“Pray to ancestors via WhatsApp!” Malaysian Shares How Different CNY 2021 Was

Each race and religion in Malaysia has a celebration that they look forward to annually. However, due to the pandemic, many things have changed and it has forced us to adopt the new norms into our daily lives and holidays as well.

Like this year’s Chinese New Year that happened recently, celebrations were mostly done on a small scale. Many people are stuck in MCO states and were unable to go back to their hometowns this year. This includes Derick, who is from Melaka but had to quietly celebrate CNY this year in KL.

Derick and his wife having steamboat on cny eve.

Derick’s post on his Facebook page has gone viral as many people could relate to him.

“For the first time in 40 years, I’m not celebrating CNY in Melaka. Thanks to modern technology, we can still pray to nenek moyang via WhatsApp!”

Derick told WORLD OF BUZZ that back then, he would go back to Melaka on CNY eve or one day earlier. On CNY eve, Derick will pray to his ancestors with his family at his grandparent’s house and then there will be a reunion dinner. Following that, he will visit some close relatives on the first day of CNY and on the second day, he will go over to his grandparents’ house to have his grandmother’s nasi lemak (unfortunately, she passed in 2020). He would usually leave for KL on the third day.

Derick and his family’s virtual reunion dinner.

Speaking on his hopes after the MCO lifts, Derick wishes to go back to Melaka so that he will be able to cook a big meal for his family, especially his grandfather. Derick told us that he made a promise to cook for his grandfather when he visited him during Christmas 2020.

We are sure that many families are waiting for the MCO to lift so that they can reunite with their families. However, we should still remember to always be safe!

Also read: M’sian Boss Has “E-Lousang” With Team As They Can’t Have CNY Dinner This Year