Gua musang: The smell of incense permeates through the air as elderly guests wander around admiring the traditional dishes displayed at Kuan Tai Meow Temple as the local Chinese community here gathered to celebrate the coming Chinese New Year today.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, for over two decades, the temple has served as the focal point for the local Chinese community to gather not only for prayers, but to foster ties and give thanks for the year that passed. Temple chairman, Yap Kam Seng, said the annual traditional celebration organized on the 16th day of the 12th Chinese lunar month was a sign of gratitude and for the local community to pray for blessings for the year to come.

'The celebrations begin with prayers at the temple and are followed by festivities that carry on until night. It isn't just a religious ritual, but a space for us to gather and share our joy,' he told Bernama at the celebration here today. This year, festivities include a get-together for the elderly and a communal dinner involving the entire community of Kampung Baru.

'We received sponsorship from parties, including a supermarket in this district, to celebrate with the over 1,500 Chinese in our community who will usher in the Year of the Horse,' he said. For Eddie Foo Sin Chew, 74, the celebration carried its own special meaning, especially for those of them who were growing old.

'Every year, I look forward to this celebration as we elderly are celebrated together. In addition to lunch, we also receive ang pows, shopping vouchers and mandarin oranges,' he said. Such celebrations not only made Chinese New Year festive, but let the elderly feel appreciated and not forgotten by the community.