Chinese New Year Decorations

Decorations are the most important aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations.Prior to New Year’s Day, the principal streets of Beijing glitters in colours throughout the Season.

Doors and windows of Chinese household are coated with fresh red paints since red is the favoriate colour for Chinese New Year and it also symbolizes happiness.Also families decorate their living rooms with vases of plum blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and candy tray.

Symbolic of Chinese New Year Decorations 

Spring Couplet-The Spring Couplet also known as Chun Lian or Red Couplet is one of the decorations written on a red paper often with a gold trimming and usually made up of four Chinese characters with happy wishes hang in front of Chinese house doors or kitchen before the Chinese New Year celebration.Spring couplets have three pieces, two longer ones vertically hung on each side of the door, and one shorter one horizontally hung on the top of the door.The spring couplet messages of happy wishes may look like “May you enjoy continuous good health" and "May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth.An example of a Chinese couplet, the correspondence between individual words of the first and second sentences is shown as follows:

海 (sea)    天 (sky)

阔(wide)     高(high)

凭(allows)     任 (enable)

鱼 (fish)     鸟 (bird)

跃 (jump)     飞 (fly) 

Plants and Flowers-During Chinese New Year celebration every Chinese household get him or herself a live blooming plants to represent rebirth and new growth. Flowers like plum blossoms are stands for courage and hope. 

Fruits of the Year-Tangerines and Oranges are prominent Chinese New Year Decoration symbols which are normally displayed in homes and shops. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one's relationship with the other remains secure. For newlyweds, this represents the branching of the couple into a family with many children. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness. 

Candy Tray-Candy tray is also known as Chuen-hop or “Tray of Togetherness”, is a specially designed decoration item for this time of the year which is full of dried fruits, sweets and candies to welcome guests and relatives who drop by. After taking several pieces of candy from the tray, red envelopes (lai see) are placed on the center compartment of the tray with envelope content representing good fortune.

Candied melon - growth and good health

Red melon seed - dyed red to symbolize joy, happiness, truth and sincerity

Leeches nut - strong family relationships

Cumquat - prosperity (gold)

Coconut - togetherness

Peanuts - long life

Longnan - many good sons

Lotus seed - many children