In addition to red envelopes or ang pow, which are usually given from elder married couple to the younger ones, gifts are also exchanged between friends or relatives during Chinese New Year. These gifts are usually brought along when visiting friends or relatives at their homes to strengthen relationship and to show respect and generosity.
Most Chinese people prefer to send meaningful gifts in Chinese New Year, for example: golden oranges meaning “gold and silver treasures rolling into your home”, bamboo plants meaning “getting a promotion for career or getting more profit for business”, and red envelopes with lucky money inside meaning “good fortune with blessing for health and happiness throughout the new year”
Some other common gifts include hampers, fruits (typically oranges, and never pears), cakes, biscuits, chocolates, candies, or some other small gifts.
Here are some useful tips on buying gifts for Chinese New Year:
Everyone love receiving a big hamper. It caters to the old and the young ones.
If you would like to wrap your gifts, consider using a lucky color, like: red, silver or gold.
Gifts to Avoid: scissors, knives, or other sharp objects can be interpreted as the severing of a friendship or other bond. Also, clocks or any gift item with the number “four” or gift wrapping paper color (white, black, blue) may represent an unwelcome meaning of “death”. For any gift with the number “eight”, Chinese perceive it a very lucky number with wealth and fortune.
