Kiong-hi Hoat-chai!

Celebrations of Chinese New Year in Brunei are observed with reference to the dates of the lunar calendar. Celebrated by the Chinese community residing in Brunei, the festival continues for the entire period of two weeks. During the festival, people of Chinese community visit the household of close relatives and kin and presents them with oranges. This custom of exchanging gifts is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the household. A grand dinner on the Chinese New Year eve is a major highlight of the celebration. The dinner represents abundance, prosperity, and good luck for the year ahead.

Traditions mark a significant part of the festival celebrated by the Chinese community of Brunei. Customary rituals like, house cleaning, offering money to the kids and using the color red throughout the celebration marks the traditional of the celebration. As per the Chinese belief, the color red signifies joy and represents truth, virtue, and sincerity while bringing in fortune and good luck to the household.

Another customary tradition followed by the Chinese is offering red envelopes containing money to the kids, as they seek blessings form the elder members of the family. This symbolic gesture represents good luck and coming of wealth in the New Year. Cleaning of the house also forms a significant part of the customary following of traditions. This gesture, it is believed by the Chinese wards off evil spirits of the previous year and makes way for goodness to the household.