Chinese New Year is also called as Chinese Spring Festival or Lunar New Year which possesses the most meaningful position among all festivals in Malaysia. The grand celebration involves flower decorations, folk traditions, enthralling parades, and an incredible feast. In 2018, it will fall on 16th February and will last to 2nd March (first fifteen days of the Chinese lunar calendar). You can also celebrate this festival and pay tribute to Chinese traditions. Most people celebrate it at home and decorate their place with flowers. Several flower arrangements can make your home look extraordinary.
On the Lunar New Year, men dedicate their time and focus toward family, cleaning, gifts, settling debts, and wishing for good luck in the upcoming year. This Chinese festival is all about renewal and good luck, but some flowers, colors, and seasonal fruits are considered ‘luckier’ than others things. You can add New Year cheer to your home or workplace by adding flowers and lanterns.
In Malaysia, homes are cleaned thoroughly decorated with flower compositions, live plants, fruits, and sweets during spring festival. All these components in the house are considered to bring good fortune and good luck in the coming year. Flowers signify the rebirth that will take place in the upcoming spring. Here, expert from Bloom2u shares you with several flower arrangements to make your place look more cheerful and festive.
Chinese New Year Flowers
Chinese New Year is always a joyous, exhilarating, and colorful occasion. The 2-week festival is full of fireworks, sparklers, decorations. Apart from different customs, it’s also a time loaded with significance, where family members come together to share a good time and meal. Flowers signify new growth and good fortune after the long, dead winter. If a tree or plant has fruit seen as great symbols of fortune. Before spring festival, people also fill their houses with New Year flowers and fruit to encourage happiness, wealth, longevity, and good fortune. Some colors, flowers, and fruits are considered ‘luckier’ than others, so if you’re looking forward to add some Chinese New Year delight to your home or workplace, then keep reading this blog.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Chinese New Year flowers:
Orchids
Undoubtedly, Orchids are one of the most famous Chinese spring festival flowers. During the festival, flower stores are flooded with beautiful bouquets, baskets, pots, and arrangements of Orchids in a wide range of colors. Orchids are beautiful, rich, and elegant flowers, and they are considered as a symbol of abundance and ‘many children’ or fertility in Malaysia. Orchids also represent luxury, purity, refinement, and innocence.
Peach Blossoms
Another popular Lunar New Year flower is the beautiful and bright peach blossom. The peach plant is considered divine in Malaysia, as its fruit symbolizes longevity. Besides, peach flowers signify prosperity, growth, and romance.
Plum Blossoms
Plum Blossoms are another most popular flower which represents perseverance, endurance, courage, and reliability. They can be used to create gorgeous bouquets.
Peonies
Peonies are widely preferred by spring brides. This lovely flower is associated with innocence, feminine beauty, charm, and affection. Peonies are known as the ‘flowers of honor and riches’. Red peonies are especially preferred during Lunar New Year.
Pussy Willow
The pussy willow flower is a widely preferred flower style during Chinese spring festival. Its full branches of fluffy, furry flowers symbolize growth and the coming of lavish fortune.
Narcissus or ‘Water Fairy Flowers’
Narcissus represents prosperity and good fortune. It is known as one of the most promising Lunar New Year flowers. They look divine and grow in a shallow dish of water and pebbles.
Play with Flower Arrangements
Rather than generic store-bought cardboard pieces, choose flowers which can jazz up any room. In Chinese history, flowers represent the production of fruits, which symbolize wealth and rewards. Evergreen plants and blossoming flower arrangements signify renewal and good news to come in the Chinese new year. Here are some popular new year flower arrangements:
- You can combine lime trees, pussy willow branches with some beautiful flowers such as narcissus, plum blossom, or peonies. A beautiful arrangement of peonies kept on a reunion dinner table looks perfect.
- Another ideal option for Chinese New Year decoration is to try the Kalanchoe plant which is widely used to decorate dinner table. Simply, place Kalanchoe in a delicate vase. It has a deep meaning in Chinese culture and signifies prosperity, wealth, and long life.
- It is one of the most preferred combinations as its all-tropical, consists locally grown blooms such as kumquats, anthuriums, ginger, decorative pineapple, birds of paradise, and pineapple. Kumquats and pineapple signify happiness, abundance, and prosperity. Red color represents joy and good fortune.
- Though, Tulips and Pussy willows are not a classical Chinese composition for CNY. But, pussy willow signifies the beginning of the new year and upcoming happiness. Furthermore, tulips just make this arrangement look very delicate, smooth, and gentle.
