Chinese New Year Decorations: 8 Prosperous Tips

Looking for the best Chinese New Year decorations ideas? Chinese New Year is just around the corner and as a Chinese person, I celebrate Chinese New Year to spread positive emotions and to hope for the best in all aspects of life. This annual celebration marks the beginning of a new year on the lunar calendar and is a time for family and friends to come together and exchange well wishes. It is a time of renewal and an opportunity for people to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the year ahead. During Chinese New Year, people often engage in activities such as decorating their homes, giving gifts and participating in traditional cultural events. It is also a time for people to honour their ancestors and pay respect to the Gods. One of the most important things to do before the Chinese New Year is to tidy your home and set up decorations with your loved ones. Getting your home ready for the lunar new year calls for cultural decorations to brighten the celebration. Chinese New Year decorations are both beautiful and meaningful so you can usher in the new year surrounded by auspicious decorations. If you are looking for excellent Chinese New Year decorations for the year of the rabbit, here are 8 must-have decorations to make your lunar new year celebration complete. Ang Pow Packets The red 'ang pow' packets aren’t just used for gifting money to family members. These packets are also used to decorate the home to spread wealth and luck. These red packets can be hung over doors or on ornamental plants, making them a sign of prosperity. There are so many unique designs and colours for 'ang pao's' these days, making them a fun and unique decorating item. Inverted 'Fuk' 福 Legend has it that a long time ago during Chinese New Year, a family accidentally attached the character “fuk” (pronounced as “fook”) upside down. The first guest who visited the family on New Year’s Day said “Your 'fuk' is upside down!”. The word invert is also translated as “poured out”. This happy accident has since taken on the meaning of “your ‘fu’ has been poured out”. It basically means that someone’s blessing has been poured out on the household during the start of the new year. You can find decorated paper cuttings with the inverted “Fu” character that is commonly sold during the weeks before the new year. Firecrackers Chinese firecrackers are fun and decorative, showing the household is ready to start the new year off with a bang! It is a tradition to light Chinese firecrackers to ward off bad luck and evil spirits from home. Firecrackers may be hung from the wall, bannisters or doors, they look great and sets the right tone for the lunar new year. Lanterns Chinese lanterns are used in major cultural celebrations and the lunar new year is no exception. The red lanterns can be plain or decorated with calligraphy. These lanterns are believed to protect the home and family against bad luck and they also symbolize happiness. These are usually used to decorate the porch of the home. There are many sizes and shapes to choose from to fit your requirements. Door Banners Couplets or banners that have written messages are used on doors. These banners call out for blessings like good fortune, health, harmony and luck. These decorations were usually found in business establishments but are now also found in homes. These banners usually come in twos, containing auspicious numbers or characters. The Chinese calligraphy that is used for the banners is beautiful to display. The black ink of the writing stands out from the red background and it's truly a cultural must-have in your home. Plum Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms and Kumquats Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival so decorating your home using blooms and certain fruits is encouraged. The season may be celebrated to signify the coming of spring and new life. If you can’t get real blossoms, you may use artificial ones and recycle them. Delicate blossoms of plum, cherry or orchids are famously used to signify the first signs of spring after winter has ended. The flowers also symbolize the renewal of life and remind everyone that the new year is about celebrating new beginnings. Kumquats are generally associated with gold and good luck. These fruits are great to spread around the home for welcoming wealth and prosperity. Paper Cuttings This traditional folk crafting method is used for decorating during the lunar new year. Paper cuttings may be displayed in many areas in the home like the doors, windows, walls and even cars. These paper cuttings may vary in design, they could depict animals, Chinese characters, flowers and wealth-related motifs. You may even find some unique paper-cut designs of fruits, mythology and dragons. They are so fun to decorate with and will make your home look Chinese New Year-ready. Zodiac Animals The Chinese New Year’s animal zodiac changes every lunar year. Decorating your home with motifs celebrating the new year’s zodiac keeps up with the theme of the celebration. You can decorate using paper cuttings, plush toys and paintings to celebrate the specific zodiac animal. Decorating for the new year’s zodiac animal ushers in good luck and hope that the year will progress smoothly. Celebrating Chinese New Year with a Bang You can’t go wrong with you keep the colours of the celebration and that would be reds and golds. Celebrating Chinese New Year is to spread positive emotions about the renewed year and hope for the best in all aspects of life. More importantly, the Chinese New Year marks the new year for the Chinese community. Decorating your home for the lunar new year is something that should be done with family as it is a special time of the year. Therefore, ushering in the new year with family in a decorated home will be an amazing way to start the year of the Rabbit. Motherhood wishes you and your family a Happy Chinese New Year full of love and prosperity, Gong Xi Fa Cai!

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