Tag: Chinese New Year

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Top 6 Gifts for Friends & Family This Chinese New Year!

Chinese New Year is less than a month away! If you’re planning on visiting friends or your family members, or perhaps you might even be attending a Chinese New Year party – you might want to impress them with an incredible gift that will leave them happy until the end of the year!

Don’t pull up to your Lunar New Year gathering empty-handed; here are 6 ideas for Chinese New Year gifts that you can buy for your peers and family!

  1. 1. Fruit basket
  2. 2. Massager
  3. 3. Organic snacks
  4. 4. Medicinal herbs, dried seafood
  5. 5. Tea + tea set
  6. 6. Dried/preserved meat

1. Fruit basket

Prices start from: RM100

Fruit is everyone’s favorite food, and during the New Year, we eat a lot of high-calorie and high-fat pastries and delicacies every day. At this time, giving fruit to supplement vitamin C and fiber can be a very thoughtful Chinese New Year gift.

This exquisite gift box with fruits and flowers is visually pleasing, which will definitely make your gift stand out. Just remember to avoid fruits with negative connotations like plums and pears.

2. Massager

Prices start from: RM100~RM400

If you want to choose a thoughtful and practical gift for the older ones, a massager is the perfect gift!

Shoulder, neck pain and muscle soreness are quite a common issue among those of older age. Therefore, items such as massage instruments can be a great Chinese New Year gift. Let your elders enter the new year feeling fresh and rejuvenated every day!

Neck massagers, eye massagers, head massage combs or face lifting massage beauty devices are all very suitable gifts for elders this Lunar New Year.

Photo source: OSIM

3. Organic snacks

Prices start from: RM68

How about some healthy snacks during the holidays for a change? Nutritious and organic food is yet another suitable gift for Chinese New Year!

Organic nuts, dried fruits, whole grain beverages and the like are a fun and healthy snack to enjoy during the Lunar New Year.

If the elders aren’t particularly a fan of eating snacks, they can also choose healthy ingredients such as organic mushrooms, organic seasonings, quinoa, and organic honey, which is also perfect for daily cooking, making it a great versatile choice.

Photo source: Signature Market
https://www.instagram.com/p/CnOCZNSg7j3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

4. Medicinal herbs, dried seafood

Prices start from: RM130

You can also consider sending precious medicinal herbs and seafood during Chinese New Year.

Common health-preserving gift boxes include bird’s nest, ginseng, sea cucumber, abalone, cordyceps and other precious tonics, all of which are very suitable for elders.

Before buying precious medicinal materials, it is recommended to understand the physical condition and health needs of the elders, and choose foods from regular sources and guaranteed quality.

Photo source: Eu Yan Sang
Photo source: Seagull

5. Tea + tea set

Prices start from: RM100

Tea is a suitable drink at any time and any place. During various traditional Chinese festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese New Year, happy events and even ancestor worship, a pot of tea would normally be brewed at home.

Drinking tea can help quench thirst and promote body fluids, eliminate greasy food, detoxify and beautify the skin. Therefore, the practice of “giving tea and health” can definitely be considered a sincere gift.

You can choose a gift combination of tea leaves and tea sets for a thoughtful and unique twist for your Chinese New Year gift.

Photo source: Wisteria
Photo source: Wisteria

6. Dried/preserved meat

Prices start from: RM120

Gifts such as dried meat, cured meat, and shredded pork that are loved by those old or young are not only full of ritual, but also a New Year gift with a strong New Year flavor.

Nowadays, there are more and more jerky flavors on the market. You can choose from a variety of jerky with good taste and a full aroma.

If you are afraid that jerky is too greasy, you can choose this New Year gift box with jerky and tea, which is also a good gift choice!

Photo source: itsherbs.com
Photo source: Wing Heong

You may put a lot of pressure on giving the best gift to your loved ones on Chinese New Year, but don’t fret – as long as you put thought into your gift, that’s what ultimately counts.

This Chinese New Year, bring your presents and don’t forget to sincerely greet each other happily this holiday!

Originally published on IQI Global Blog

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What to Do and Not Do During Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a holiday that is celebrated by Chinese people all around the world. It marks the beginning of the lunar calendar, and is typically celebrated on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar.

The holiday is a time for families to come together and celebrate with food, gifts, and traditional activities. It is also a time for people to honor their ancestors and pay respects to the gods.

How well-versed are you with Chinese New Year? Here’s a few fun facts about Chinese New Year that you should definitely know!

