Chinese New Year is fast approaching for 2019 and in the lead up to the huge 23 days of festivities, we thought we would look at what’s involved in Chinese New Year celebrations and take a peek at what’s in store for us in the year of the Pig!
Preparations for New Year’s will kick off on January 28th with Little Year, which will last right through to New Year’s Eve on February 4th.
Little Year is a time for memorial and prayer ceremonies, it’s also customary to clean the house to sweep away bad luck and pray to the Kitchen God.
On New Year’s Eve families get together for the most important dinner of the year, the reunion dinner that consists of a spread of delicious foods and specialties.
When dinner is over and while they wait for the New Year to arrive, the children receive their lucky red envelopes (also called red packet) containing money from all the adult relatives.
Firecrackers bring in the New Year and this day is a time to honour, give greetings and offer blessings to the elders in the family as well as to senior neighbours and extended families.
New Year’s is the quietest day of the festive season and while it sounds like a good day to clean up, it’s important to steer away from sweeping on February 5th as it’s believed you would be sweeping good fortune away.
New Year celebrations continue for another 11 days before preparations start for the Lantern Festival which is held on February 19th.
In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth and good fortune.
According to Chinese astrology if you are born in the Year of the Pig, 2019 will be the year for luck and fortune especially in the area of money!
Apparently, it’s a good year to invest - in money, career and life – and once you get going success will come your way.
This year will also bring joy, friendship and love for all zodiac signs as the pig attracts good fortune in all aspects of life.
Events & Activities
Our multicultural Australia includes a large mix of Asian cultures and with that, there is a large Asian influence seen in the Australian culture.
We welcome the Chinese New Year with as much excitement as we do with our New Year based on the solar calendar.
In each city you’ll find events and activities on or before New Year’s Day.
For example, this year on February 5th a Chinese New Year festival will be held in Melbourne which features a day of traditional and contemporary Chinese cultural activities, festivities, singing, food specialties, arts and crafts, lion dances, dragon parades and children’s events.
In Sydney, you’ll find a three week cultural festival in Chatswood which includes cultural events and performances, a food and fashion market, the Lunar New Year Twilight Parade, a traditional street parade and an art exhibition.
New Year’s Gifts
If you’d like to take a more personal approach to the Chinese New Year, gifts are a lovely way to join in on the festivities and embrace the generosity seen in Asian cultures.
A popular Chinese saying translates in English to ‘blossom flowers bring wealth’ which is why fresh flowers and plants are a prominent feature in Chinese New Year decorations.
Fresh flowers are expected to be a popular and well received gift this year in particular as they perfectly embody the Pig’s symbolism of wealth and good fortune.
The flamingo lily (Anthurium) is a red/pink colour that symbolises prosperity and is sought after for both Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day.
Give the gift of prosperity this year with Happiness, a petite boxed arrangement featuring anthuriums, yellow mokara orchids, red sim carnations and hypericum berries among green fern.
The colours of Chinese New Year are red which symbolises happiness and gold, a symbol of wealth.
Send them well wishes with a flower delivery of Luck, a red and gold floral arrangement in a glass cube featuring mini gerberas, mokara orchids, carnations and chrysanthemums which symbolise longevity and are a popular choice in the festive season.
Or opt for a grand gesture with Prosperity, a large gold and red floral arrangement in a ceramic container. Prosperity features red gladioli, sim carnations and long stem red roses with yellow mokara orchid amongst fern and cordyline leaves.
If instead, you’d like to go for a humble sized gift, give Flirt, the perfect sized rose delivery containing two long stemmed red roses in a tall glass vase highlighted by deep green foliage.
How are you preparing for Chinese New Year’s? Head to our Facebook page and let us know! Take a look at our Chinese New Year Pinterest Board for more inspiration.
Take a look at our collection of floral gift options perfect to bring in the New Year.