CNY celebrations

Chinese New Year is one the most important traditional holidays in Singapore...


During the first days of the new year, families use to gather and celebrate: many traditions - and superstitions - are carried on to wish everyone good luck and prosperity!

Family members and friends use to pay their respects to the house owner offering a couple of oranges. When you leave the house, you are given these fruits back, as a blessing.
Oranges are so abundant during CNY just because their Chinese name sounds like "ji", which means "good luck"!


Other goodies you are likely to eat during CNY are uncut noodles, which represent longevity and long life, and fish (魚 "yú"), because its name sounds like "surpluses"(餘 "yú").

A special tossed raw fish salad, called "yusheng", is usually eaten during the seventh day of the new year, also called 人日, the "common man's birthday". This is the day when everyone is supposed to grow one year older... people get together once more to toss the colourful salad and make wishes for wealth and prosperity.


During CNY, you'll notice red and golden decorations everywhere...
if you are a child or an unmarried person, you'll probably receive a red packet called "Hong Bao".
It may contains chocolate coins (for children) or some money:
for example, $8 is commonly found in the red envelopes because the number 8 is considered lucky for its homophone for "wealth"... Moreover, it's an even number, so it reflects good luck and integrity!


By the way... if you are due to give a red packet to someone, pay attention! Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last!