This Chinese New Year, celebrate the year of the tiger in true Hong Kong style. Think elaborate banquets, beautiful lighting, and a whole lot of good wishes. By Bayar Jain
The Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is a highlight of the Hong Kong calendar. Celebrated with elaborate banquets and glittering illuminations, this spring festival is all about exchanging blessings and good wishes, as well as invoking good fortune for the year ahead. It is a time of reunion and rebirth, marking the end of winter and beginning of spring. And Hong Kong houses countless time-honoured traditions that are bound to usher in good luck!
What is Chinese New Year all about?
The Chinese calendar is based on a 12-year cycle, where each year corresponds with one of the dozen zodiac animal signs. It also corresponds with one of the five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth. This year, in particular, is designated as the Year of the Water Tiger. The tiger, the third animal in the Chinese zodiac, is regarded as the king of all beasts. It is also the symbol of bravery, wisdom, and strength.
How to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Hong Kong style?
During the Chinese New Year celebrations, Hong Kong is filled with activities. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has curated some traditions to celebrate the auspicious festival in style, including some that can be enjoyed even miles apart!
Visit temples and shops
In Hong Kong, people visit temples like Wong Tai Sin Temple or Dai Sian—the busiest temple in the region—to seek blessings. It is widely believed that those who enter the temple first and make offerings to the Gods by burning the inaugural incense sticks receive the biggest blessings.
This year, Wong Tai Sin Temple is hosting an online event wherein visitors can pray and send their wishes via their website. The platform has been designed to accommodate foreign tourists as well as locals who are unable to visit the temples in person. All one needs to do is fill a form, which is then collected and included in the temple’s regular Taoist rituals.
Watch the lion dance
The lion dance is considered one of the most important traditions at the Lunar New Year. The mighty animal symbolises power, wisdom and superiority. When in Hong Kong, watch out for lion dances around the city by Master Kwok Man-Lung, martial arts expert, coach and leader of Kwok’s Kung Fu & Dragon Lion Dance Team.
Gift lai see
Red envelopes with gold calligraphy, called lai see in Cantonese, signify good fortune. Filled with what is considered lucky money, these are generally given to the young by the elders. Hold the packet with two hands, exchange greetings, say Kung Hei Fat Choy (wishing you prosperity) and express gratitude!
Binge on festive food
Enjoy lucky eats such as Chinese New Year puddings which symbolise growth, vegetables that represent fortune, and fish that signifies abundance. Interestingly, it is believed that one should eat only the middle part of the fish as doing so symbolises hope for the year to start and end in surplus.
Consider savouring Poon Choi at Chinese restaurants Dong Lai Shun and The Royal Garden. Made using variety of delectable ingredients, including pork, beef, chicken, duck, abalone, shrimp, dried mushrooms, fishballs, squid, and vegetables, this Cantonese dish is thought to bring abundance and wealth in the coming year.
Dumplings, too, are an important course in the traditional Chinese New Year’s Eve feast. Resembling ancient silver and gold ingots—symbolic of wealth—these delicacies are often devoured shared at the dinner table. It is believed that the more dumplings one eats during New Year’s, the more money one will make in the following year. In fact, some of these dumplings have a gold coin cosied within, and whoever receives these rare pieces are believed to enjoy good luck in the coming year.
Visit Chinese New Year flower markets
Every Chinese New Year, the flower markets in the region light up with colourful and aromatic floral displays. Traditionally, families visit these markets to pick auspicious plants and flowers for good luck, wealth, and prosperity. A stroll in these markets, it is believed, brings good fortune. This is because blooms signify wealth in Chinese culture, while many fruits and flowers symbolise good fortune.
Make a wish at Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees
Located near the Tin Hau Temple, the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees are a popular shrine in Hong Kong. Devotees write their wishes on joss paper, tie it to an orange and toss it towards the tree’s branches. Legend has it that if the orange successfully lodges in the tree’s branches without falling, the wish will come true!
Related: Hong Kong Travel Guide: The Ultimate Holiday Planner
