CHINESE NEW YEAR GUIDE
KUNG HEI FAT CHOY! Nicole Slater rounds up 8 things to do around town this Chinese New Year
F
rom February 1-3 Hong Kong will be a sea of red and gold as it celebrates the biggest occasion on the Chinese calendar. Ring in the year of the Tiger with these fun and festive things to do.
1
Clean up
Homes are thoroughly cleaned in the run up to the festivities, as it is considered bad luck to clean your home during the week of Lunar New Year.
Sweep dust into the middle of the room and out the door to symbolise the sweeping away of bad luck. Going one step further, some homeowners paint door frames and windows in order to encourage good luck to enter.
Lion and dragon dances are performed just about everywhere during the Lunar New Year. Pop down to your local town centre where you’ll find performers dressed as lions and dragons parading around the town while blessing local businesses.
2
Visit a flower market
Brighten up your home with a bunch of flowers or a Mandarin tree - these are believed to bring good luck around this time. The famous Victoria Park Market is a popular choice, but if you want to stay away from the crowds visit Prince Edward Flower Market in Mong Kok.
3
Go veggie
Legend has it that going vegetarian for the first day of the Lunar New Year (February 1) enhances longevity and helps purify and cleanse the body. Visit one of the city’s many vegetarian restaurants or create your own homemade vegetarian feast.
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4
Take part in a Lion Dance
5
Make it rain with Lai See
‘Lai see’ is the traditional name for the lucky red envelopes given by married people to their single relatives, colleagues and those in the service industry during the 15 days preceding Lunar New Year (February 1-15). The envelopes should contain crisp banknotes and the amount is symbolic, do not give any amount that contains the number four as this number is associated with ‘death’ in Chinese culture.
22/12/2021 5:16 PM
