Chinatown celebrates Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is a major highlight on Singapore’s cultural calendar. In the Chinese lunar calendar, each year is represented by one of twelve animals from the Chinese zodiac. This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 14 and will usher in the Tiger.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageWelcome to the Year of the Tiger! Here are some pics taken from Singapore Chinatown just before Chinese New Year. These cute Tigers are just located at Chinatown Point.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageRows of lap cheong (Chinese dried sausages) and waxed ducks in Chinatown. Basically, there are 2 types of lap cheong. One is what you normally see - red and made purely out of pork. The other is darker in colour which is made out of liver, usually duck liver.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageWaxed delicacies still remain a must-have food item for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Waxed duck or lap ngap in Cantonese, is made by preserving a flattened, deboned bird in salt, spices and fat.
Extremely salty and leathery in texture, the duck is cut into bite-size pieces, steamed and eaten with rice congee or porridge.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageCookies for Chinese New Year selling for five jars for $6. Come Chinese New Year's Eve, the price will be slashed to about fifty cents per jar.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageGroundnuts and melon seeds in different flavours. . .Groundnut is one of the popular or hot items during Chinese New Year. It symbolises longevity. The word 生 in 花生 (groundnuts in Chinese language) means life. Eating melon seeds suggest proliferation of offspring. Chinese like to play with words and symbols.

Click on the above photo for high-res imageLim Chee Guan is the most popular bak kwa (barbecued dried pork) shop in Singapore. During the run up to Chinese New Year, be prepared to queue for long hours.