Getting ready for another New Year

Chinese New Year is coming up in a few weeks, and people across the city are getting ready to celebrate the biggest holiday in the lunar calendar.

The holiday is focused on family gatherings and bringing good fortune for the New Year, so much of the customs centers around buying food, flowers, and other gifts to celebrate the holiday with. I was impressed by the size of the flower festival even at the local mall downstairs. There were rows of different orchids, lilies, and other plants (like beets!). Also conveniently located next to the flower stalls were traditional gifts to bring to relatives when you visit them over the holidays like candies, cakes, and dried seafood.

My favourite New Year treat is the Chinese New Year's Cake (年糕), a sticky sweet, cake made of glutinous rice. Typically these cakes are sold in pie tins and meant to be shared by families. So I was surprised to find individual sized cakes being sold in plastic cups.

But aside from some citrus fruit that I don't normally see, most of the goods being sold can be found in the supermarket during the rest of the year. But I think the convenience of having such a large variety of goods together is something you only get in HK.

These swans that are part of East Point City`s Chinese New Year Display are made of artificial flowers (Photo: CathC)

I'm looking forward to the celebrations over the next couple of weeks: seeing relatives, snacking of treats, and watching the fireworks, and parades.