The lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore are festive and vibrant bringing families together to rejoice the dawning of a new year. The lunar new year is also known as the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival by the many nationalities celebrating the festival. In Singapore while it is an exciting holiday for many, it is the ethnic Chinese residents who commemorate the festival most ardently. The Island comes alive with an array of colour, lights and wafting smells of eclectic food. Chinatown in particular is continuously buzzing with life during the Fifteen Day celebrations of the lunar New Year. Every day holds new meaning and is symbolized by long standing customs and various food including Buddhas delight, jau gok, Mandarine oranges, melon seed, Nian gao, turnip cakes and sweets.
According to legend the lunar New Year began with the battle against a mythical beast know as the Nian. The Nian attacked the village on the very first day of the New Year for livestock, villagers and children. In order to protect themselves from the beast the villagers began keeping food at their doorsteps. It is said that the Nian did not attack the villagers once he ate the food. One day the people saw the beast being frightened away by a child robed in red. They understood that the Nian was afraid of red and as the New Year approached they hung brightly lit red spring scrolls and lanterns on their windows and doors. On another occasion villagers used firecrackers to scare the beast away. The Nian was eventually captured by an ancient Taoist monk who used the beast as his mount. It is these customs and traditions that are still adopted by the contemporary communities celebrating the Chinese New Year all around the world.
Luminous lanterns are hung all over Singapore while the skyline above the harbour is ablaze with fireworks creating a spectacular display of fiery lights. Traditional music and dragon and lion dance performances are also part of the New Year celebrations. Islanders also hold festive street markets and set up craft stalls that sell calligraphy written with prayers of health, fortune and happiness that are displayed at homes. The markets sell beautiful and colourful flowers symbolizing spring and the coming year. Chrysanthemums, narcissus and bamboo adorn the houses and offices of Singapore. Paintings, food and decorations depicting the Koi Fish are also an important aspect of the lunar New Year.
Singaporeans also pass out red packs or envelopes during this time. They are usually given by elders or married couples to unmarried youngsters or children. These tokens always contain some amount of money and it said that the amount should always be an even number. Numbers 8 and 6 are considered to be lucky numbers and are often found in these packs. Sometimes chocolate coins too are added as tokens of wealth. In addition small gifts of sweets, fruits and other food are exchanged among friends or relatives of different households. Most common among these are oranges, cakes, chocolates and candy.
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