Reunion dinners are a Chinese tradition. Although many people still follow this tradition, most people do not know the real meaning of a family reunion dinner. On New Year’s Eve, I had my reunion dinner with my family (including my cousins, aunts and uncles). I am happy to say that my whole family bonds well with each other and have no problems. We all attend the same church and therefore spend lots of time together. However, some families do not get chances to meet each other very frequently; hence they do not feel very intimate with their family members. Some parents do not even spend time with their kids, causing their children to resort to computer games and online chatting to confide in others. Even if they gather for reunion dinner, it would be pointless to meet for the sake of meeting.
This year, because of the economic downturn, many Chinese people from China who came to Singapore to work find travelling back to China for reunion dinner a waste of money. They would rather spend their new year alone than with their family. Has family reunion lost its meaning?
In contrary to what many young people think, I think that everyone should put family before friends as friends come and go, but family will always be family.
I think that the real meaning of family reunions and bonding is getting together to share your troubles and joy as a family and enjoying and cherishing the moments you have with your family before it’s too late...
picture from www.24dash.com
