Celebrate Chinese New Year with these popular traditions
The lead up to Chinese New Year is always a flurry of activity — spring cleaning, shopping, decorating — not to mention all that eating. While this year’s celebrations might be different from what we’re used to, there are still many traditions you can (safely) observe to join in the festivities and usher in the Year of the Ox.
Out with the old, in with the new
You know that saying ‘new year, new me’? The Chinese believe in it too! It is tradition to wear new clothes from head to toe on the first day of the new year as it symbolises a fresh start, so make sure to start your shopping early to snag the best bargains.
It is also customary to declutter the house before the first day of the new year as it rids the family of the bad luck that has accumulated over the past year. Good fortune will arrive at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day and no cleaning is allowed on this day or you’ll be “sweeping away” this abundance of prosperity.
Staying up past midnight on New Year’s Eve
The practice of staying up on New Year’s Eve, also known as ‘shou sui’ (守岁), is directly translated as ‘guarding the age’. It is believed that children who stay up past midnight to welcome the new year will ensure the longevity of their elders — a good reason for the little ones to skip their usual bedtime!
Non-stop feasting
One of the best things about Chinese New Year is undoubtedly the food. Besides laying our hands on any new year goodies we can find and tossing one plate of yu sheng after another, it’s the reunion dinners that we really look forward to.
For your get-togethers this year, Grain is serving up a lavish Chinese New Year Party Set, available in 8 or 9 courses (for 4–6 and 8–10 guests respectively). Taking our cue from the bountiful spread of traditional Chinese banquets, the 9-course party set includes a Platter of Togetherness that serves up scrumptious cold appetisers like baby octopus, smoked duck, and seasoned jellyfish.
Pick an impressive main of Auspicious Goji Rice or Braised White Bee Hoon, then enjoy it with a selection of delectable dishes and sides, from the Nourishing Ginseng Chicken Thigh to the Happiness Thai-Canton Steamed Barramundi. End your meal on a sweet note with the Full of Joy Creamy Taro with Golden Pumpkin— it’s just like your classic Teochew orh-nee, but with an aromatic finish from soft, sweet pumpkin.
Mahjong all night long
Crazy Rich Asians might have popularised the game, but we’ve been at it long before it was cool. Given that the new year celebrations are associated with fortune and prosperity, table games like mahjong are often played during get-togethers — it’s one of the best ways to spend (a lot) of time together, especially since a complete game involves a total of 16 hands (4 hands per wind direction). In fact, the game can stretch on for so long that it’s comparable to the duration of a marathon. If you’re not still hearing the clacking of the tiles in your head hours past the last game, you’re not doing it right.
Gift-giving
Chinese New Year is that one time of the year everyone is especially generous — from giving out red packets to exchanging mandarin oranges, the season is all about spreading good fortune, in hopes that everyone enjoys a wonderful year full of returns.
This season, Grain has prepared a Chinese New Year Prosperity Pack (min. 20 guests), so you can indulge in your fair share of gifting as well. Each beautifully packaged box comes with A Pair of Mandarin Oranges, Gourmet Salted Egg Fish Skin Crunchy Chips from The Golden Duck Co., and a personal Fa Cai Smoked Salmon Yu Sheng. We’ve even included a Lo-hei Cheatsheet, so you won’t have to scramble to remember the lines!
Your Prosperity Packs will be delivered to your friends, family, or colleagues wherever they are on the island, which means everyone can lo hei together over video call with their personal plate — a way of bringing the extended circle of family and friends together despite the circumstances.
After the struggle that was 2020, we’re looking forward to ushering in an auspicious Year of the Ox. So from all of us here at Grain, we wish you a Happy Chinese New Year — or as we say during CNY, huat ah!
