The Year of the Tiger is Coming in Two Weeks

 

The colored yin-liu is one of the most popular flowers for lunar New Year decoration

 

 The Spring Festival couplets are among the must-buy items on holiday shopping list

 

Happy red is the dominant holiday color at shops and stores

 

To give away Chinese character fu, (happiness and good fortune) written on a diamond-shaped piece of red paper, both the giver and the receiver will be blessed

When you see that the street flower vendors start to sell the rainbow-colored yin-liu (Salix argyracea, or pussy willow) by the road, that the local calligraphers wave skillfully the heavy ink-loaded brushes to produce Spring Festival couplets containing the best wishes, that local stores and shops are decorated in bright and happy red, that someone hands to you a diamond-shaped piece of red paper with a Chinese character at the center, you'll know the Spring Festival is around the corner and you'd better get prepared for the year's most important holiday season.

Originally published on Suzhou Daily
January 31, 2010