Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunar calendar, and a time to honour both traditional deities and familial ancestors. With a large Chinese population in Singapore, this is without a doubt one of our most important holidays. This year, the first day of the Chinese New Year falls on 12 February, and is celebrated for fifteen whole days!

After a particularly challenging Year of the Rat in 2020, many are ushering in the Year of the Ox with excitement and hope. Twelve animals represent the Chinese zodiac signs; in order, they’re the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. According to Chinese folklore, the order of these signs was determined by a race, which was won by a clever rat who rode on an ox’s back until it was able to cross the finish line first. Thus, the Rat is the first animal, followed by the Ox.

Celebrating Chinese New Year the Mirador Way

A multicultural society, here at Mirador we continuously try to expose and integrate our workers to the different cultures and traditions in Singapore.

Yusheng – at our annual celebration dinner, one thing our staff always look forward to is the eating of the Yusheng. The high drama of tossing the ingredients into the air while loudly declaring auspicious wishes, always makes for good fun (even for those who haven’t quite acquired the taste for it)!

While we are unable to carry the Yusheng celebrations out this year in-line with our government’s COVID-19 restrictions, a practice we are still able to continue is:

Oranges – every year, we give each worker a pair of oranges. More than just the deliciousness of it, the Cantonese pronunciation of giving mandarin oranges – “song gam” – is the same as “giving gold”, therefore this signifies wishing prosperity upon the recipient.

It is definitely a new normal we are adapting to; finding new ways to celebrate old customs and traditions close to our hearts. Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year and a fantastic Year of the Ox!

Mirador Building Contractor Pte Ltd