- Narcissus bulbs waiting to flower are very important for Lunar New Year, signifying good luck and prosperity. Early growing narcissus with its white & yellow flowers expresses wealth (gold and silver). Narcissus has become the symbolic bloom of the Lunar Year. If it blooms during the Chinese Spring Festival, it is believed that it will bring good fortune and wealth throughout the year. There are different kinds of narcissus including daffodils and hundreds of cultivars.
The right flowers can make your Lunar New Year more wonderful. Hope all these tips mentioned-above will make your home more beautiful and bring prosperity for many years to come.
Chinese New Year Gift Hampers
Sending a gift hamper in Chinese Spring festival is a beautiful way to express your admiration to someone you care about. Book Chinese New Year hamper online and deliver it to your friends, family members, or close ones to show that you wish them well in the year to come. Your next CNY hamper must be unique. Send a fun and exciting gift to your loved one this year. Here are some of the most popular festive hampers that will let you wish someone special a fruitful new year:
It is one of the most popular Chinese New Year Hampers delivered only by Bloom2u. It consists Japanese Flower Mushroom, Ferrero Rocher, Famous Amos Cookies, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Chinese Red Date, Assorted Narmak Nuts, and Special CNY Sheep. You can get Xiao hamper delivered at your close one’s home without going anywhere else. The red color of this hamper symbolizes prosperity for the new year. With the Japanese flower and traditional Chinese cookies; Xiao is an ideal CNY hamper.
Why Name “Xiao”?
Made of bamboo, the Xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. Basically, it is a traditional musical instrument that widely used and played today. We called this popular hamper after this classy musical instrument.
This Chinese New Year Hamper includes Japanese Flower Mushroom, Assorted Narmak Nuts, Chinese Red Date, Ferrero Rocher, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Altanza Lealtanza Capitosond, and Special CNY Sheep.
Why the Name “Muyu”?
Looks like a wooden fish, Muyu is basically a percussion instrument which is also known as a Chinese temple block. In Mahayana Buddhist tradition, wooden fish is used by monks and laity. It is often used during different festivals that usually involve the recitation of mantras, sutras, or other Buddhist texts. It is also considered as one of the most used musical instrument. It makes the sound of peace and harmony. Muyu hamper is named after this Wooden instrument.
It is another popular CNY gift hamper which comes with Japanese Flower Mushroom, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Famous Amos Cookies, Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, 2 X Assorted Narmak Nuts, Chinese Red Date, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Australia Superior Abalone Drained Weight , Special CNY Sheep, Altanza Lealtanza Capitoso, and Special CNY Tassel.
Why Name “Pipa”?
The pipa is a popular four-stringed Chinese musical instrument. Belongs to the plucked category of instruments, sometimes it is also called as Chinese lute. It consists a pear-shaped wooden body with a different number of frets ranging from 12 to 26. The liuqin is another Chinese four-string plucked lute which seems like a smaller version of the pipa.
This Beautiful hamper comes with the Chinese Red Date, Japanese Flower Mushroom, Roses Water Preserve, Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast, Altanza Lealtanza Capitoso, Assorted Narmak Nuts, Australia Superior Abalone Drained Weight, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Teabags, Famous Amos Cookies, Special CNY Sheep and Special CNY Tassel. A perfect gift for the Chinese Spring Festival.
Why the Name “Erhu”?
Erhu is also known as the “Chinese two-stringed fiddle” or “Chinese violin”. Basically, it is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument which is used as a solo instrument in large orchestras and small ensembles as well. It is one of the most famous members of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by several ethnic groups of China. Erhu is used in both contemporary and traditional music arrangements i.e. rock, jazz, pop, etc. Erhu is named after this popular two-stringed bowed musical instrument.
This Chinese New Year hamper comes with Chinese Red Date, Australia Superior Abalone Drained Weight, Ferrero Rocher, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Assorted Narmak Nuts, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Altanza Lealtanza Capitoso, Special CNY Sheep, and Special CNY Tassel, and Japanese Flower Mushroom. All these things make it one of the best CNY hamper.
Why the Name “Jinghu”?
Primarily used in Beijing opera, The Jinghu is a Chinese bowed string instrument. Jinghu is known as the smallest and highest pitched instrument in the huqin family. We named this hamper after this amazing musical instrument Jinghu.
Ruan is another most popular CNY hamper which comes with Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Ferrero Rocher, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Altanza Lealtanza Capitoso, Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, Altanza Lealtanza Capitoso, Chinese Red Date, Japanese Flower Mushroom, Australia Superior Abalone Drained, Special CNY Sheep and Tassel.
Why the Name “Ruan”?
