Published on 11 January 2022
The Year of the Tiger is just around the corner! Start the Lunar New Year with a roar and show your friends and family how much they mean to you by sending specially crafted festive gifts, wrapped in thoughtful and sustainable packaging. Here are 10 popular Chinese New Year gift ideas for friends and family that can never go wrong!
In Asia, tea drinking is a treasured custom, and oolong tea is commonly served during the New Year. Whether or not your hosts are Chinese, offering tea is usually a kind gesture. Giving a tastefully wrapped box of tea as a present is far better than giving bagged tea.
Oranges are seen as lucky fruits and are frequently presented as gifts during the Chinese New Year season. Tangerines, mandarins, and most other fruits make excellent gifts as well.
It goes without saying – food is an important component of celebration and always unite the closed ones even closer, therefore, each household would always have food. A nice dinnerware set comes in handy just makes it very useful and be part of this great gift idea list.
Alcohol is symbolic in the sense that it denotes good health and long life. This Johnnie Walker premium Scotch blend is made even more special for the New Year, despite the fact that it is not Asian in origin. If the Year of the Tiger edition is unavailable, the normal Blue Label will suffice. Please, as always, drink responsibly.
Health food, such as bird’s nest and ginseng drinks with high nutritional value, will always make a great Chinese New Year gift, especially for your elderly family members. Just make sure that your gift recipients don’t have any allergies to these foods.
If the recipients have certain artistic interests, you can pick your gift according to their preferences. Paintings and china, for example, are appropriate for antique collectors, and a tea set is appropriate for a tea enthusiast.
For the ladies in your life, accessories, especially in auspicious colours like gold, ruby and emerald are always welcome. Culturally speaking, some even like the Chinese coins symbolizing good money, which is a great idea for Lunar New Year.
For children, candy, chocolate, and pastries are popular picks and can easily win their hearts. However, sweets should be avoided if the children are teething. And perhaps a little note to take here, some parents are limiting sweet consumption for their children.
If you have a bigger budget to spend for your loved ones, especially your elders, getting them a massage chair or neck massager are always great choices.
Probably a favourite amongst both children and adults alike is the red packets containing money, or ang pow. The amount of money given is entirely up to you, but make sure that note inserted inside the packet is crisp and new.
When it comes to age-old tradition, the Chinese also have a set of rules when it comes to gift-giving. For instance, it’s prohibited to give objects such as a clock (signifies death), mirror (signifies fragility) and sharp objects (signifies severed relationship ties).
One should also avoid giving anything that is black or white in colour as it signifies death and funeral. Instead, stick to auspicious colours, such as red, yellow gold and green that signify fortune and money.
Also, prepare your gifts in even numbers, such as two bottles of wine and two fruit baskets. Avoid odd numbers. If anything, giving three kinds of gifts during Chinese New Year is also deemed as impolite. Last but not least, present your gift at the beginning of your visit and not when you’re about to leave.
Wrap your gifts accordingly with our wonderful array of biodegradable and reusable bags. When celebrating a grand occasion, let’s also not forget to keep our environmental concerns in mind and pack your gifts responsibly. Happy Chinese New Year of the Tiger!
