Many Malaysians have a love-hate relationship with Chinese New Year (CNY). Dressing up for the festivities is exciting, but trying too hard to take a good #ootd photo can easily ruin the mood. Going house visiting is fun, but navigating the nightmare maze of cars parked everywhere, not so much.
So, we asked some Malaysians what they’re dreading the most this CNY. Hopefully, this’ll help you feel less alone in your CNY struggles.
1. The interrogation
This interrogation is usually only one-sentence long and is not difficult to answer. But try getting the same question from multiple people in each house you visit, and multiply that by the number of years you’ve been old enough to marry. Who wouldn’t be tired of it!
“Every house I visit, sure get one or two,” said Azri.
Azri shared that his relatives will usually start by asking him whether he’s dating anyone, then proceed to the million-dollar question of when he’s getting married. He usually just brushes it off by saying that he’s saving up first.
2. The fat-shaming
Another insensitive thing that relatives do that can really affect someone is fat-shaming. “They’ll always say like, ‘Wah you’re fat already, while they puff out their cheeks and lift their arms a bit, as if mimicking a fat person“, said Wan.
She adds that she’ll usually just laugh and nod when her relatives make these comments because she doesn’t want to stir up drama.
However, they should be more aware of the effects of their words. “It’s not like I don’t know that I’ve gained weight. I’m aware and I’m trying to be healthier. What is your purpose of making me feel bad wor??” Wan shared with WORLD OF BUZZ.
3. Giving ang pows
For Luke, the thing that he’s dreading the most this CNY is having to give out ang pows for the first time as he just got hitched!
“Traditionally, you have to give double the ang pows during the first CNY you celebrate as a married couple. So, my wife and I will give one each to family and friends.”
“We’ve done a rough calculation. We’ll be spending a lot“, Luke concluded with a pained smile. Trading ang pows for a life partner, worth it or not?
4. The comparison
As if it’s not bad enough to compare yourself to others, CNY can become a breeding ground for such toxicity when gossipy relatives make snarky comments comparing one family member to another.
“It goes both ways. Sometimes we’ll get compared to other cousins who did better when they were our age. And other times, they’ll use us as the standard to compare other cousins to”, said Zen.
“It’s quite sad lah because it puts pressure on both our cousins and their parents to present themselves a certain way within the extended family.”
5. Shop closure
We, Malaysians are all about our food, especially during huge celebrations like CNY. But where do you get that bussin’ braised pork or steamed fish when none of your family is hosting and all the Chinese restaurants are closed because they’re also celebrating?!
“Many restaurants close on the first two days of CNY. Some close for even longer, maybe throughout the whole of CNY,” said Bryan.
“We usually just eat at fast food joints lo, because some Western restaurants would be closed too.” Naw, we hope everyone gets to eat to their heart’s content this CNY!
6. The traffic
For those whose kampung is PJ or KL, traffic in town will be clearer as people head back to their family home in other states.
But for those travelling to these states, traffic will be expectedly terrible, which is why Jon shared that he’ll just be staying in KL this year.
“My dad’s from Melaka and my mum’s from Ipoh, so the jam back home is always insane during CNY“, he said. “I’m glad I get to stay home this year”, he added excitedly.
7. Gaining weight
The good thing about CNY is that we have an excuse to stuff ourselves full of homecooked food, CNY cookies and all the sugary canned drinks.
But the dark side of this is that some of us will be 1-2 kg heavier after the festivities end. Although Logan is looking forward to chugging canned drinks, he is dreading the inevitable weight gain that’ll follow.
“But it’s worth it. I’ll start working out after CNY #2023goals“, he said.
8. The free medical consultations
Have you ever said something about yourself and suddenly, everyone makes that one thing your entire personality?
Well, for Kelly, that one thing is her being a medical student. Maybe there’s a certain sense of pride that comes with being the go-to “doctor” in the family, but there’s only so much one can do outside of the clinic.
“They’ll ask me questions like what medicine to take for back pain and whether I can help them set up an appointment with Professor X“, said Kelly.
“I dread these questions because it makes me feel like I still don’t know a lot of things. And because I don’t give them the answer they expect, I don’t like the look of dissatisfaction or disappointment on their faces when I’m already trying my best to help.”
It is unfortunate that although CNY is a great opportunity to catch up with and bond with family, there are also some not so nice things that we have to endure because of the festivities.
WORLD OF BUZZ wishes everyone a lovely Chinese New Year ahead!
Also read: 12 Things You Have Been Doing Wrong on Chinese New Year!
