As with most – if not all! – events in the previous year, the outlook of the upcoming Chinese New Year looks vastly different. During previous years, we’ve gotten accustomed to meeting with large groups of family and friends, indulging in extravagant feasts, and so on.
This year, however, each household can only receive up to eight guests per day. When tossing the Prosperity Toss – better known as ‘yusheng’ – diners have to don their masks throughout. Diners also can’t shout any auspicious phrases, for fear of virus transmission. It looks like most of the fun has been taken out of the festive season, huh!
However, there are still plenty of things to do while together with your loved ones. Here are some ideas on how to make the best out of this unique situation:
Download this innovative app
Yes, what’s a yusheng toss without the shouting of ox-picious phrases as each ingredient is added to the colourful dish? Thankfully we have technology coming to the rescue.
A cute and innovative app has been created, containing pre-recorded audio clips of all the usual phrases. Created by DJ Beng, the app has a total of 15 phrases, including the crowd favourite “Huat ah!”, “da ji da li”, as well as “bu bu gao sheng”. Even better, these phrases are offered in the exact order that they’re usually shouted. How amazing is that!
READ: Delectable Festive Treats to Share with Your 8 Visitors This Chinese New Year
Fun fact: the app also contains a boisterous ‘yam seng!’ for weddings.
Do a Marie Kondo on your house
What better time to give your house a cleanliness makeover than in the leadup to – or even during! – Chinese New Year. This year, why not get the whole family involved?
Turn the spring cleaning process into a game – create a race and see which tasks get done first, satisfy your inner OCD tendencies by arranging your clothes by colour, and take pleasure in adorning your surfaces with festive decor.
Yes, cleaning can be fun; you just have to know how! But don’t forget the old advice: no sweeping on New Year’s Day!
Field questions off with these cute masks
Every Chinese New Year, we’re bombarded with questions from relatives that we haven’t seen for a long time. “Girl ah, why you no boyfriend yet?”; and for the married ones, “Aiyo, why still no baby?” – the list goes on and on.
Check out this cute mask from @wheniwasfour_sg, which cheekily puts “the answer just right under your nose”, reading “Gong xi fa cai (wishing you prosperity); I do not have a boyfriend, nor do I have a girlfriend”. Cute and handy, huh!
Plus, if you’re a fan of Bak Kwa (savoury-sweet barbecued pork jerky), you’ll be glad to land your hands on their Bak Kwa face mask. The mask looks exactly like the much-loved snack – minus the grease.
Check out the virtual Chinatown festival
Every year, hordes head down to Chinatown to partake in the festivities and feast their eyes on the dazzling light display. This year, the annual Chinatown festival is going virtual, and will be ongoing from 23 January 2021 to 12 March 2021.
The official light-up and opening ceremony will be live-streamed on Facebook, featuring lion dances as well as cultural and acrobatic performances. Netizens can also enjoy three special short films on famous Chinatown merchants, namely Bee Cheng Hiang, Spring Court, and Kele. The films showcase Chinese New Year delicacies, their history, and so on, and can be found on the Chinatown Festivals Facebook and Instagram pages.
There is even a virtual Pineapple Ball baking workshop, which you can catch here. There are also plenty of online activities available, visit their website for more information.
As you can see, there’s still tons of fun things to do during Chinese New Year. Don’t let the restrictions get you down; stay safe, and enjoy the festive season!
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