Chinese New Year Traditions in Singapore

 

I didn’t know anything about Lunar new year before. When I was lived in my hometown in Indonesia, we were just knew it as “Chinese New Year” which is one of the celebration for Chinese people, nothing more…Until I and my husband moved to Singapore, slowly but sure…we learn about this culture in Singapore. Yeah…we learnt year by year…until now we still have to learn how it is the Lunar New Year traditions

The Chinese New Year is lunisolar, so the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the Lunar New Year. This is an important Chinese festival also known as Spring Festival in China. Chinese New Year is festival to celebrate the turn of Chinese calendar. Traditionally, the festival was to honour deities as well as ancestors.

There are many traditions in Chinese New Year guys…and I am very interesting with it. And yeah, I’ve learnt Chinese New Year traditions every year. Why, why I learn??…It’s because I live in Singapore. My neighbours are Singaporeans. As far as I know, there are three ethnics in here, Chinese, Indian, and Malay. So I must interact and communicate with my neighbour, right??…When I know their culture, I think it’s a good way to know them. So these are some traditions in Chinese New Year that I’ve known.

• Flower and Plant

Flowers and plants in Chinese New Year are like Christmas trees guys…When Christmas comes, you need Christmas trees, and of course you’ll buy many things for celebrate it, right?? So it is, flowers and plants are one of the important things for celebrate Chinese New Year. One month before Chinese New Year comes, the store nearby my house sold many flowers and plants. And so is the garden shops too…they sold many kind of flowers and plants.

Many kind of flowers and plants sold there guys…especially red flower and yellow flower. Are they special colours to celebrate Chinese New Year?? That’s right! Red colour is important colour for Chinese people. Why?? Red colour is flamboyant and cheerful, so that means will bring blessing all year. How about yellow colour?? Yellow colour is luck symbolize and will bring good fortune.

There are not red flower and yellow flower, another colour flower they sold too. I saw pink flower, white flower, and purple flower. So any other means with these colours?? I am not sure guys…So I can’t tell you more, sorry… But As far as I know, the lucky colours in the year of Goat are purple, red, and brown.

What did they sell??… there were Chrysanthemum (red, yellow, mix colour), Flamingo flower you know as Anthurium flower (red and pink colours), Orchids (yellow, purple), Amaranthus flower (red and yellow colours), Begonia (red and pink colours), Bougainvillea (red and yellow), Hydrangea, Hyacinth (pink and purple colours), Camellia flower tree, Azalea flower, Jasmine flower. And some kind of plant that they believed will bring luck and good fortune they sell it too…like Lucky bamboo, Money plant, Pussy Willow, Pomegranate plant, especially Orange tree.

Why orange tree is special and important?? ‘cause they (Chinese people) believed, the fruits, the orange, will bring good fortune and luck. Many orange fruits, it means many fortune will come to their life all year. How about Pussy Willow plant??…Yeah, I saw it was sold in the garden shop or stores. This plant represents the coming of prosperity. And another one, Money plant, and Lucky bamboo,  yeah sure these means about good luck and good fortune.

• Red Envelopes

I know red envelopes called “ang pao”. In Mandarin called as “hongbao”. Red envelopes given by married couples / parent / the elderly  to the young non-married, or children of  the family. So, if you are unmarried junior in the family, even if you are an adult, your parent, your elderly brothers / sisters will give you red envelopes.  Do you know what it means??…Red envelopes means to transfer welfare.

Red envelopes are always contains money inside. How much is it??…Every year we got red envelopes from my husband office, and the money inside red envelopes is about $8 In another time, we got red envelopes from my neighbour. Seriously….neighbour given red envelopes?? Yeah, I got it on Chinese New Year last year. And it’s about $28. The number 8 is lucky number, means for wealth. Odd and even numbers are determined by the first digit, rather than the last. Such as thirty and fifty,  these number are appropriate for funeral cash. So don’t give this number inside the red envelopes.

• Gift Exchange

I have given some gifts for my neighbour guys…Yeah, it was before the day of Chinese New Year. On Monday this week, I have given my neighbour small gifts, there were oranges and sweets. Some other time we gave cakes for another neighbours. And yeah…my neighbour gave me back small gift too…there are cakes, and another else. Last year we did this tradition. At that time our neighbour gave us oranges, cakes. These are common gift on Chinese New Year. Another gifts are candies, biscuits, chocolates, cakes, and oranges.

• Food Traditions

Many kind of food on Chinese New Year guys…Even if it isn’t my culture or my family tradition, but I’d love to know and learn it. Sometimes I asked my neighbour, or sometimes I read, or sometimes my elder sister told me about food tradition on Chinese New Year. And these are some of menu on Chinese New Year…

1. Noodles

I think every year, my husband eat noodles in his office as traditions. It means for long life. My elder sister told me, every year, every her birthday, she eats noodles to hope long life.

2. Yu Sheng

This is special food. I saw it was sold in the stores nearby my house. it’s a symbol of happiness and will bring prosperity.

3. Chicken and Fish

These are one of food tradition on Chinese New Year guys…It’s means a symbol of happiness and luck.

4. Roasted duck

It’s means a symbol about obedience and loyalty

5. Abalone

In Singapore, abalone is eaten only during the Lunar New Year / Chinese New Year at home as the crowning ingredient in the traditional steamboat dinner. Abalone is symbolic of good fortune

6. Bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots is a symbol of wealth.

These are some of menu tradition on Chinese New Year. Maybe there are many other menus I’ve never known. Just tell me and I’d love to learn it

• Icons

Many icons to celebrate Chinese New Year. You will see, it’s red, and red in everywhere. Stores and market will sell many icons and ornaments for Chinese New Year. One of the icons is a lantern. Yeah…it’s easy to find lanterns when Chinese New Year come. Every single house that celebrates it will hang two lanterns in their house. When they hang these lanterns, it means a hope,  hope of a good fortune will come in their house.

These are Chinese New Year traditions in Singapore. I have learnt for it every year. Even if I am not Singaporeans, but this is a good way to know Singapore the country where I live in. This is nice culture, and I’d love to learn about culture from another country. A Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year…. Gong Xi Fa Cai

Note :

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti / Acik Mdy
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti / Acik Mdy (Except food pictures)
• Food Photographed by Hanayade
• Do not copy this article without permissions
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permissions