Indian family's 'wholesome' CNY gathering with over 30 members draws praise online
A TikTok video showing 30-odd members of an Indian family celebrating Chinese New Year (CNY) has drawn praise from many netizens.
Posted on Feb 18, the video by user @abrahamdelaure was captioned: "Have you seen 30+ Indians celebrate Chinese New Year".
It shows how the family marked the festivities, including traditional practices such as tossing yusheng, having hot pot, exchanging oranges, and giving and receiving red packets.
The clip has since garnered more than 247,000 views and over 220 comments.
Family has been celebrating CNY for 4 years
Speaking to Stomp, content creator Abraham de Laure said that although the gathering was planned at the last minute, more than 30 out of his extended family of over 70 members managed to attend.
He added that celebrating CNY became an annual tradition about four years ago.
The family also adapts certain practices. For example, as some family members do not enjoy eating raw salmon, one of his aunts cooked the salmon in mala soup and used it for the yusheng instead.
There are also dietary restrictions, such as avoiding pork, beef and vegetables, leaving chicken and mutton as the "safer" options for everyone, he added.
While there is no specific reason why the tradition began, Mr de Laure's family is multi-racial and has always celebrated a tange of festivities, including Hari Raya and St Patrick's Day.
"Chinese New Year is simply another meaningful reason to come together, as family bonding is something we value very deeply," he said.
Every year, the family makes it a point to learn more about Chinese culture. For instance, they now understand that each ingredient in the yusheng carries a symbolic meaning, representing prosperity, health and good fortune.
They also learned that oranges should always be given in pairs, as this symbolises abundance and good luck.
'This is better than my CNY'
Netizens were impressed by the family's CNY celebrations, with many saying they outdid the Chinese themselves.
"This is better than my CNY," one wrote. Others commented that the family's celebration was "more happening" and "wholesome" compared with their own.
"This looks so chaotic in a really fun way," another said.
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