koh Lee, 39, she is happy that everything has returned to normal.