Video Conferencing Apps A Lifeline For Families During Cny

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Agatha Wong (L) at a reunion dinner during the eve of the Chinese New Year in 2017 at a hotel in Ipoh. (Photo courtesy of Agatha Wong)PETALING JAYA: Like nearly everything else, Chinese New Year 2021 has been forced to take the plunge into the world of digital communications magic because of Covid-19.
Travelling back to ancestral homes for the auspicious reunion dinner has always been a highlight for Chinese extended families, gathering from near and far to usher in the new year.
This year though, pandemic restrictions have upset such plans in Malaysia, with the meal now limited to immediate family members living within 10km.
“We’ll be celebrating virtually this year,” says Agatha Wong, an Ipoh public school teacher. “Staying connected with family and friends through WhatsApp video calls, or Skype and Zoom. They’re going to make a big difference.”
Banks and e-wallet providers have been offering e-ang paos for several years, and online shopping has become a new tradition in the 21st century, but 2021 might just be the year that video conferencing apps really take off in family celebrations.
The government eased restrictions to allow Thursday’s Chinese New Year reunion dinners to seat 15 people.
However, for widely spread families, travel restrictions mean family get-togethers will increasingly be held online this year.
“Covid-19 has definitely affected this year’s celebration and our reunion dinner,” says Agatha. “Our Wong clan annual reunion is cancelled as relatives can’t get back for it.”
Timothy Cheng (Photo courtesy of Timothy Cheng)Timothy Cheng, a final year orthopaedic surgery trainee at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), says video conferencing apps are extremely important during the current period due to travel restrictions.
“We are planning to surprise my grandmother with an online video call as she has been wondering why no one is planning to go back to Johor Bahru to see her,” he tells FMT.
Cheng, who lives in Petaling Jaya, says his family’s Chinese New Year celebrations usually involve bringing together numerous relatives including those from Singapore and a sister in Sabah.
“This year, however, everyone is staying put,” he says, with a shrug of resignation.
Timothy Cheng (L) during a thanksgiving event in a church in 2017 held in conjunction with Chinese New Year. (Photo courtesy of Timothy Cheng)Suzanne Lee, owner of a kindergarten in Kuala Langat, Selangor, says this year’s reunion dinner at her parent’s house in Penang has been postponed.
“We’ll all be using video conferencing apps to keep in touch, although there are bound to be some glitches along the way,” she laughs.
“We’ll most probably use Skype, but we have older relatives who are not really tech savvy, so it’s going to be hard to communicate with them.”
But as many will be asking over the coming holidays: how ever would we have survived the pandemic without the internet?
One thing is for sure, family members of all ages will be getting a lot more tech savvy during the year of the Ox. - FMT

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