Chinese New Year Do’s

1. Red, red, and red!

One of the most well-known traditions of Chinese New Year is the use of red decorations, which are believed to bring good luck. Red lanterns, red envelopes, and red paper cuttings are all common decorations during the holiday.

2. Delicious, prosperous food

Chinese New Year is also associated with certain foods, such as dumplings, fish, and niangao (a type of sweet rice cake). These foods are believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.

3. Family reunions

Chinese New Year is a time for families to come together and celebrate. Many people will travel long distances to be with their loved ones and participate in the festivities.

Chinese New Year Don’ts

1. Sweeping or cleaning

Sweeping or cleaning on the first few days of the holiday is considered unlucky, as it is believed to sweep away good luck and fortune. If you want to do any cleaning, do it before the holiday starts!

2. Washing hair or cutting nails

It is also considered unlucky to wash your hair or cut your nails on the first few days of the holiday, as it is believed to symbolize washing away good luck.

3. Wearing black or white clothing

It is considered unlucky to wear black or white clothing during the holiday, as these colors are associated with death and funerals. It’s best to wear red so you can receive good luck and ward off evil spirits!

Conclusion

Chinese New Year is a time of joy and celebration, and is an important cultural event for the millions of people around the world who celebrate it. It is a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year with hope and good wishes for the future!

Originally published on IQI Global

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2017 Year of Rooster

We’re barely a month into 2017 and its already another new year – Chinese New Year (CNY) – life’s second chance. Therefore, I’ve decided that my 2017 starts again on February 1st… January was a trial month. With that being said, 2016 was the Year of Monkey and it’s no more monkey business; time for the real deal.

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Being born and raised in Kuala Lumpur (KL) has been quite a privilege. This is because during CNY, I don’t have to be part of the massive crawl back to the hometown – wherever and however far it may be. The roads and highways in KL itself becomes devoid of cars, especially at peak hours. Its a breeze zooming from one end of town to the other. But of course, drive within the speed limits, because the car workshops are closed and the doctors are on leave for holiday.

The town has become a ghost town. Restaurants, shops, and offices have closed for the new year. Even shopping malls have become deserted. Shopping outlets – telecommunication stores, clothing departments, and cafes – have also closed for the new year. The only thing left open are the mamaks restaurants. No dim sum, wantan mee, and teh kecil in the morning but more roti canai, nasi lemak, and mee goreng for the next few days. Huat Ah!!

On the eve of CNY, we gathered together for a reunion dinner at my grandmother’s house (my mother’s mother). We ate poon choi (👈🏻  click the link for more info), which cost a whopping RM500++ per pot, and we ordered 2 pots of poon choi! 😱  So you do the maths.

From Chor Yat (translated as the 1st day of CNY), its the start of the endless reunions, house visitations, greetings, snacking, drinking, loh sangs, and reunion dinners for the next two weeks. I think during CNY, I’ve drank and eaten more sugar and snacks than in my birthday, Christmas, and other auspicious events combined in a year.

Its a joy to visit the family, cousins, long lost relatives and friends at a reunion or a house visitation. After all the CNY greetings and well-wishes; the yearly, awkward, and unavoidable questions pop out:

  • What are you studying?
  • Where are you working? What are you working as?
  • Where is your boyfriend or girlfriend?
  • When are you getting married?
    • Because the aunties and uncles want to reduce their annual CNY ang pow output.
  • When are you getting a baby?
  • When is your baby getting married? 😱  (Ok, maybe a bit too much…)
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QuestionS time is over and when ALL the questions have been answered, time for snacks and drinks to quench the thirst.

*Stares at all the CNY cookies*

Me: “WHOSE YOUR DADDY? COME TO PAPA”

*Munches on all the snacks and forgets about lunch*

Credit: Sean Tan
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After all the makan-makan, we move to the next house and to the next for visitations. The houses may be next door, down the road, or across town, but its worth the journey. The ang pows collected from as little as RM2 to as much as RM100 or more individually, are worth the journey 🤑 . Sometimes secretly eyeing the aunties who give RM2 ang pows in the Year of Monkey, or Year of Goat ang pow packets, when its 2017 and Year of Rooster.😑 😑  #doublekill

Nevertheless, its the festive season. Its the season to celebrate, fei-lo-ship, and be prosperous. Eat, drink, snack, and loh to your heart’s (and stomach’s) content. Happy Chinese New Year. GONG XI FA CAI!!!!

I’ve decided that my 2017 starts again on February 1st… January was a trial month.

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