Chinese New Year, What to Eat, Where to Go, What to Know, Where to Avoid

Problems
Chinese New Year, so much to see and do? What can you eat, say and do?

Answers
1 Red packets.
2 Pineapple tarts.
3 Chinese New Year Cards or emails.
4 New Year holiday flights and queues.
5 Zodiac Signs.
6 Year of the Rooster.
7 New year weekends and traffic jams.
8 Visits to families.
9 Lo Hei
10 Bak wah.
11 First across the threshold in shops.
12 Pairs of oranges.
13 Toastmasters Table Topics (impromptu speeches).
14 Q and A/ FAQ: What are you doing for CNY?
15 Lion dances.
16 Check club and business meeting changes.
17 UK Tax returns end of January.
18 Learn how to say or reciprocate when wished 'Happy new year, and to recognise the sign on banners in hotels, shopping, malls:
Gong Chi Fa Choy. (Roughly gong she far, choy) depending on whether the well wishers are speakers of Mandarin, Cantonese or H o c k i e n or another dialect.

Details
1 Red packets.
You get red envelopes free from banks, fast food outlets and shops, or you can buy them from stationers. Unmarried relatives are given money (ideally in lucky numbers such as 8 or multiples of eights, not four which is unlucky because it sounds like death). The Mandarin name for these gifts is h o n g b a o. (I have inserted spaces to prevent autocorrect changing the word.)

2 Pineapple tarts.
You can buy these in see through squat jars with screw top bright red lucky colour lids.

3 Chinese New Year Cards or emails.
Find sets in newsagents, like all cards, cheaper the day after.

4 New Year holiday flights and queues.
Book early. Flights are likely to be full over the New Year as people fly home to China, Taiwan, Singapore, or from China, Taiwan and Singapore to their birthplace. Also employees given a long weekend off, even if not celebrating Chinese New Year, will be taking flights.

5 Zodiac Signs:
Rat, tiger, dragon, horse, ox, rabbit, snake, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.

6 Year of the Rooster.
See red roosters in advertisements and on banners.

7 New year weekends and traffic jams.

8 Visits to families.
Some friends and colleagues will be busy visiting their families.

9 Lo Hei.
Delicious mix of vegetables in rainbow colours, often with smoked salmon added for protein. Watch out that nobody adds shellfish later if you are allergic - get your portion before the shellfish is added.

10 Bak wah.
Preserved pork. Delightful favour, I am told, with sweet as well as savoury. Long queues for customers.

11 First across the threshold in shops.
You might get a bargain if you go into shops early in the day.

12 Pairs of oranges.
Shopkeepers and friends are likely to give you a pair of oranges. Surprisingly they don't have to be new and gorgeous but could be old and tired looking fruit. You return the compliment a few hours or days later.

13 Toastmasters Table Topics (impromptu speeches).
At a Toastmasters Club meeting before Chinese New Year the Toastmaster of the Evening is likely to open a meeting by going clockwise around the room asking each person to say their name, where they are from, and how they will be celebrating Chinese New Year.

14 Q and A/ FAQ:
Anybody from an acquaintance to a lose friend is likely to ask: What are you doing for CNY?

15 Lion dances.
Noisy. Hard to take photos because they jump about so ask them to stand still for a photo after the lion dance. You will see trucks carrying groups of men and the costume, making a noise in the street. Performances may take places outside or inside restaurants and shopping malls.

16 CNY celebrations and cancellations.
Check club and business meeting changes.

17 UK Tax returns end of January.
Many UK people, pensioners (retirees), accountants and business owners will be too busy to do anything except finalise their tax returns.

Stories
An American lady went to a lo hei and her designer top was splashed. She was very upset and claimed compensation.
Possible remedies:
1 Warn guests to wear washable clothes.
2 Warn guests with vulnerable clothes to stand away.
3 Issue plastic aprons with advertising goodwill messages.

Tips
Advise visitors.
Wear washable clothes.
Wear a washable scarf to cover clothes.
Carry tissues or wet wipes.
Know your Chinese birth sign.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.