• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Login Pelcro Shop

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Private tutors in Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong school news - IMS Open DayWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • Horoscopes for February 2023!
        • Image of Chinese characters for article on tips for learning Mandarin Chinese languageSix steps to a magical Mandarin Story
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Horoscopes for February 2023!
        • KidsFest 2023 Hong Kong - Tabby McTatTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Best playgrounds & parks for the kids
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • Private tutors in Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong school news - IMS Open DayWhat’s new on the school scene?
        • We chat with two GSIS families
        • A boarding school with wildlife on the doorstep!
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • Design Ideas: Yoga at Home
        • A New Home in The New Territories
        • Transforming an old Hong Kong junk
        • Image of Altfield home furnishings showroomWhere to get designer home furnishings
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Sequoia Lodge, AustraliaTravel Tips: Hot hotels for 2023
        • Mount KinabuluClimbing Mount Kinabalu in Sabah
        • Son Doong CaveJourney into the world’s largest cave
        • Famous movie locations in Asia - Hong Kong - Gage Street8 Famous Movie Locations in Asia
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Thai food at Monsoon restaurant in Hong KongRestaurant Review: Monsoon
        • 6 super reasons to visit sky100
        • Popcorn Shrimp with Spicy Honey Mayo
        • Indulgent chocolate cake - recipeRecipe: Indulgent Chocolate Cake
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Convertible clothing that can be mix-and-matched
        • where to get botox in hong kongBotox in Hong Kong – All you need to know
        • Where to buy (and sell!) watches
        • Face masks, spa products, body scrubsWe test body scrubs, creams, masks & more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • dry eye disease - causes, symptoms and treatment for dry eyesDo you suffer from dry eyes?
        • family dental clinics and dentists in Hong KongFamily Dental Clinics and Dentists in HK
        • Children's teeth and bracesKids and braces – all you need to know
        • Safe & healthy eating during pregnancy
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • Magazine
    • Advertise With Us
    • Close

Guide to Chinese New Year traditions

8 January, 2023 by Expat Living 3 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/how-to-celebrate-chinese-new-year-traditions-in-hong-kong/

Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is right around the corner. If you’re a relative newcomer to HK and not sure exactly what to expect during this huge holiday on the annual calendar, check out our guide to Chinese New Year traditions, symbols and festivals in Hong Kong.

Chinese New Year - guide to traditions
CNY guide to traditions and gifts

Giving lai-see packets (in person or electronically)

Generally, a senior gives lai-see to a junior; bosses to staff, parents to children, married couples to single friends. Lai-see packets are red and gold for prosperity and good luck. If you’d like to give physical cash in a packet, be sure to get to the bank early to get your glad hands on new notes to give. Never give any amount with 4 in it (in Chinese, this sounds like “death”) or odd numbers, as these are considered bad luck.

Try to avoid giving multiple notes – one is fine. Proper amounts for children are $20, and for doormen/waiters/service staff, $100 is a kind gesture (unless they’re your helper – you might want to pitch in more!)

Rather than a physical gift, you can send your colleague or family member a virtual packet instead. In fact, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is encouraging people to use electronic channels for lai-sees; to this end, various banks and e-payment operators offer fun and convenient ways to exchange money. Better for public health, and good for the environment, too!

Lai See
Pretty red lai-see packets

Wishing trees

During Chinese New Year, write your new year’s wishes on a piece of paper tied to a string that’s attached to an orange. Toss this over a tree so that it can collect on the branches, remaining there for your wish to come true.

Lion Dance for Chinese New Year

Lion dances

You will inevitably experience at least one lion dance during Chinese New Year. Traditionally, lion dance troupes dance away for the two weeks of Chinese New Year, accompanied by a cacophony of drums and firecrackers. These are to scare away the bad spirits of the past year, ensuring luck and prosperity for the coming year.

Get a haircut, manicure and pedicure before CNY!

It’s considered bad luck to cut anything during Chinese New Year, so getting a haircut beforehand is a must. Salons usually charge a premium for services during this period, so if you haven’t already, get thee to the barber, stat!

Choosing “lucky plants”

Typically, people would visit the Victoria Park CNY Flower Market to grace their home and office with some Chinese New Year flora. Lucky feng shui plants include bamboo (luck), cherry blossoms (new beginnings, freshness, innocence), Mandarin orange trees (prosperity), peonies (love and romance, female beauty), orchids (perfection, abundance, purity), pussy willows (growth, prosperity), and daffodils (wealth, fortune).

Clean your home

Before Chinese New Year, thoroughly clean your home of all the accumulated bad luck from the previous year, clearing space for the good fortune of the upcoming year. This ensures a fresh start on the new lunar new year. Cleaning and clearing away during Chinese New Year is a no-no, so don’t get these mixed up!

Then, decorate your home

Choose themes in red and gold to signify happiness, good luck and prosperity. Fill your home with lucky plants, mystic knots (good luck, protection), goldfish (abundance, prosperity), pineapples (wealth, fortune, prosperity; sounds like “good luck coming your way” in Chinese), and place nine oranges in the lounge or kitchen (good luck, prosperity; citrus guards against bad luck).

Giving oranges for Chinese New Year
Giving a bit of wealth for the new year

Giving and receiving oranges during home visits

Visits to homes are a common thing during Chinese New Year, and often accompanied by the exchange of tangerines and oranges. The Chinese words for tangerine and orange sound like “luck” and “wealth”, and it is considered rude to ring up at anyone’s home during CNY empty-handed. When you arrive at someone’s home at this time, present a pair of oranges (or pairs) to the head of household. They’ll then exchange these as a gesture of good will during the festive period.

Lantern Festival

Launching wishing lanterns

It’s customary during the first full moon of the Lunar Year – which signifies the end of Chinese New Year – for colourful lanterns to be launched into the night sky. People write wishes on the lanterns before they rise in a blaze of glory. The LCSD sets up an amazing Lantern Exhibition in the grounds of the HK Cultural Centre as part of the Chinese New Year Celebrations which runs for about a month. There are also free displays and carnivals set up at West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade and in the New Territories.


Check out our cultural calendar for more insights on living in Hong Kong.

Categories: Arts & Culture Living Here Living In Hong Kong Things To Do

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

Private tutors in Hong Kong

Image of Chinese characters for article on tips for learning Mandarin Chinese language

Six steps to a magical Mandarin Story

Sailing in Hong Kong - inclusive sailing courses by charity Sailability

Making sailing accessible to everyone

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.