“Welcoming Spring and Fortune · Right Here in Hong Kong” – Hong Kong Tourism Board Executive Director Offers New Year Blessings
The Year of the Tiger is just around the corner. At this moment of family reunion and gathering with friends and relatives, Mr. Cheng Dingyi, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), sends his warmest wishes from Hong Kong via video, wishing everyone a happy new year and good fortune! The HKTB is also offering the most authentic Hong Kong-style New Year flavor through online activities such as the "Citywide Good Fortune, Lucky Moves" New Year-themed game, the "Fortune Tiger" sticker set, and WeChat red envelope covers, inviting everyone to seek good luck in the Year of the Tiger.
Executive Director of Hong Kong Tourism Board, Cheng Dingyi
As the most important traditional festival of the year, the New Year in Hong Kong has a distinctive flavor. From auspicious foods that are a must during the holiday to local customs, let's explore the most authentic Hong Kong-style Lunar New Year.
New Year Foods for Good Fortune
"Of all festivals, the New Year comes first" and "Food is the first necessity of the people." A proper Hong Kong New Year's Eve dinner is meticulous – it must not only be delicious but also carry auspicious meanings: fish symbolizing "surplus year after year," poon choi representing "family reunion," and New Year cakes like nian gao, turnip cake, and water chestnut cake signifying "rising step by step" – these are the beautiful wishes Hong Kong people make on New Year's Eve.
Surplus Year After Year – Fish
Family Reunion – Poon Choi
Rising Step by Step – Sweet New Year Cake
(Image source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
During the Lunar New Year, besides having New Year's Eve dinner at home, people also visit relatives and friends. It is common to prepare a candy box at home to entertain guests. Locals call the candy box "chun hap" (全盒), meaning completeness and perfection. Traditionally, the number of compartments is often odd. The chun hap contains "eight sweets" and deep-fried snacks (yau hei). The eight sweet items, such as candied lotus seeds and candied winter melon, symbolize good omens. Many also put in sunflower seeds, Chinese donuts (on hap), and fried dumplings (yau gok), which signify family prosperity and abundance.
Hong Kong's "chun hap" for entertaining relatives and friends (top), and fried dumplings in the candy box (bottom)
(Image source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
Receiving Red Packets for Good Luck
Visiting relatives and friends to "receive lai see" (red packets) is an essential activity. Unlike in mainland cities, Hong Kong red packets may contain a smaller amount each, but they are not exclusive to children – everyone can participate. During "san ching tau" (the auspicious beginning of the new year, from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month), exchanging auspicious words and receiving lai see symbolizes good health in the coming year.
Greeting and Receiving Red Packets
(Image source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
New Year Blessings for Good Fortune
Besides the reunion dinner, New Year blessings are another essential custom during the Hong Kong Lunar New Year. Buying New Year flowers, throwing treasure discs, and worshipping the responsive Wong Tai Sin – these Hong Kong-style methods of invoking luck and fortune welcome a year full of blessings.
During the New Year, the incense at Wong Tai Sin Temple and Che Kung Temple is particularly vibrant. Legend has it that Wong Tai Sin grants all requests, and his fortune sticks are highly efficacious. The second day of the first lunar month is the birthday of Che Kung, and many devotees visit Che Kung Temple to pray. Before the bronze windmill beside the Che Kung statue, they gently tap the windmill three times, then turn the blades clockwise. It is believed this can reverse fortunes and pray for favorable weather in the coming year. Many Hong Kong people also visit the Wishing Tree in Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, to pray and make wishes: after tying a heavy object and sincerely praying, they throw it onto the branches; if it does not fall, the wish is said to come true (to protect the wishing tree, a replica is now used).
Bronze Windmill at Che Kung Temple (top), Throwing Treasure Discs (bottom)
(Image source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
In Hong Kong, there is a saying: "Stroll through the flower market for good luck." Hong Kong people prepare potted flowers and tangerine trees early, symbolizing blooming flowers bringing wealth and great luck and auspiciousness, hoping to bring good fortune to the whole family when placed at home. The New Year flower market is the best place for families to go out, eat, and have fun. Although it is not possible for the whole family to go this year due to circumstances, it will not affect family reunion and the beautiful hopes for the new year.
Blooming Flowers Bring Wealth (top), Great Luck and Auspiciousness (bottom)
(Image source: Hong Kong Tourism Board)
In the new year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board will continue to launch a series of interesting activities and offers, and jointly introduce the "Health and Anti-epidemic Measures Certification Scheme" with the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency, using unified industry standards to supervise the tourism sector, building a reassuring epidemic prevention barrier for tourists.
We look forward to the special year 2022, where we can meet again – right here in Hong Kong!