Ruan is a classy Chinese plucked string instrument which is one of the popular CNY hampers in our musical instruments collection. Available in the circular body, Ruan consists a lute with a fretted neck and four strings. Its strings are made of steel. This instrument has 24 frets with 12 semitones which has exceedingly expanded its range from a former 13 frets. This hamper is named after Ruan – the popular two-stringed bowed musical instrument.
Guzheng is our another most-demanding Chinese New Year Hamper which consists Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, Ferrero Rocher, Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags, Famous Amos Cookies, Chinese Red Date XL, Japanese Flower Mushroom, Bird’s Nest with Rock Sugar, 2 X Assorted Narmak Nuts, Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d’Alba Italy, Australia Superior Abalone Drained, Special CNY Sheep and Tassel.
Why the Name “Guzheng”?
The Guzheng is a Chinese plucked zither which is also called as zheng (gu zheng). It features movable bridges and 18 or more strings while the modern Guzheng comes with 21 strings and bridges. The picks (DaiMao) used by performers to play Guzheng are usually made of the shells of hawksbill turtles. The Guzheng is known as the ancestor of various Asian zither instruments including Japanese koto, Vietnamese ?àn tranh, and the Korean gayageum. It is a new standard for CNY Hamper which looks adorable. We named it after this wonderful tradition instrument Guzheng.
This rich Chinese New Year hamper comes with Ferrero Rocher T32, 2 X Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Bird’s Nest with Rock Sugar, Marks & Spencer English Breakfast Teabags 2 X Assorted Narmak Nuts, Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, Chinese Red Date XL, Australia Superior Abalone Drained Weight, Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d’Alba Italy Japanese Flower Mushroom, and Special CNY Sheep and Tassel.
Why the Name “Dagu”?
Dagu is a big drum played with two sticks which is used widely and played together with the lion dance. It’s believed the sound will bring happiness and good luck. The louder the better. This CNY hamper is named after Dagu. We hope it brings prosperity to your home.
This Chinese New Year hampers will definitely bring happiness to your recipient’s house. Yunluo hamper consists Crabtree & Evelyn Strawberry & Roses Water Preserve, Ferrero Rocher, 2 X Assorted Crabtree & Evelyn Biscuits, Chinese Red Date XL, Japanese Flower Mushroom, 2 X Assorted Narmak Nuts, Scallop L in Red Box, Bird’s Nest with Rock Sugar, Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d’Alba Italy, Australia Superior Abalone Drained Weight, and Special CNY Sheep and tassel.
Why the Name “Yunluo”?
The Yunluo is a classical Chinese musical instrument which was also called as yún’áo in the ancient times. It is basically a set of ten small tuned gongs attached in a wooden frame, with each gong being about 9-12 cm in diameter, and the height of the frame being about 52 cm. The Yunluo’s gongs are usually of equal diameter, but different thicknesses; the thicker gongs create a higher pitch. It is widely used in wind and percussion ensembles in northern China. This extravagance hamper is named after this traditional Chinese musical instrument.
Whether you want to send fruit, tea, or a combination of pleasing treats, a festive hamper can express a deep message. If you are looking forward to send warm wishes to your close ones in the Chinese Spring Festival, then CNY hampers are the best options for you.
There are several impressive gifts you can give your close ones this season. Gift hampers are always the best option, especially because they come up several items. You can match your receiver’s interests to the festive hamper you have chosen for them. It is also an excellent gift for a family because you can add more than one products, assuring everyone gets something special with the present.
Chinese New Year Fruits
Fruits are widely used in Chinese New Year decoration and, they have deep meaning. Fruits are the wonderful gift for Lunar New Year, especially if you can find a delightful collection. You can add some seasonal fruits such as plums, kiwis, apples, oranges, and grapes. If you know someone who is more health-conscious, a fruit basket is an ideal way to go. Orange is one of the most popular fruits to be delivered on Lunar New Year based on its significance.
Here are some of the most popular Chinese New Year decorations fruits:
Oranges
Orange is a very popular fruit during the Lunar New Year celebrations. Being a highly promising symbol of happiness and abundance, Oranges is aligned with the positive principle. Potted shrubs are widely chosen for indoor decorations as they symbolize ‘the lucky tree bearing fruits’. It is custom to put a red envelope with mandarin oranges next to kid’s pillows in homes to bring them good fortune.
Pomelos
Pomelos are another widely-preferred fruits, whether it’s yellow or green. Pomelos are also used in cooking right before the Lunar new year. Tambun Pomelo is very popular in Malaysia. Being a symbol of family unity, Pomelo is thought to induce good luck to the family. It is common tradition to decorate the house with a pair of pomelos.
