You know Lunar New Year is approaching when, just days after the ringing in the new year (or even Christmas), stores across the island start whipping out bright red decorations and blaring chipper Mandarin tunes. But if you’re the type to shun tacky embellishments and over-the-top ornaments in your home, we’ve got your back.
Browse through our collection of quirky accessories from local brands for the Lunar New Year below — with pineapple tart-printed tees, lucky cat mugs, and bak kwa teas, huat more could you ask for?
Bak kwa tea
Ette Tea brings you its latest No. 888 bak kwa blend ($26) for extra huat this year. The vegan brew is a smoky concoction of black tea, lapsang souchong, fennel, cinnamon, black peppercorn, orange peel, and safflower — just think of it as the barbecued dried meat snack but in low-calorie drink form. Ideal to sip on while you wish each other “gong xi fa chai” and chit chat about the past year.
Lucky Cat mug
Not a fan of the traditional Maneki-neko (lucky cat) figurine? Usher in a dose of huat with a lucky cat mug ($20.50) by Pinyin Press instead. Perhaps it’ll even bring you luck throughout your year as you sip on your morning coffee every day. The print is also available on coasters and tote bags, should you want to surround yourself with more (potential) prosperity.
May The Huat Be With You t-shirt
Star Wars fans who don’t mind mixing local culture with their precious franchise can proudly don Wet Tee Shirt’s cotton tee ($30) to ring in Lunar New Year — and perhaps spark off some heated discussions about the latest installment between relatives you only see once a year. If you’re adamant about the “no black” rule during festive visitations, the shirt is also available in white.
Ong Lai pin
Pineapple tarts are aplenty over the Lunar New Year celebrations, so here’s the main ingredient in its original form as a fun little accessory from Pindemic ($15.70) that you can pin onto your outfit. If you’ve been gorging yourself silly on the snack for years without knowing what it symbolizes, well, pineapple translates to “ong lai” in Hokkien, which sounds like the Hokkien phrase that means “prosperity arrives”. And yes, we’d welcome all the wealth we can get this year.
Pineapple tart t-shirt
So you want to proclaim love for these ubiquitous goodies to the world (or at least your family)? Snag one of Temasek Clothings’ silkscreened cotton tees (on sale for $29.90) for a quirky take on Lunar New Year fashion. Made from great-grandma’s secret recipe, these t-shirts will entice everyone else to join you on your pineapple tart binge. Huat’s better than feasting alone? Sharing the calories as a family (and yes, there are plenty in just one tiny innocent-looking tart).
The Singapore Deck
You may think this deck of cards ($25.90) is more suited for National Day, what with its red-and-white, Singapore-inspired designs. But hey, if your family is more of the ban-luck (Hokkien for Chinese Blackjack) type, at least these playing cards will give you something to talk about, to distract you from the stress of maintaining your best poker face in front of the people who know you inside out.
Trinity of blessings
For something a little more elegant to spruce up your space, this trinity of blessings ($89) by contemporary homeware label Scene Shang will invite fortune, grace, and love into your home. At least that’s what it says. The lovely illustrated artwork is printed on ivory cardstock and framed by a handmade geometric picture frame of brass and glass.
Turn Down For Huat t-shirt
Go out with a bang this Year of the Dog and throw on matching “turn down for huat” tees ($29.90) from Temasek Clothings with your furry best friend. Okay, we’re just kidding about the dog part — not entirely sure if the cotton tees actually fit canines — but yeah, nothing says “I’m so ready to swipe all your ang bao money in mahjong and ban-luck” than a bright red t-shirt that’ll have all the millennials in your fam reading the phrase in Lil Jon’s shouty voice.
