The Lunar New Year period is a time when Chinese communities are filled with a palpable sense of celebration. Vibrant red decorations, believed to bring good luck, are prominently displayed, and the atmosphere is alive with the melodies of traditional festive music. The Chinese New Year, which falls on February 5th in 2019, is a time when well-wishes are exchanged, particularly during the first fifteen days of the lunar year.
This image conveys a wish for abundant business opportunities.
From the first day of the New Year, greetings are exchanged. Popular greetings include “Happy New Year” (新年快乐, xin nian kuai le) and “Congratulations on receiving riches and prosperity” (恭喜发财, gong xi fa cai). The concept of wealth holds significant importance in Chinese culture, especially during this period. Other well-received greetings are “May your wishes come true” (心想事成, xin xiang shi cheng) and “Prosperity in abundance” (福气满满, fu qi man man).
Within business contexts, greetings often center around fortune and success. These include phrases like:
“Rising higher with each step taken” (步步高升, bu bu gao sheng),
“May riches enter in huge volumes” (财源广进, cai yuan guang jin) or “May riches gush in” (财源滚滚, cai yuan gun gun),
“Achievements everywhere, literally from east to west” (东成西就, dong cheng xi jiu),
“May your work go smoothly” (工作顺利, gong zuo shun li),
“May fortune find you” (鸿运当头, hong yun dang tou),
“May your products sell like hotcakes, as quickly as wheels turn” (货如轮转, huo ru lun zhuan),
“Instant success” (马到成功, ma dao cheng gong),
“Surpluses every year” (年年有馀, nian nian you yu),
“An easy path to a meteoric rise” (平步青云, ping bu qing yun),
“Get a promotion and a raise” (升官发财, sheng guan fa cai),
“May the business thrive greatly” (生意兴隆, sheng yi xing long),
“Success in what you’re working on” (事业有成, shi ye you cheng) ,
“Making progress in the new year” (新年进步, xin nian jin bu),
“Reap much more than you invest” (一本万利, yi ben wan li).
Greetings can also incorporate the year’s zodiac animal, for instance, “Great fortune in the year of the ___” (___年大吉, ___ nian da ji), and “Great luck in the year of the ___” (___年行大運/___年行大运, ___ nian xing da yun), with the blank filled by the corresponding animal. 2019 is the year of the boar, followed by the rat in 2020 and the ox in 2021.
A display in Singapore’s Chinatown prominently features pigs in celebration of the year of the pig.
Puns incorporating the word “pig” were less common this year compared to other years. This advertisement for Magiclean features both a pig and a dog with the message “Looking forward to spring and seeing off the dog: may all things be clean.”
Red envelopes, considered lucky, feature a pun: “Wishing you” (祝您, zhu nin) is playfully altered to “Pig you” (猪您, zhu nin).
Brands often incorporate the zodiac animal into their New Year greetings. In 2018, the year of the dog, the character 旺 (wang), symbolizing abundance and prosperity, was frequently used in decorations. This was due to its phonetic similarity to the sound a dog makes, 汪 (wang). The year 2019 was unique in Singapore as there were fewer pig-related puns. Instead, generic New Year greetings were more common, with occasional puns unrelated to pigs.
Lee Kum Kee, for instance, chose to use a clever wordplay on their own name in Mandarin, 李錦記 (Li Jin Ji), transforming it into 你紧记 (ni jin ji), meaning “you will never forget.”
The advertisement for Lee Kum Kee centers around the reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve. The headline reads, “The taste of reunion: great flavors that you will never forget.”
In 2017, the year of the rooster, beverage company Pokka wished everyone “All the happiness and prosperity you hope for” (吉祥如意, ji xiang ru yi), using a pun on “rooster,” (鸡, ji), which has a similar sound. They also used the character 翔 (xiang), meaning “to soar,” which sounds like 祥 (xiang) from the original phrase, keeping with the year’s rooster theme.
The year 2015 was the year of the goat (or sheep). Several greetings utilized the word for goat, 羊 (yang), a homonym found in various Chinese idioms. 阳光灿烂 (yang guang can lan), meaning “bright sunlight” or “a bright future”, was used as a New Year’s wish. 喜气洋洋 (xi qi yang yang), signifying “happiness everywhere”, was adapted to 喜气羊羊 (xi qi yang yang) for the year. Similarly, 洋洋得意 (yang yang de yi), meaning “to get what one wants in the best way possible”, was altered to 羊羊得意 (yang yang de yi).
The saying 马到成功 (ma dao cheng gong) is especially fitting for the year of the horse (most recently 2014) since the first character represents “horse,” 马 (ma). However, it can be used in any year.
Pictured is a lohei platter before the tossing begins. Each ingredient carries a special meaning, with the raw salmon in the center representing abundance and the crackers symbolizing money.
These greetings are commonly exchanged during traditional Chinese New Year feasts in Malaysia and Singapore. They are especially popular during the lohei (撈起) tradition, which precedes the main meal. Lohei can be enjoyed for several weeks leading up to the New Year and continues until the fifteenth day.
The lohei tradition revolves around yusheng (鱼生), a raw fish* salad. The salad is presented, and toppings are added in a ceremonial manner, each accompanied by a well-wish. Particular toppings correspond to specific sayings. The sweet sauce is typically drizzled while saying 甜甜蜜蜜 (tiantian mimi), meaning “may life be sweet”, and the fish or seafood is placed while saying 年年有余 (nian nian you yu), “surplus every year”, as 余 (yu), meaning surplus, sounds like 鱼 (yu), meaning fish.
Once assembled, diners use chopsticks to toss (lo) the salad together while exclaiming greetings and wishes for the year ahead. The height (hei) to which the salad is tossed is believed to influence the amount of luck in the coming year.
Don’t be overwhelmed if you can’t remember numerous greetings; a simple “Happy New Year” is sufficient. The primary objective is to begin the year with positivity, focusing on good fortune, prosperity, and success. It’s best to avoid negativity. As the saying goes, 万事如意 (wan shi ru yi) – “May all your wishes be fulfilled”!
*Chefs have introduced variations to the traditional salad. The raw fish is sometimes substituted with smoked salmon, sliced abalone, or lobster. Alternatives to the salad include fruit. More luxurious toppings like gold flakes or caviar have also become popular in recent times.