As soon as the Christmas/New Year celebrations are over, there is basically a one week respite between when the Christmas carols are (finally) taken off the supermarkets' playlists, and traditional chinese new year songs are being played round the clock....
CNY is actually the Spring Festival and I assume as in most cultures that live in climates with four seasons it is a celebration of the end of winter and of future harvests. It is a big celebration in Singapore, much bigger than Christmas (although for some reason the streets are not decorated). It involves family reunions, and much giving of Hong Bao (red envelopes filled with money) and oranges. Every house is decorated with red inscriptions in Chinese (all basically saying Happy New Year) and most people will buy an tangerine tree which will be thrown away after the celebrations (just like a Christmas tree). The coming year is the year of the Tiger, auspicious for new borns but apparently not a good year to get married in. As a result there has been a noticeable increase in the number of wedding taking place in the run up to this holiday.
A few pictures to illustrate:
Tiger Beer is expecting a good first quarter
Abalone and various other delicacies from the sea are on sale, generally canned and available everywhere (literally, in video stores, gas stations...)
The supermarkets are filled up to the gills with various celebration foods, nuts and stacks of boxes of tangerines
Hampers full of goodies are another good way to show your appreciation to a family member or business relation. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices. They generally include alcohol, the most appreciated being expensive French cognac, fancy tea and of course canned abalone.
Other delicacies that can be found in Chinatown are "wax" foodstuffs, duck sausages and fish. This is not wax in the sense of candle wax but a means of preserving meat in a traditional fashion.
The God of Prosperity overlooks Chinatown holding in his hand a gold ingot. Attracting money into your home for the year to come is a big part of CNY.
Even if it's the year of the Tiger, you still need a Dragon to celebrate
And finally found at the CNY fair in my local mall, garlic cookies... I haven't built up the courage to try them. Do you think they would be sweet or savoury?I wish you a very prosperous Year of the Tiger!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!
