SINGAPORE: Chinese New Year is widely seen as a joyful and meaningful celebration, but one man has admitted that he quietly dreads the occasion. For him, the holiday brings exhaustion, frustration, and lost income rather than festive cheer.
In a post on r/askSingapore, he explained that his family squeezes nearly all their visiting into a single day. On the first day of the Chinese New Year, they typically rush through five to six house visits across Singapore. On the second day, the number of visits is slightly fewer, yet they still end up returning home after 11 p.m.
“Some attendance to me is just not worth marking. Honestly, we all know that we will never see or be close to some of these relatives after CNY, and I feel there’s no need to visit them, as they don’t even bother to return the visit. (According to my dad, visiting should be about reciprocity, like if people come to our house, we die die must visit them too.)
“And my dad had complained about it every year but still visits for show — ‘See, I am on the higher ground, you owe me visits!’”
Beyond the social fatigue, there is also a financial aspect. The man works as a gig worker, and festive periods such as the Chinese New Year are often peak earning opportunities.
“[It’s] the best time to earn extra,” he wrote. “It’s not like money vs. relationship but more like I know from some of their responses that if I ever run into an emergency (choi!!) and needed help, there’s a low to no chance they will even help. They’re probably just generous with their naggings and judgments.”
Concluding his post, he said, “I don’t know, some of you all might be close to your relatives and enjoy CNY, but to me it just has a mad rush, rat race kinda feel. We usually return to work much more tired than on a usual day. Any relationship improvements with relatives? Minimum to none.”
“[Does] anyone else secretly dislike CNY? And why? If you enjoy it, also share.”
“It’s a nice escape from reality for a bit.”
The post has drawn more than 600 upvotes and over 240 comments, with lots of Singaporean Redditors jumping in to share what they can’t stand about the holiday.
One user quipped, “My mother buys groceries and fills the whole fridge as if we’re going to war,” poking fun at the all-too-familiar pre-festive panic buying that leaves households overflowing with food.
Another shared that they dislike the competitive vibe that can surface during gatherings.
“It is the festive period where everyone’s conversations revolve around money money money… people trying to outdo each other, etc., with hongbao, food, gifts, what job you have, what car you drive, etc. so tiring,” they wrote.
A third, meanwhile, griped about the never-ending household chores during the holiday.
“I feel like [it’s] endless. Working overtime everyday. Changing this and that. Going to the supermarkets/ markets many times. The cleaning, washing, changing. Then after day 1 and I sit down on my sofa, I wondered what just happened?
Still, not all the comments were negative. Some users shared why they continue to appreciate the holiday despite its flaws.
One commenter offered a heartfelt reflection: “Each CNY, as I get older, I wonder if this is the last time I see my relatives, many of whom I only meet during CNY visitations. Makes me treasure the meet ups. I used to dread the meet ups in my younger days. Am in my 60s now. Not many more years to go, I know.”
Another said, “I mean, I like CNY. Good to see my family and friends again, plenty of snacks and food to eat. It’s a nice escape from reality for a bit. We do all our visiting on the first day, the second day is for visiting friends or just to chill.”
In other news, a Singaporean employee has sparked an online discussion about workplace culture after claiming that their boss reprimanded them for leaving work “on the dot” despite completing all assigned tasks and arriving early each day.
In a post shared on the r/askSingapore Reddit forum, the employee said their boss took issue with their punctual departure, even though they consistently came into the office about 30 minutes before official working hours.
