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Summary
Singaporean Chinese gathered in Chinatown to buy festive goods on Monday (February 8), one week ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The narrow streets of Chinatown were transformed into festive marketplaces with long stretches of canvas-roofed tents side-by-side, sheltering makeshift stalls selling food and festive wares. The main avenue was adorned with special lights and festive decorations. Crowds thronged to stock up on the best deals as it is customary to mark the occasion by serving sweets and snacks to visiting guests. Family and friends usually visit each other in a tradition known as 'Bai Nian' throughout the fifteen days of the New Year celebrations. For many Chinese, the New Year is a time to renew ties and hope for prosperity in the coming year. This year marks the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese zodiac, in its traditional lunar calendar cycle of talismanic animals. With an economic recession marking most of 2009, many hope the Year of the Tiger will bring greater luck. Celebrated by millions of Chinese all over the world, the actual date for the new year is determined by the lunar calendar. The New Year's day falls on Sunday (February 14) this year. Although the nation state has evolved from a quaint trading port to a modern city with western democracy governance, Singaporean Chinese still retain many of the traditions and practices of the Lunar New Year.
