The celebration of 15-day Chinese New Year festival has just come to an end on 9 Feb. The 15th day of the first lunar month is “Yuan Xiao” festival (元宵节) and it’s also the first night of the lunar year to see a full moon. There shall be many beautiful lanterns hanging around for people to appreciate, and people will try to solve riddles on the lanterns and eat Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). The day is also known as Chinese Valentine’s day. In ancient China, it was the night that girls were allowed to leave homes to appreciate lanterns along the streets and they would drop their handkerchiefs for young men to pick them up and get to know the girls! I guess nowadays girls hardly use handkerchief but tissue packs to reserve dining tables during crowded lunch hours (especially in Singapore)!
Chinese New Year rice cake – “Nian gao” (年糕) sounds like “年高”, which literally means “increasingly prosperous year in year out”.
Red envelopes (红包) sold in packs of different designs. Usually we don’t need to buy red envelopes as we get them free from dealers and the banks. During Chinese New Year, youngsters will be happy to receive cold hard cash wrapped in these red envelopes called hongbao. It’s good “income” for them! The unmarried ones will also receive hongbao, but the giver might ask when he/she is getting married. Ha!
Rows of Chinese dried sausages and waxed ducks in Chinatown.
The tangerines are just so sweet! Tangerines and Mandarin oranges symbolize abundance and happiness and are a must-gift when visiting relatives and friends. Chinese buy boxes of these oranges, and we’ll be “Vitamin C rich” during the 2-week long festivities.
Big pomelos symbolize abundance and prosperity. In Ipoh, Malaysia is also famous for its tasty pomelos. It even has a very big pomelo statue at a roadside!
Gourds are symbols of health and longevity. I thought gourds are also used to warn off evil spirits. If you watch Chinese ghost series, you might see some “ghost busters” using gourds to “suck” in the ghost! XD
It was so crowded in Chinatown, people were busily buying stuffs for the Spring festival.
Dried food for the sweet tooth during Chinese New Year.
Water crest and bamboo plants are popular home plants during the Spring festival.
Children look so cute in Chinese costumes like cheongsam and dudou (肚兜), the traditional tummy cover.
Singapore Chinatown at night, with Chinese New Year decorations.
Quite surprised to see heaps of shoes laying on the floor for sales at one corner in Chinatown. I think one pair costs S$5 only.
buying fruits during the new year is being followed by many filipinos here.
We Called that oranges here in the Phil. as Kiat-kiat. I love fruits… Belated Kong Hei Fat Choi! 🙂 friend….
Chinatown is indeed colourful!
wah!!
so nice wooo!!
I love those photoso much dear!s
hahaha… full of vitamin C during the week, but too much of mandarin oranges can cause us sickness! 🙂
some of my indian/malay colleagues got sore throat/sick just by eating too much mandarin oranges. lol~
@ALL: hey! thanks for all your new year wishes! same to you too!
@Meiwah: yeah can’t eat too many mardarin oranges, I think I only eat 2 a day, not more than that! Also, I read that we have to eat the white fibre of the mandarin orange so that we won’t fall sick easily.
Singapore is a lovely place and ChinaTown one of the best corners.
your post it awesome.
thanks for sharing with us so many info.
You missed dried-meat Eunice… 🙂
Don’t know since when dried-meat has become a ‘must-have’ gift whenever we visit our friends and relatives during Chinese New Year in Malaysia. I like it! I like 美珍香!
hello Eunice! Belated Happy Chinese New Year to you and to your family. There are lots of fruits huh? I like it.
Heres to a vibrant and colourful new year Eunice …a bit late here..but catching up on all your posts
wow soo nice i love it i am doing a Folio about this
its soo nice interesting and many more
Great information especially for many different nationalities living in Canada.
In 1970’s with less Chinese migrating to Canada, many do not
really celebrate Chinese New Year. In the 20th century, more
and more Chinese celebrate CNY within their own families.
It is not a public holiday in Canada. Please highlight more on the signifiance and importance of this festive season. Hope things will change soon and the country here can declare it a public holiday for all.