For most children, the school holidays are a time to play and take a breather from homework and other school assignments.
But for five siblings, this meant following their troupe — the Penang Meihu Culture and Sports Association — to perform the traditional lion dance at Chinese New Year open houses and cultural events held during the festivity.
For now, the siblings — Siti Aishah Mohd Farulnizam, 17; Mohd Faiz, 16; Mohamad Fahmi, 13; Siti Alya, 9, and Siti Aleesa, 7 — have a list of daily engagements, from reunion dinners right up to the fifth day of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Their assistant coach, Lai Teck Siong, 65, said they had also been invited to perform during the 2024 Miao Hui celebration on Feb 18, which marks the ninth day of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Speaking to the New Straits Times at their home in Gertak Sanggul here recently, Siti Aishah said they were looking forward to performing.
"It is nice to be able to showcase our skills, more so since we are the only Malay performers in the troupe," she said.
When asked if it was awkward, she replied in the negative.
"Not at all. For us, we are performing as one big family.
"That's all that matters," she said.
Siti Aishah, however, has since November taken a break from training to focus on her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
She used to control the lion's head when performing with her former partner, her coach's daughter, who has since married and stopped performing.
Now, she joins her younger siblings in playing the musical instruments on several occasions.
Siti Aishah said she developed a passion for lion dance performances from her elder brother, Muhammad Firdaus, who had performed and used the money he saved to further his studies.
"It all started with him. I saw how he enjoyed training and performing and not long after, I joined him.
"The rest is history, as far as my younger siblings are concerned."
Siti Aishah said communicating with the rest of the troupe was a breeze as all the siblings attended Chinese school.
"So in a way, we get to polish our command of Mandarin while mastering a new skill.
"Lion dance is all about teamwork, trust and stamina.
"Training may be tedious but with passion, we can do anything," she added.
She said after her SPM examination, she too would work to save up for her studies in future, leaving little time for training.
Siti Aishah went 'viral' last year during a traditional Chinese lion dance regional competition when the performers removed the lion costume, only to reveal that she was controlling the lion's head.
The audience at the competition gave a thunderous round of applause.
The troupe has won many competitions in the past.
Siti Aishah said while she would miss performing in future, she was glad that her two younger sisters have taken after her.
"They are training hard to form a pair, where Aleesa will control the lion head and Alya, the tail. They are still young and need more stamina.
"As for Faiz and Fahmi, they are happy playing the 'gong' and cymbals," she added.
For Aleesa, she is happy and excited to follow in the footsteps of her eldest brother and sister.
"I want to train hard so that I can be in control of the lion's head one day," said the pint-sized girl.
Alya, who is more reserved and shy, said she needed to work on her stamina first to be able to carry Aleesa on her back when performing.
The children train four times a week.
Their father, Mohd Farulnizam Mohd Fisah, 46, and mother, Suzana Dhazak @ Razak, 45, are fully supportive of their children's involvement in the lion dance troupe.
Farulnizam and his wife are both caterers. He is also a volunteer firefighter and a part-time e-hailing driver.
"In the beginning, I only sent my eldest son for training with no expectation.
"I just wanted him to polish his Chinese language outside the classroom and to pick up a beneficial skill. However, he pursued it all the way and was later joined by his siblings.
"Of course, there were all sorts of 'remarks' when they first started out. Now, wherever they go, they draw attention.
"I will continue to support my children in whatever they intend to do," he added.