With Chinese New Year just around the corner, expect to see homes and businesses teeming with colorful flowers and tangerine trees to usher in the new year. This is about more than spreading festive cheer, however — each bloom bears its own special significance.
Here’s a cheat sheet of flower and fruit meanings for some of the holiday’s most popular plants:
Orchids: fertility, abundance, innocence and elegance
Pussy willow: growth and prosperity
Narcissus: good fortune and prosperity
Peach blossoms: longevity, growth, love and — you guessed it — prosperity
Peonies: beauty and charm — particularly of the feminine persuasion
Gladiolus: career and personal growth
Lucky bamboo: plenty of good luck
Mandarins and tangerines: even more good luck!
Oranges: abundance and joy
Pomelos: good luck and family unity
Grapes, plums, jujubes and kumquats: luck, wealth and fertility
See more Heritage snippets here.
Tags: Chinese Culture Chinese New Year Hong Kong Culture