Splashing out for Chinese New Year
2010/02/01
RED lanterns, ang pow packets and potted kumquat trees are just a few of the many items that the Chinese community require to celebrate the beginning of the new lunar calendar.
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| The engraving and seal-making booth set up by a Chinese national. |
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| Jackson Tang (left) and partner Pang Kai Jong offer three varieties of the kumquat. |
Familiar festive tunes are already blaring from the speakers in shopping malls, which have by now, already put up their decorations to usher in the Tiger on Feb 14, which, coincidentally, is also Valentine's Day.
Sutera Mall in Taman Sutera Utama is one place where shoppers will find ample festive items and activities.
Three giant figures, "Fu Lu Shou", the three deities representing fortune, prosperity and longevity stand at the entrance to greet shoppers.
Nearby is a replica of the dragon, another symbol of good fortune.
As one enters the mall, one will see the replicas of the tiger family before they come to the pushcarts which offer a wide variety of gift items for Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year celebration.
One level above is an array of handicraft from China with Chinese nationals manning the booths that feature crystals, jade, calligraphy and drawings.
Outside the mall, red lanterns are lined up along the street. Here shoppers will find pots of kumquat plants.
Jackson Tang, who procured the plants from a supplier in Simpang Renggam, said there are three varieties of kumquat available at his stall -- the rounded, elongated and "four season".
Tang said sales of the potted plants had been encouraging with 50 pots sold in the first three days of setting up a booth here.
"As the festival draws nearer, I believe the demand for the potted kumquat will soar higher. There are more than 500 potted plants at the booth now," he said.
There are also a host of activities lined up to set one in festive mode.
What is sure to please the various Chinese clans are the opera shows which will be held from tomorrow to Feb 12.
The Teochew opera troupe will kick things off with performances tomorrow and Wednesday. The Cantonese opera performances are on Thursday and Friday and the Hokkien opera performances on Feb 8 and 9.
If opera is not your cup of tea, there are the "face changing" performance, che ling (Chinese yoyo) performance, Chinese New Year song performances, the "tiger fantasy brush stroke" demonstration and "Fo Guang" Chinese calligraphy couplet exhibition.
Other highlights include a stilt performance, wushu performance, a lion dance and dragon dance.
The mall is giving away printed calligraphy or lanterns to shoppers who spend between RM100 and RM1,000 in a single or combined receipts at any of the outlets in the mall.
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