Kung Hei Fat Choy! As I write this, Chinese New Year is just a day away (12th February 2021), so our household has been really busy with preparations! Chinese New Year is all about family! We celebrate with lots of good food, traditional lion dances and lots of noise to welcome the incoming year. And with two young children, we try to help them learn about aspects of their heritage. Even though our own knowledge of the traditions is quite limited. So this week has been a flurry of making lanterns, cards and Chinese New Year cake with the kids!
Is It Typical To Gift Jewellery At Chinese New Year?
Anyway, all of this preparation got me thinking about the relevance of jewellery in Chinese culture, particularly Chinese New Year. Both myself and my husband are both of Hong Kong Chinese descent, born in the UK. Our knowledge of Chinese culture is passed down through our parents. For both of us, jewellery is not a typical tradition for Chinese New Year.
As kids, our typical Chinese New Year was spent saying “Kung Hei Fat Choy” to all the grown-ups. It literally means “Wishing you great happiness and prosperity”. In exchange, we received a “lai see” (red packet) in return. Just in case you’re wondering, why we say “Kung Hei Fat Choy” rather than “Gong Xi Fa Cai”… we are both of Hong Kong descent, so we both speak Cantonese, rather than Mandarin. Hence, the difference in pronunciation. Our “lai see” or lucky red packets were usually filled with a gift of cash, but not jewellery…
According to the Internet… yes!
So, I had to do a bit of research into the topic. Looking around the internet, it does seem that gold is a significant part of Chinese New Year. My research suggests that many Chinese families give gold jewellery as a gift. That said, I don’t know any first hand! It doesn’t surprise me though. For Chinese New Year, families do tend to decorate their homes with lots of red and gold decorations. Many families eat dumplings to welcome in the new year because they are shaped in a similar style to a traditional gold ingot.
Additionally, when I have been in Asia at this time of year, I have noticed that the Asian jewellery stores are jam-packed with gold jewellery and trinkets to celebrate the new year. Typically, the seasonal jewellery is themed in accordance with the year’s lunar animal. For this year, we are entering the Year of the Ox and I’ve just taken a quick look at the website for a well known Hong Kong jeweller and wow, the cow pendants and ornaments are really adorable! I might need a shopping trip… (online, since we still can’t travel!)
Just Not in My Family!
Honestly, gifting jewellery for Chinese New Year isn’t something we do in my family. So, I don’t know much about it. But I do know that gold is a metal considered auspicious by Chinese people across the world. Gold is used in celebrations ranging from birth of a new baby to weddings. So I thought I would share a few pictures of my own wedding jewellery, which was a lovely trip down memory lane!
Chinese Weddings
For Chinese weddings, it’s typical for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles to present the bride and groom with gold jewellery to form part of the bride’s dowry. The idea of the dowry was so that the wife always had a source of back-up funds to look after the family. At least that’s what I was told! I have fond memories of looking at my Mum’s jewellery box with her and looking at her wedding jewellery.
The jewellery is presented during the tea ceremony, when the bride and groom pour and serve sweet tea to the older generations of their family. The bride and groom are expected to put on the jewellery and wear it throughout the wedding. I didn’t actually know that until my own wedding day and I got a telling off from my husband’s aunt for not wearing it all. Let me tell you… it was all pretty heavy! I had never worn that much jewellery before in my life, and I haven’t since! Here’s just one of my arms on my wedding day!
The Phoenix & The Dragon
You may have noticed the bangles. Many of them come in pairs and are decorated with a phoenix and a dragon. These are two powerful symbols of success and prosperity. Perhaps you have noticed the large phoenix and dragon hanging at the back of a traditionally decorated Chinese restaurant? They are also considered a symbol of love and marital joy.
Aren’t they beautiful? My parents gifted me this pair of bangles. I have always loved the intricate details and the craftsmanship. But most all, I remember how touched I was that my Mum knew me well enough to pick out something that was in my taste. A lot of Chinese wedding bangles are extremely chunky! Not really my cup of tea!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little look at Chinese jewellery. I’ll leave it here (with a few close ups of my favourite pieces) and wish you a Happy Chinese New Year!
PS. I realise that I have referred to Chinese New Year throughout this post. I know that many Asian cultures (and many of my friends) celebrate the Lunar New Year, and that by all rights, I should refer to the celebration of the Lunar New Year. So let me apologise for the references – I’m afraid I’m of Chinese descent and our family has always referred to Chinese New Year. I don’t know much about how other parts of Asia celebrate the Lunar New Year, nor much about jewellery outside of my own experiences. But it’s going to be fun to learn, and hopefully next year, I can spend some time talking more broadly about the Lunar New Year and how it’s celebrated across Asia.
