Sadly tomorrow is the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations and this is also my last post for the Chinese New Year theme. Hope you all have fun reading my blog posts from making Chinese New Year lantern crafts to foods!
Chinese New Year Goodies in Chinatown
Today, I would like to take you on a journey to see Chinese New Year goodies found in Singapore Chinatown. Living there for over 20 years and going to Chinatown in Outram Park is one of my highlights and recommendations to soak in the new year atmosphere.
Since I moved to the UK, I miss the opportunity to shop for the full range of Chinese New Year goodies. Some of these goodies can be found in UK Chinese supermarkets though so take a closer look if you get chance!
Celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown
This coming Chinese New Year of the Horse falls on 31 January 2014 (Friday). In Singapore, on the eve of Chinese New Year, everyone will go home to have a reunion dinner before heading to the temple (if you are Buddhist) or go to Chinatown or River Ang Bao or some might just stay at home!
Celebrate Chinese New Year with Orange
Mandarin oranges play a major part in our Chinese New Year. It’s to do with way we pronounce the word, it sounds like fortune. Chinese people love to say only good words on Chinese New Year as it will bring them all the luck and fortune for the coming new year.
Different Types of Chinese New Year Goodies
This time of year is one of the best times to travel to Asian countries, especially Singapore. Not only can you escape the bitter winter cold in the UK, but you will also get to enjoy the wide variety of food, colourful decorations and festive celebrations during Chinese New Year. As a proud Singaporean, I would love to share some of our delicious Chinese New Year goodies. Most of these treats are specially produced once a year to celebrate the festive season, making them even more special and eagerly anticipated.
Chinese New Year Wall Decoration
This year, Chinese New Year falls on 31 January 2014 and welcomes the Year of the Horse. In the Chinese zodiac, there is a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. The Horse is believed to symbolise energy, determination, strength, and freedom. In a future post, I will share more about the history and traditions behind the Chinese zodiac and how the different animals were chosen.
Winter Solstice Festival 2013 with Tangyuan
Today marks another year of the Winter Solstice Festival. I can’t believe how time passes us so quickly and it is going to be another new year in less than two weeks time. If you don’t know what the Winter Solstice Festival/Dongzhi is and why we are celebrating it, please click here to read what I had wrote in last year’s blog post.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival, is one of the most loved Chinese celebrations. In Singapore, many people also refer to it as the Lantern Festival because the streets come alive with colourful lantern displays and children proudly carrying their lanterns at night.
Winter Solstice Festival
The Dōngzhì Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese during the Dongzhi solar term (winter solstice) on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest. This year, it occurs on 21 December 2012.
Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. I still remember every year without fail, my mum would make tangyuan (湯圓) or balls of glutinous rice. She would put red food colouring into the glutinous rice flour and mix with water. Once it was mixed, she would roll it into small flour balls and cook it in the boiling water with pandan leaves.
