A virtual celebration across four countries and four generations

Chinese New Year for Ms Jue Wen Too was always a hearty affair.

Arriving from places like New Zealand, her extended family of four generations would gather at her great-grandmother's place for a feast of Hakka delights.

This year, however, it has been more subdued. Instead of sitting around chatting and playing cards, the family of 40 connected through computer screens due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Even as she missed having her relatives around, the Zoom get-together reminded Ms Too of how Chinese New Year used to be - full of excitement and chaotic chatter.

Her great-grandmother, Madam Thian Ah Yew, who will turn 101 this year, lives in Seremban in Malaysia. It is a three-hour drive from Singapore.

As part of yearly traditions, the different families - who live in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and various parts of Malaysia - would all head to Madam Thian's house just in time for the first day of Chinese New Year.

Awaiting them would be a feast cooked under the direction of Madam Thian, who has been blind for a couple of years due to a fall.

"Her memory is fantastic, so she remembers all the recipes by heart. She would direct my grandparents and grandaunt, who live with her, on how to cook these dishes," said Ms Too.

The 25-year-old treasury executive said of her great-grandmother: "It's like she is the glue and anchor holding our whole family together. I definitely miss the Chinese New Year atmosphere, when everyone would catch up."

On this year's online family celebration, she said: "Using technology like Zoom wasn't easy for the older folks. Functions like muting ourselves and turning on our cameras may be second nature to us, but for them, it's not easy."

But setting up a virtual Chinese New Year gathering, especially in a time of travel restrictions, can be a source of comfort.

Ms Too's aunt, Madam Peggy Lam, lives alone in Kuala Lumpur and has been unable to travel to meet her relatives due to Malaysia's movement control order, which does not allow people to travel beyond a 10km radius from their homes. She hosted a Zoom call during the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve as well as on Chinese New Year day, so that everyone could dial in to catch up.

"It's a terrible feeling when you can't be with your family and loved ones, especially at this time of the year," said the 47-year-old special education consultant.

For other families in Singapore, Chinese New Year celebrations have been muted this year, with many flocking to local attractions instead yesterday.

Gardens by the Bay said it has seen a steady rise in visitorship in recent years during Chinese New Year. Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) was busy when The Sunday Times visited yesterday afternoon, with crowds outside its casino and long queues for the S.E.A. Aquarium.

Families who were at these places said they had decided to visit because of the Chinese New Year restrictions. The limit of eight distinct visitors a day at home has resulted in many people doing less visiting than usual.

An accountant who wanted to be known only as Mr Tan, 38, went to the S.E.A. Aquarium with his wife, their two boys, aged two and five, and his mother and sister-in-law.

"We did not want to visit too many houses this year," he said.

An RWS spokesman said visitors must make advance reservations due to capacity control measures.