Why Spring Festival reunion is important

In recent Spring Festivals, I've been a road warrior alternately visiting my parents and parents-in-law who live thousands of kilometers apart.

I had always doubted the meaning of the holiday before that, until two parents were struck by illness.

Most Chinese families have followed roughly the same routine in their celebrations of the holiday, with a large and traditional Chinese New Year's Eve dinner as the centerpiece. The dining and wining would be followed by watching hours of dancing, singing or other performances on television at my parents' house, or by playing mahjong, the favorite pastime of my parents-in-law. Few would attempt to sleep before midnight, when deafening fireworks were set off everywhere to welcome better luck.