Solanum Mammosum or ‘Cow’s Udder’
Solanum Mammosum is a uniquely shaped fruit which is widely used in decorating New Year trees. Since it has five ‘fingers’, it is hoped that the home in which it is fixed will be honored with the same amount of male offspring. Another reason it has been used extensively as a sign of luck is that the protrusions are believed to represent generations. Five generations living melodiously under the same roof will bring prosperity, happiness, and longevity for the family.
Plums, Grapes, Jujube, and Kumquats
This combination of fruits is a symbol of wealth, fortune, good luck, prosperity, gold, and fertility. All these fruits are served as a holy offering in Buddhist temples. Besides, they are used in cooking and gifting among relatives.
Apart from fruits, desserts are also an excellent choice for the spring festival. You can bring sweets to your close one’s home who is hosting a New Year party so that you are adding to the scope of treats available. You can add fruits, biscuits, truffles, and delicious chocolates to the fruit basket and send happiness to the recipients’ home.
Lucky Colors
Red is known as the color of joy, truth, symbolizing virtue, and sincerity. It is believed that Red has the power to frighten away bad fortune and evil spirits. It’s a tradition to give red packets to youngsters as a form of blessing for the upcoming year. Gold is another favorite color which symbolizes prosperity and fortune.
So, if you want to bring luck, happiness, and prosperity in the upcoming year, then decorate your home with these tried and true Chinese New Year trends. They will brighten up your house and office and get you into the pleasant spirit.
Chinese New Year Plants
Plants are also an ideal choice for Chinese New Year gift, especially as they signify the beauty of the year and memorialize the upcoming of spring.
Gold Series Table Gardens
Plush toys and golden monkey figurines are used to illuminate these pots. All these plants used in each pot are a mix of festive and indoor plants such as fittonias and zamioculcas which are recognized as the Gold Coin plant.
Oncidium Orchids
Oncidiums are one of the most popular indoor and florist orchids widely preferred during Lunar New Year. Oncidium Orchid comes with tiny yellow petals which looks like sprouting gold coins. They are also called as the “Dancing Ladies”.
Nepenthes
This tropical pitcher plant is also known as the Monkey Cups as monkeys have been perceived to have the liquid collected in the container. Nepenthes’s large cup is also considered as the money bag. It is believed that the more pitchers a Nepenthe has, the more fortune and wealth its owner will have.
Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemum is a promising choice for the Spring Festival due to its bright gold or purple hues. The plant signifies longevity, wealth, and prosperity. There are a large number of chrysanthemums varieties available in color, height, size of flower, and type of bloom.
Phalaenopsis
Phalaenopsis is a popular festive plant which is adorned by several Malaysians. Is petals look like the wings of a butterfly which signifies spring, happiness, vitality, and longevity. This can be a wonderful addition to your home during Lunar New Year.
What Should You Consider while Choosing CNY Plants?
Every plant demands little care. When you buy any plant before the spring festival, you need to know several significant things. Let’s have a look at some of the best tips that will keep your new year plants fresh and blooming throughout the festive period.
- If you are looking to buy flowering plants, you need to know how long they will take to grow. As it is getting closer to the first day of Lunar New Year, choose the plants which have partially opened blossoms so they will grow in time.
- If you do not have a green thumb, choose hardier plants like kumquats, that demands minimal care. Besides, choose the plants that do not require much water and bloom well in limited sunlight. If you are picking citrus plants such as dragon lime plants or four seasons lime, the fruit needs to be soft or squishy.
- The stalk of the plant needs to be upright, and its flowers must not droop. Pick one with flowers and lush foliage. Make sure it doesn’t have brown bits around the ends of its flowers and leaves.
Popular Traditions Associated with Chinese New Year
Although some individuals decorate their homes many days before the celebration, most of them do it on New Year’s Eve. Homes and working places are well decorated with New Year paintings, flowers, red couplets, and lanterns. If you don’t know how to decorate your house for the grand celebration, you must read the following: Chinese Spring Festival is celebrated very differently in rural areas where individuals not only wish good luck to their family but also their livestock. Therefore, they do decorate not only their homes but also the areas where their livestock live. Strange but true! Well, you can decorate your house using following things:
Putting Up Spring Couplets
With golden or black characters printed on red paper, couplets are composed of a set of poetry lines pasted on each side of the front door frame. It also consists a four-character horizontal scroll attached above the doorframe. Fixing couplets at the door signifies people’s pleasure in the festival and hopes for a cheerful life in the upcoming year. Some individuals make the couplets themselves, but most of them buy readymade from the market. People also believe that pasting spring couplets keeps evil away. The 1st line and 2nd line have parallel structures and antithetical meanings in the Couplets. Both lines must have an equal number of characters, and their meaning should be related and antithetic. There needs to be a correspondence between these two lines.
