On the second day of the Lunar New Year yesterday, the day when married daughters traditionally travel to their parents’ homes, a family surnamed Chang (張) in Greater Taichung set up about 60 tables to celebrate the reunion of more than 600 family members.
The bustling annual reunion of the Chang family yesterday saw hundreds of its members — ranging in age from one to 95 — traveling from different parts of the country and as far as China to gather at their ancient residence in Taiping District (太平) for the 15th consecutive year.
The oldest member in the family, Chang Yang Chiao-e (張楊嬌娥), 95, joyfully doled out auspicious “red envelopes” to young members of the flourishing family, who had to be split into two separate banquets in the afternoon and evening to accommodate the large number of participants.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
“The family’s annual reunion banquet is the event that I look forward to most during the Lunar New Year holiday, as it allows me to see my more than 80 cousins whom I only meet once a year,” said Chang Yang’s daughter, 55-year-old Chang Po-chu (張伯珠).
Chang Wen-tien (張文田), convener of the gathering, said the scale of the event has expanded from 20 tables in its first year to more than 60 tables this year.
Aside from sparing family members the trouble of paying visits to relatives at different households, Chang Wen-tien said the annual banquet, which was initiated by his cousin Chang Hao-cheng (張豪城), also allowed the family to reunite in a more time-efficient and light-hearted manner during the traditional holiday.
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