Chinese New Year Traditions Oranges

In chinese dust is a homophone for the word chen meaning the old.

Chinese new year traditions oranges. According to the sfcca this is the practice of seeking reciprocity in all human relationships hence the exchanging of gifts. Potted shrubs are ideal for indoor decorations during chinese new year and are available in all flower markets. To the average singaporean this is perhaps the quintessential cny image they d have in mind.

The first day of chinese new year begins on the new moon that appears between 21 january and 20 february. When it comes to popular chinese new year sayings such as gat 1 coeng 4 jyu 4 ji 3 吉祥如意 auspicious and everything acts according to one s will daai 6 gat 1 daai 6 lei 6 大吉大利 very auspicious and smooth or gat 1 sing 1 gou 1 ziu 3 吉星高照 the auspicious star shining high above people will sometimes replace the first character with one that denotes an orange. Marking the end of winter and the beginning of the spring season observances traditionally take place from new year s eve the evening preceding the first day of the year to the lantern festival held on the 15th day of the year.

Specifically it s its shorter squatter cousin the mandarin orange that gets all the special treatment. The fruit s bright orange color also symbolizes gold. Cleaning the house is a long observed chinese new year tradition.

But swapping oranges is not actually widely practised throughout. The holiday more aptly called lunar new year as it marks the start of a new lunar cycle is one of the most important holidays in asia. While most westerners interaction with chinese new year is watching parades in chinatown traditions vary from country to country.

Chinese new year celebrations were born out of fear and myth. That s because the chinese word for mandarin kam sounds similar to the word for gold so having mandarin oranges around the home at new year is said to bring riches into your life. Therefore a year end cleaning is needed to drive the old things or the bad luck away from the house and get ready for a new start.

This is an auspicious symbol of good luck and wealth an important factor for the chinese new year celebration. The ground the walls and every corner of the house need to be cleaned. So you will find tangerine and orange fruits displayed in houses offices and shops to usher good fortune for the occupants.