Lunar New Year is the most important festival for people of Chinese ethnicity. Children who have grown up and left their homes will take their children back to their hometown to spend the New Year with their parents. I am 17 years old and have flown to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to spend the holidays with my grandparents almost every year. The New Year's Eve dinner is usually overflowing with excitement, and every dish has a homophones association with words that augur prosperity or wealth. For example, the Chinese word for fish sounds like plenty, and the word for chicken sounds like good luck. In addition, many dishes are reddish to symbolize good fortune, such as braised beef with tendon, mullet roe, braised pork with prune leaves, soy-sauce-marinated eggs, and pig feet.
Grandparents always remember what their children and grandchildren like to eat, so they want to pamper those that they may only see once or twice a year. There are easily more than 10 courses on the dining table. Red wine is usually served at the reunion dinner but because adults need to drive home after dinner and children can't consume alcohol, we make our own tea champagne, using strong osmanthus oolong tea mixed with chilled Perrier. It looks very cheerful (just like champagne) and tastes refreshing, very suitable for all kinds of eat-till-you-drop festive dishes. Younger children will usually drink sweet Luoshen-scented tea.
The caffeine in the tea champagne can be quite high. Fortunately, there are a lot of activities after dinner, such as fireworks in my grandparents' yard and receiving red packets of money to symbolize good fortune in the coming year.
農曆新年是中國人最重視的節日，離鄉背井的孩子們會帶著孫兒回故鄉陪老人家過年，我今年17歲，幾乎每一年都特別飛去吉隆坡陪爺爺奶奶過節。 年夜飯照例非常豐盛，每道菜都有其諧音或寓意。 年年有餘（魚），白切雞（吉）， 紅燒牛筋牛肉，烏魚子，梅干扣肉，滷豬腳滷蛋，許多紅燒/紅色的菜餚表示紅紅火火，來年吉祥。
所有孩子們喜歡吃的老人家一定記得，各式各樣擺整桌12道，團圓飯菜式雜一般配紅酒，也喜氣。但等會兒負責開車的大人不能喝，未成年的孩子們也不行。所以我們嘗試自製茶香檳，找來香氣濃厚的桂花烏龍茶葉，泡得濃濃的，加入冷凍過的Perrier 氣泡水。看起來歡樂，喝起來爽口，剛好適合菜式混合，重口味的各類年夜菜餚。
這茶的咖啡因不低，還好吃飽後是重頭戲，吉隆坡自己院裏仍可以玩鞭炮，放煙火，還有最愛的「派紅包時間」，再小的孩子們喝甜甜的 洛神花茶。
中國年可是華人一年中最大的團員節日，是五穀豐收的冬藏，是遊子歸鄉的歡聚，更是祭祖謝神的重要日子。
在這團員年節裡，大魚大肉是一定要的，一般餐桌上也都是搭配氣泡酒或飲料，要不就是葡萄酒之類的，居然不知道還有桂花烏龍氣泡茶這樣的搭配，今年過中國年時再來試試口感如何，感覺應該很解膩。