Affixing Door God Images
Sticking a god image on the door is an essential custom during Chinese new year. A few decades ago, door gods were crafted by peach wood formed into the figure of a man, dangling on the door. Later, people started fixing printed images on doors. People stick them on doors as a prayer for happiness, blessings, health, longevity, and peace. They also paste two door gods on double doors in order to keep evil spirits from entering the house. The door gods also signify power and righteousness in China. That’s why, Chinese door gods always hold several weapons, and ready to battle with evil spirits.
Putting Up New Year Paintings
New Year Paintings carry best wishes and they are widely used to decorate homes in Malaysia as well. These paintings create a flourishing and happy Spring Festival atmosphere. The paintings often have birds, flowers, plump boys, the Goddess of Mercy, oxen, ripe fruit, and some historical stories revealing hopes for bountiful seasons and a happy life.
Putting Up Paper Cutouts
It is another popular custom to affix paper cutouts on windows before the festival. People paste paper cutouts on windows facing south and north during the Lunar New Year. Some people also paste paper cutouts in wedding days. Comes in a diamond-shaped in lucky red, the themes and subjects of paper cutouts are prosperous. Sometimes, these cutouts also depict myths, stories, legends, and Chinese operas. You will often find them with Chinese Zodiac creatures which are known as the popular paper cutout designs. They are also available with beautiful and exaggerated patterns which reveal hopes of a prosperous life.
Offering Sacrifices to Ancestors
Many individuals offer tributes to their ancestors in the central hall of the home, where an ancestor altar is presented. From tidying tombs in the wild to praying ancestors in temples or ancestral halls, ancestor worship widely differs. Every family members kneel in front of the wall-mounted grave or shrine. They also offer wine, meat, joss sticks paper to the ancestors before the reunion meal to explicate that they are letting their ancestors have food first. Offering tributes to ancestors manifest loyalty, respect, and missing departed relatives on the Lunar year. It is also considered that ancestral spirits will defend their descendants and make them wealthy if regularly prayed with offerings and incense.
Enjoying a Reunion Dinner
New Year’s Eve Feast or reunion dinner is a “must do” dinner at the Chinese spring festival. Malaysians try to make this family event even after traveling long distances. They decorate their homes with flowers, paper cutouts, and spring couplets and enjoy the dinner with all family members reuniting.
Giving Red Envelopes (Lucky Money) to Kids
After reunion dinner, there is a tradition of giving Red Envelopes to the kids. Generally, parents give their children Lucky Money, wishing them strength, growth, and excellent studies in the upcoming year. Red envelopes always consist money. Money in the envelopes is considered to induce good luck.
Celebrate Chinese New Year with Bloom2u
Bloom2u offers a wide range of beautiful range of flowers to choose from to make the ideal environment for Chinese Spring Festival. Arranging flowers and decorating the home for CNY is easier than you believe. Hope this blog will help you make your upcoming new year the best one. Nowadays, most people order flower bouquets and festive hampers online and get the delivery to the right at their destination at a very economical price. If you are looking to celebrate this spring festival in the most beautiful way, then visit our flower category and festive hampers only at bloom2u.com.
For Malaysians living abroad, the internet is a real wonder when it comes to sending Chinese New Year hampers to the close ones. And because we deliver just about everywhere in the good old Malaysia, you can believe in us to assure that no matter where in the world you are, your flower arrangements and gift hampers will safely get to the recipients on-time. Whether you are wondering to buy beautiful flower arrangements or hampers, we at Bloom2u can make it happen.
Why Choose Bloom2u?
In a very short time frame, bloom2u has become the most preferred choice of users. We have a team of well-skilled professionals having expertise in arranging the flowers while using the right color combinations for any occasion. When choosing an online florist in Malaysia, it’s hard to know who will provide the best service. Some florists may simply take your order and transfer it to third parties for fulfilling it. Due to this, the freshness, quality of your flowers, and when they get delivered is really subjected to the practices of unknown parties. With three popular outlets and website; Bloom2u is known for providing the most reliable flower delivery in Malaysia without depending on third parties. It permits us to offer quality services with on-time delivery. Each of our flower arrangements passes through a quality control process before sending to the recipient in Malaysia.
We wish you and your family good luck and lots of happiness during this New Year. Stay connected!