On Saturday, the 12th day of the first month of the Lunar calendar 16 Feb 2019 at 11:30am, the Ang Shee General Association and Kiung Jai Weng Clan Association jointly held a traditional Lunar New Year ancestor worship ceremony for the first time at the associations' Yan Guan Hall. Once committee and clan members had placed the five animal sacrifices, offering, gold and silver paper, and silk on the ancestors' altar, the sound of cheerful gongs and drums started, the celebratory lion dance troupe that opened the festivities. The God of Wealth followed up by giving out flannelette pig dolls to everyone in the association hall, wishing the guests prosperity and smooth dealings. The chairman, Lian Kwang, and Mok Ling led the clan members to pay their respects to the ancestors by burning joss sticks and praying for good health and for things to go the way clan fellow wished.

The next afternoon, on the 13th day of the first month of the Lunar calendar, Ang Shee General Association and the other clan cubs of the five surnames (Hong, Jiang, Fang, Gong, Wang) under Singapore Liu Kwee Tang jointly held a Lunar New Year gathering and lunch for the elderly at Qian Xi Restaurant (Farrer Park). This year, more than 300 clan members and families attended the event. The guest of honour was Ang Mong Seng BBM. The first dish was lohei or Yusheng, a dish which carried great significance. The emcee explained the auspicious implications of each ingredient, and the representative at each table poured the raw fish, sauces, and other ingredients in order onto a plate filled with all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. When the emcee shouted “toss,” the guests lifted their chopsticks to “toss” the ingredients together, raising them as high as possible as they jubilantly shouted good wishes, like “excess every year,” “wishes come to fruition,” “promotions,” or “prosperity.” All at once, the whole banquet hall was shrouded in the joy of spring. While the clan members enjoyed the delicious food, they were also entertained by singers on the stage. During the lunch, the chairman, Lian Kwang, and the guest of honour, Ang Mong Seng BBM, went to each table to greet the Liu Kwee Tang clan members with new year well wishes, give out red packets, and wish each one prosperity and wealth. Following this, the acting president of the General Association, Er Qian Clansman, and committee members presented red packets of respect to the Ang Shee clan members who were 65 years old and who had already registered and fulfilled the conditions, as a show of respect for the aged and the wise.

In his speech, the clan leader, Lian Kwang, pointed out that the number of people who attended this year’s lunch was more than last year, and thanked the clan members for their support and participation. Ang Mong Seng BBM clan leader also gave a short impromptu speech, announcing that Liu Kwee Tang would be celebrating its 50th anniversary on 16 November and expressing hopes that everyone would attend the grand event.

The climax of the program was the group singing of “Spring Returns to the World” and “Wishes of Joy.” In an atmosphere filled with joy, these two songs carried everyone’s wishes, wishing luck for the future of Liu Kwee Tang, while also bringing a perfect end to the celebrations. Though it was already two-thirty in the afternoon, the guests were still reluctant to part as everyone carried a bag of Mandarin oranges as they left the banquet hall. Take care and goodbye!