Chinese in UK find ways to celebrate despite lockdown

Time to reflect

As COVID-19 rages around the world, Spring Festival is also a time when people feel grateful for those on the front line of the fight against the pandemic.

Meng said she sympathized with people who cannot go home during Spring Festival because of their jobs or personal circumstances. "I have great respect for doctors and nurses who chose to stay at work for the welfare of the Chinese people last year when COVID-19 hit severely," she said.

While the pandemic has changed almost everything, it has not altered people's joy at being with family.

Melissa Phung, 38, who owns a food business in the northeast of England, had a quiet Lunar New Year compared to previous years with her husband and their two daughters.

"Normally we have a few big family gatherings with the traditional 10 dishes. Siblings return home and we also hand out red packets for the children," she said. "It is always a very happy time."

The local Chinese community usually celebrates with singing, dancing, food, raffles, firecrackers and dragon and lion dances, which unfortunately have been canceled this year due to COVID-19.

"This year it will be a quiet meal at home, maybe a few doorstep visits to handout red packets," she said before the festival. "The elders will still make some of the traditional pastries and dishes but it has been extra difficult this year to get ingredients."