When you're used to celebrating New Year for just one evening every 12 months, the abundance of the Lunar New Year celebrations can take your breath away. In 2024, the Lunar New Year (also called Chinese New Year) begins with the new moon on February 10 and lasts until the following full moon — this means 15 days of delicious food, festivities and more.
However, if you really want to see what Chinese New Year is all about, you should take a trip to Hong Kong and experience this multi-sensory extravaganza in person. From sharing auspicious foods with locals to attending jaw-dropping events like the Chinese New Year Night Parade, there are countless ways to enjoy Hong Kong's vibrant culture on full display at this time of year.
Unless you're incredibly fortunate, chances are you won't make it there in time to welcome the Year of the Dragon. If so, here are seven lucky traditions you can do right at home while planning your much-needed trip to Hong Kong.
Boost your good fortune with lucky eats
Every Lunar New Year food has a special auspicious meaning.
Fantastic news, foodies: The Lunar New Year has no shortage of culinary traditions. If you want an authentic dining experience, take a tour of Hong Kong's walled villages and join in a poon choi feast. Poon choi is a communal dish that symbolizes unity and is made with lucky ingredients like pork and shrimp covered with tasty gravy.
Depending on your location, you can find restaurants in Canada serving poon choi around Chinese New Year. There are plenty more auspicious foods to enjoy, like longevity noodles representing a long and healthy life, fried dumplings for wealth, and fat choi for prosperity.
Wrap yourself in good-luck garments
New clothes, particularly in red, symbolize fresh beginnings and good fortune.
The start of the year is a sign of fresh beginnings, so shopping for clothes is a symbolic way to embrace the new year. If you're going to Hong Kong, you can visit a tailor and buy a traditional garment, like a cheongsam, to honour the occasion in style, welcome good luck, and have a cherished souvenir to bring home.
Wearing red clothes is another lucky tradition. If you've got a red flannel, now's the time to bust it out for a Lunar New Year with a Canadian twist.
Shop fresh flowers & bring abundance into your celebrations
Orchids symbolize wealth and abundance.
Hong Kong's neighbourhoods burst with the colour and beauty of flower shops in the lead-up to Chinese New Year. The flower market at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay is a must-visit on your trip.
As February 10 approaches, swing by a flower shop to pick up a bouquet of auspicious blooms like chrysanthemums (happiness and longevity), daffodils (strength and purity) or peach blossoms (romance and growth).
Visit a temple, burn incense & spin a pinwheel for good fortune
Lighting incense at midnight is another tradition you can do at home.
Taking part in the first incense offering of the year is a not-to-be-missed experience at Hong Kong's Wong Tai Sin Temple, where worshippers light their incense at midnight for the best chance of receiving the greatest blessing for the coming year. On the second day of Chinese New Year, the Che Kung Festival invites visitors to "turn their luck around" by spinning the iconic pinwheel three times.
If you can't make it to Hong Kong but wish to participate in these traditions, look up temples near you to see which ones have Lunar New Year events you can attend.
Test your luck with a game of mahjong
This four-player game quite literally brings people together and is a popular pastime during Chinese New Year. Players draw tiles from a shared pool, discarding ones they don't want, and the first player to complete their hand wins, making it similar to poker or gin rummy.
The game is gaining popularity in Canada too. In Toronto, you can visit 17 Tiles, a mahjong cafe with impressive automated tables, board games and a cocktail menu. In Richmond, B.C., several bubble tea shops advertise mahjong tables. Start now, and you'll be a pro when you visit Hong Kong in person!
Visit a wishing tree to see if your wish will come true
The Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees in Hong Kong are a must visit.
Hong Kong is home to some of the most famous wishing trees where you can share your hopes for the new year. Contrary to popular belief, you don't tie your wish to the tree. Instead, it's attached to a weight like a tangerine (another lucky food) and tossed into the tree. If it gets stuck, it's believed your wish will come true. When you plan your trip, add the Lam Tsuen Wishing Trees to your bucket list for an authentic experience.
Until then, keep your eyes peeled for a wishing tree near you. Canada's Chinatown neighbourhoods often have some during the Lunar New Year, as do individual businesses and charities that donate money for every wish made.
Experience joy & abundance at a Chinese New Year celebration
There's nothing like the Chinese New Year Night Parade.
Two events can be considered the stars of the show at Chinese New Year in Hong Kong: the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade and the famous Victoria Harbour fireworks display.
On the first day of the new year, the Tsim Sha Tsui neighbourhood transforms into a symphony of colours as lavish floats adorned with breathtaking decorations parade through the streets accompanied by local and international dancers, singers and more. The following day, crowds gather at the best viewing spots on Victoria Harbour for a fireworks show that'll leave you speechless as the light and noise scare evil spirits and misfortune away.
To be honest, there isn't an event in Canada that compares to these. But when you travel to Hong Kong, you won't want to miss these headliner events in the Chinese New Year calendar.
Undoubtedly, experiencing the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is something you need to experience at least once in your life. From participating in centuries-old traditions to eating delicious food and marvelling at the parade and fireworks, there's nothing like being there for real.
With a little good fortune — perhaps boosted by something on this lucky list — you'll be there in time for next year's celebrations. Until then, gong hei fat choy!
To learn more about spending Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, visit the Hong Kong Tourism Board website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.