7 pm sharp. Holding a basket overflowing with oranges – symbols of prosperity and good luck – we knock at the doors of an HDB flat. Wearing a red dress Kasey, with a warm smile invites us inside. The moving carpet, called by the household ‘a dog’, frantically runs around.

“This is my dad, my brother and his fiancée, and my sister with her husband. And there, on the couch watching TV, are their two children”, Kasey introduces the family.

According to an investigation carried out before the Chinese New Year Eve, we should present kids and singles with the traditional red envelope – ang pao. The envelope – also according to the investigation – should carry an even amount of money. The odd amount is offered to the family of the deceased at funerals. We try very hard not to commit any faux pas and fail miserably. Apparently, ang pao is to be offered only by the married couples, and at that point of time, we have not yet exchanged the vows. The kids, however, are quite happy with the gift anyway.

Soon, the whole crowd moves to a living room, where a huge dining table reigns. On it, there is a giant bowl filled with various ingredients: pieces of salmon, shredded radish, carrot and ginger, peanuts, croutons resembling mini-cushions, sesame seeds, and many others. On top of all this – olive oil and different sauces. The host hands out long chopsticks and instructs the guests to toss everything as vigorously and as high as possible. Tossing is accompanied by shouting auspicious wishes:

– Health!
– Money!
– Love!
– Success!
– Travels!
– Eternal youth!
– Happiness!

The ingredient reflects each one: sesame – a successful business, fish – prosperity, radish – eternal youth, lime juice – happiness, etc.

Tossing the traditional salad – Lo Hei – results in a total mess on and around the table. The hosts, however, are blissful. The bigger the mess, the greater the happiness and prosperity in the New Year. Mobile carpet, overjoyed, absorbs everything that lands on the floor. And when the ladies of the house are preparing the final feast, gentlemen entertain us with a conversation about curiosities from the world of fruits.

“See? It is a ‘dragon’s eye’ – Kasey’s brother shows us a tiny, round fruit covered with yellow skin. To us, it does not resemble an eye at all, much less a dragon’s one. Seeing our confused faces, he peels the fruit and everything becomes clear. Surrounded by white fruit flesh, a dark pupil of a seed looks at us. The sweet ‘dragon’s eye’ or more prosaically – longan – we devour in a blink of an eye….

The highlight of tonight’s evening is the Reunion Dinner, traditionally spent in the company of close family and friends. In the middle of the table, the emptied Lo Hei salad bowl is replaced with the small stove. On it, there is a pot with boiling broth made of chicken, vegetables and herbs. Its mouth-watering fragrance fills the entire apartment. Around the stove, there are plates with various ingredients: thin meat slices, pieces of fish, shrimps, seafood, different types of mushrooms and vegetables. Everyone takes whatever he feels like to and dip it in the broth. After a short while, the piece of food is ready. We try all of it, one by one, with rice or rice noodles using separate small bowls. The whole dinner is richly seasoned with conversations, laughter and gratitude for the wonderful family atmosphere.

At the end of the evening – the dessert: homemade cookies and the realisation that two distant cultures have so much in common. Celebration in the family circle, opening doors for those who are away from home and the kids glued to the TVs, watching the Disney’s cartoons.