PUTRAJAYA, Feb 18 — The Lunar Chinese New Year is a time of celebration and festivities, but for some Chinese families of passengers aboard Flight MH370, it serves only as a reminder of the absence of their loved ones who travelled on the still-missing plane.

Sitting in a circle at Putra Square opposite the Prime Minister’s office here today, the families who travelled from China to protest the Malaysian government’s decision to declare MH370 an accident and their loved ones dead, appeared still in disbelief, nearly a year after the incident stunned the world.

There, they held a solemn prayer session, far removed from the raucous scenes of celebration customary for the time. Some stood silently; others sat as they prayed.

“We refuse to believe they are gone,” said Wen Wan Cheng, whose son was on board the ill-fated flight. “They will come back.”

Alone in an unfamiliar land, he appeared at a loss about what to do when government offices here close for the holidays.

They have already protested outside Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) office in Subang, and it is not known where they plan to hold further demonstrations, if any.

“I am unsure what we are doing tomorrow. I do not know the country,” the 63-year-old said.

Another family member, Li Er You, said there will be no joy for him and his family during this Lunar New Year.

“I have nothing to celebrate. My son is gone,” he said.

Earlier, the families had demanded to meet with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who was Malaysia’s spokesman during the height of the crisis.

They wanted to deliver scrolls with messages written in Chinese calligraphy; loosely translated, the scrolls said they will never give up and the incident will never be forgotten.

Families of Chinese passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 mourn the loss of their loved ones at a gathering in Putrajaya, February 18, 2015. — Picture by Tzu Ging Yap

The families never got to meet either, and instead the scrolls were received by an aide from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 last year, dropping off radar coverage not long after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport en-route to Beijing.

There were 239 passengers and crew on board the plane that remains missing till today, with no indication as to its resting place despite months of searching.

On January 29, Putrajaya declared Flight MH370 an air accident according to criteria set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and that all the people on board were presumed dead.