Skywatch-Friday-Chinatown

Today, my contribution to skywatch must be the chinese new year decoration in chinatown.

Take note of all the different shophouses with different designs. Shophouse consists of shop on the ground floor and residential accomodation on the higher floor. These shophouses have a long history and some dated during the colonial times.

Shophouses decorating their shop front with chinese new year greetings and lion dance mascots.

For other sky watchers, please hop over to Skywatch blog.

Chinese New Year 2009 - Part 3 - Chinese New Year's Chun Lian/Couplets

Chun lian is a special type of Duilian, or couplet. It is used only during the Chinese New Year as part of its celebration. While duilian is permanent, chunlian is a temporary decoration to be placed on the entrance of the house, somewhat akin to Halloween and Christmas decorations.

Duilian comprises of a couplet written on vertical strips of red paper in the best calligraphic style one can muster.

The first (called upper) line is posted on the right side of the front door.The second (called lower) line is posted on the left side of the front door.

In addition, a third horizontal piece may be posted across and on top the door.
(Source: http://www.chinapage.com/duilian/chunlian0.html)

The above are known as "duilian which are placed at the side of the doors.



The above are chun lian and the more commerical ones comes with cute pictures.

My World-Chinese New Year in the Year of the Ox

My part of the world is busy preparing for the coming Chinese New Year in the Year of the Ox. If I do not have time to go round visiting your blog, please forgive cause I will be too busy spring cleaning my home and stock up my fridge cause all the markets, majority of shops and malls will be close on the first two days of chinese new year i.e. 26 and 27th January 2009.

The above photo are waxed ducks which are available only during Chinese New Year.

Chinese sausages. I would cook rice with waxed duck and chinese sausages, yummy, they would smell very delicious.

Everyone busy shopping or browsing through the stalls in chinatown.

Come night, and it would be very very crowded.

If you want to know why these people are queuing at this shop, you can view my food blog.

Please visit "That's my World" for other parts of the world.

Chinese New Year Shopping In Chinatown, Singapore-Part 1

I am starting a series of shopping for Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Singapore. This is the first part of the shopping spree.

During Chinese New Year, many chinese like to buy auspicious food, decorations and any things that could bring good luck to the home. The above are some figurines of the beloved God of Fortune and pineapple decorations. Pineapple is 'Ong Lai' in Hokkien, meaning fortune coming.

Maybe the ox can help bring luck to the stock exchange.

Chinese New Year 2009 - Decorations in Chinatown for year of the OX

This year decorations for the Chinese New Year at Chinatown are full of oranges and oxes.



Now this is funny, a blow up mascot of the God Of Fortune. I wondered if the organizer was not blessed by God of Fortune to come up with a bigger budget for a better Mascot of the God of Fortune. I hope they have a bigger budget for next year.

This will be the stage for performance on the eve of Chinese New Year and all roads will be closed in here. They will be lighting of the firecrackers at midnight. I wont be here cause it will be very very crowded and I hated to be squeezed in the crowd. Anyway I think I will be too tired washing up after the reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year. Reunion dinner is compulsory in almost every chinese family on Chinese New Year's eve.

Year of the Ox - these oxes are so cute, I decided to have them as my header.

More posts on Chinese New Year in the days that come. :)