How to ROAR in Good Luck for the Lunar New Year with these Auspicious Rituals.

This is where fragrance zoning comes in….making the room and spaces around the house smelling fresh and ready to welcome the Lunar New Year. In many Chinese homes, auspicious red and gold decorations are used. To elevate the festivity, we recommend CIRCA’s Rose & Lychee Soy Candle and Fragrance Diffuser. Try pairing your Rose & Lychee Candle and Diffuser with chocolate gold coins or nuggets and a mini lion-dance decoration (both available from Chinatown shops). The arrangement can sit on the entrance’s console or dining table, a lovely way to welcome your guests, adding to the fun and festivity.

What’s a holiday without the feast? The heart of Lunar New Year also involves feasting (and lots of them). Often they involve re-union dinners with the family, and these normally involve more traditional and elaborated dishes at home or in Chinese restaurants, often celebrated a couple of nights before the New Year day. Dishes served normally have auspicious names such as “Prosperity Toss” (often known as Lo Hei, Yee Sang, Yusheng), “Budda’s Delight” (Lo Hon Chai), “Turnip Cake Progress” (Lo Bak Kow). Feasting is known to be bringing good luck, as a full (and happy) tummy is a lucky one! With all the cooking that is done at home, CIRCA’s Kitchen Alchemy™ with White Tea and Wild Mint Hand Wash and Lotion is just the thing to keep those hard-working hands cared and nourished, and smelling fresh again.

In most Asian countries, the first few days of the Lunar New Year are public holidays, where many families will visit each other at their homes bearing gifts of mandarin, boxed chocolates and cookies, and wine. Again the colour focus here is on red and gold. Married adults will be sharing some of their wealth by giving out red envelopes (also known as angpows, hong bao symbolizing good luck) consisting of new bills…everything “new” is good on Lunar New Year. Red envelopes, of a higher value, are also expected to be gifted to parents and grandparents as a gesture of respect and caring for their needs during this festive time.

Lunar New Year is such a fun, festive time to experience culture and for those that celebrate it, it’s filled with lots of auspicious traditions. So, dust the house, freshen up with CIRCA fragrances, get the red envelopes ready to welcome the Year of the Tiger and all its good luck into your home.