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From good food to lucky items and more, you can celebrate Chinese New Year in full swing with these top picks from Janeena Chan.
This time around, we’re welcoming Chinese New Year a little bit earlier than usual on February 1!
And so, I’m rounding up some of my recommendations for this Lunar New Year’s preparations, and why they’re said to bring in more auspiciousness into our homes and lives. Take a look!
7. Festive Florals
Right before the Valentine’s season’s blooms take the spotlight, ring in the lunar new year by bringing in gorgeous Chinese New Year blooms to brighten up your space!
Mine are from Petalier, and I love how these elegant orchids are playfully arranged with red envelopes and prosperity knots—all in a golden pot. Surrounding the orchids are pussy willows, too. These fluffy blossoms signify the coming of spring, as well as prosperity, growth, and abundance of fortune.
Meanwhile, the red paper fans around it symbolize happiness and unity. Altogether, this one’s a true stunner!
They also have so many more adorable and modern arrangements that you can display beautifully in your home or office spaces. These ones with themed balloons and fun elements like the cute lucky cat are just some of my personal favorites! What’s more, these make great alternatives to the usual mini tangerine trees that we see around this season.
6. Tasteful Tikoy
Glutinous rice cakes have become a staple “exchange gift habit” during this time of the year. They symbolize unity, and harmony since the shape is round, the consistency is sticky, and the taste is sweet!
To level up your tikoy game for your Chinese New Year table prep, or even as gifts, check out this beautiful package—available at Shangrila The Fort. Their tikoy comes with two drawers. The first comes with a classic flavor and shape, while the second features two Koi fishes, which symbolize your luck flowing infinitely!
5. Fortune Cookies and Tea
Although the origin of fortune cookies isn’t traditionally Chinese, these modern ones from Seriously, Cookies? By Migs are great interactive snacks for both kids and kids at heart like me!
Instead of the usual plain vanilla flavor, they’ve come up with fun and bright colors and flavor profiles that are related to the year of the water tiger! I personally love the blue ones, which represent the water element, and the orange ones with stripes to represent the tiger!
What’s more, you can pair them with delicious tea from Tea Origins and it’ll be a winner combo! In fact, I’ve recently upgraded my tea game with their specialty teas. They offer caffeine-free flavors too, and you can go from hot or iced, to comforting or refreshing!
Love using my Nobu’s Nook Tea Maker for tea time, too! It’s not only super pretty with its white and light wood design, but it’s also super convenient. I use it to heat water and brew your tea leaves in an instant, just like that!
4. Lucky 13 Fruits
Yes, 13! That’s 12 to represent all months of the year, plus one more for extra abundance! Here are some of my personal recommendations and what they symbolize:
- Pomelo, orange, tangerine, kumquat, melon, and papaya for prosperity because their Chinese words resembles the sound of “wealth.” Visually, they also look like balls of gold!
- Pineapple and grapes for abundance.
- Peaches symbolize longevity.
- Apples symbolize peace and safety.
- Bananas symbolize happiness and invite good fortune in.
- Lychees symbolize romance, good luck, and beauty.
- Dragonfruits represent strength and positive energy!
Put all the fruits in one round tray or bowl and decorate them accordingly. You may even add chocolate gold coins or gold ingots around, too! Just make sure to avoid having pears, since the word “pear” in Chinese sounds very similar to the words “parting” or “leaving.”
I always order my fruits and fresh produce online from Shop Fresh and Green! They can be delivered straight to your door. Plus, you can give them as gifts to your dearest friends and family. Send boxes of oranges or apples to signify a prosperous and healthy relationship!
3. Auspicious Food
Aside from fruits, here are some staples for your Chinese New Year table set up:
- Noodles for long life.
- A whole fish for infinite fortune.
- Stuffed food that look like money bags for wealth. These include dumplings, machang, siomai, siopao, and ham sui ko.
- Round sweets like cake! I recommend Butternut Bakery’s festive Chinese New Year cake! Its mocha and cocoa flavor profile—embraced by their signature buttercream frosting—is a sure winner. And a definite feast for all the senses! You’ll feel lucky just by having a slice!
Want to know more? I’ve shared some more auspicious food symbols in this post!
2. Preparation and Knowledge is Power
To know what’s in store for your Chinese zodiac and elements this year, I’ve invited Feng Shui queen Marites Allen to the podcast for a quick chat and realignment. Listen to the full episode here via Rise Up with Janeena Chan and stay tuned for our uploads, every Saturday!
1. Dressing the Part
Be your most opulent and well-groomed self to embrace the new year on a stylish and positive note! Here are some suggestions for now:
Easier said than done, but beyond these traditions, turning over a new leaf really has to start from within. Let go of whatever’s weighing you down, and start fresh with an open heart, a proactive mindset, a can-do attitude. And don’t forget to have fun while you’re at it! Until next time!
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