How does Chinese New Year usually go for you? Let us try to paint a picture, is it something like:
Firstly, decorating your house and hanging red lanterns throughout your home, followed by paying respects to your ancestors with incense, to a hearty reunion dinner with the rest of the family, ending the Chinese New Year eve night with the setting up of firecrackers and game night.
Then, perhaps the next day, it begins with the distribution and exchanging of Ang-Pao’s by married relatives, closely followed by a family gathering and the watching of cliché Chinese New Year movies from Stephen Chow and again, high stake card games ;)
Well, then you’re aware of the basic traditions that encompass the lunar new year celebration. We want to stress that traditions are essential to us and that you should keep at it for as long as you live and pass it down to the generations that will come after you.
However, tradition isn’t the only thing you can rely on to celebrate this special day. There are a lot of new trends and activities that are quickly gaining popularity among the younger generation as we pace into 2022. These trends are available for anyone to try out, so if you’re looking to switch it up a notch in Chinese New Year 2022, you can use the following trends.
Also, if you’re still planning your CNY leave, you can look up our long holiday guide!
First off, when is Chinese New Year 2022?
Chinese New Year 2022 falls on the first of February 2022, Tuesday. This year marks the year of the Tiger. Celebrations will last up to 16 days with the first seven days considered a public holiday. (January 31st – February 6th 2022)
1) The #ChorOotd Hashtag
The #Chor hashtag followed by a number ranging from 1-30 is one of the quickly growing trends in this list. Why is this hashtag popular among Chinese New Year? The term Chor indicates that the lunar new year has arrived, and the number beside specifies the current day of the lunar new year.
This trend has been widespread around Instagram and Twitter, and is a fun little activity that you can do when you post your pictures online!
Did you know that the seventh day of Chinese New Year is referred to as renrì? (Traditional Chinese: 人日, Pinyin: rén rì),
Renrì is otherwise called Human Day and is viewed as the birthday of conventional, or normal people. The day is also called Day of Men or Men Day.
2) Family Gathering
We understand, gatherings aren’t exactly considered as a ‘new’ activity per se, as they’re conducted on every Chinese New Year celebration. But there are plentiful things you can do during your CNY gathering, such as exercising and trying out your Huat Ah spirit by getting into a game of mahjong and poker.
If you’re not into games, you can just spend your day eating a hearty meal with your family and friends as well. Fun fact: in every first and fifteenth day of the lunar month, Chinese people are encouraged to eat only vegetables! So stock up on those greens and exercise your healthy appetite.
3) Taking Aesthetic Food Pictures
In this day and age, when we see something nice, we have to snap a picture of it right? What better time is there to flex your mobile photography skills than on the holidays?
Now’s the time to really make use of that digital camera on your smartphone and show the world the bountiful feast you’re having on Chinese New Year! We gathered some examples down below of how you can style your pictures 👇🏻
You know what they say, if you’ve never posted it—have you ever really done it?
4) Lou Sang Boomerang
The Lou Sang is the traditional Cantonese-style raw fish salad dish that is a must-have during Chinese New Year. The Lou Sang is a highly delicious, healthy and FUN dish because of the ‘prosperity toss’ carried out before people dig in.
Lou Sang itself is a symbol of prosperity, abundance and vigour consisting of various ingredients ranging from vegetables, raw fish, fruits and crackers.
Make use of Instagram’s boomerang feature to showcase your food in rapid-quick succession. Hold your chopsticks up close and have your family members huddle up to join in this trend!
5) CNY Commercials
Festive-themed holiday commercials are a staple in Malaysia. From tear-jerking, heartwarming, often wholesome videos to funny and witty, there is an abundance of videos just to lay back and binge after you’ve had your celebration with the family.
No matter the tone, these commercials usually express what the lunar new year celebration truly means and how it’s a celebration of reunion among family.
6) Online Ang Pao
Despite the acceleration of vaccine and booster shots, there’s no denying that we’re still living in a pandemic. There has been no shortage of effort made by society to make things easier for us to live more conveniently and safer, and that’s something we should always reflect on.
Although the distribution of Ang Pao’s is one of the prime traditions of Chinese New Year, the physical nature of it is lost during the pandemic.
Here are two samples of methods you can use to E-Angpow, QR payment or online transfer!
Now, you can distribute digitally by sending digital Ang Pao or E-Ang Pao to loved ones. This way, you minimise the risk of physical contact while also being part of the festivities!
Want to be more Huat-Ah in Chinese New Year 2022? Join us and embrace the prosperity of being a real estate agent today!