If celebrating Chinese New Year involves days of visiting relatives, feasting, and auspicious practices, then, no, I haven’t celebrated it “properly” for many years. At the most, my few family members in Singapore mark the occasion with one takeaway meal with a moody fight as a side dish. 

I don’t think I am alone in my quiet experience of the festival in a community that noisily celebrates it. From family feuds to personal tragedies or preferences, there are varied reasons why some people skip Chinese New Year. Don’t be too quick to accuse all of them of trashing traditions or forgetting their cultural roots.