Among all Hong Kong’s holidays, Chinese New Year is the most important for locals and the Chinese diaspora. Celebrating the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar, it takes place sometime between late January and mid-February, ushering in days-long festivities that centre around family and fortune.

The origins are unclear; one story says that people began offering animals to the gods at the beginning of spring, hoping for a prosperous year ahead. During Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, people enjoy special dishes believed to bring good fortune, fill their homes with fresh flowers and carry out other auspicious rituals.

Visits among relatives typically take place throughout the New Year period. One of the most famous traditions is lai see – red packets containing money, which married people are meant to give to younger, unmarried family, friends and acquaintances. It’s believed to bring good luck to the giver and the recipient.

While the holiday lasts about 15 days from the first day of the lunar month, Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is chiefly celebrated during the first three days, which are public holidays. Here are some foods and activities to set yourself up for good luck in 2023, the Year of the Rabbit.

Classic Chinese New Year Foods

Poon Choi

A family-style southern Chinese dish that is heavily associated with the walled villages of the New Territories in Hong Kong, poon choi has become the go-to option for many families during Chinese New Year. Translating as ‘bowl feast’, it’s typically served inside a large metal basin containing a long list of ingredients, including seafood, meat and vegetables. Ping Shan Traditional Poon Choi in Yuen Long in the New Territories specialises in this delicacy.

Fish

No Chinese New Year meal is complete without fish, which symbolises surplus and fortune, and the majority of Cantonese restaurants – especially those with seafood tanks – will have steamed or braised fish on the menu. For a taste of casual, homestyle cooking, try Ho Choi Seafood Restaurant, a chain that’s popular with local families.

Lo Hei

A Chinese New Year dish originating from Southeast Asia, lo hei – literally ‘toss high’ and also known as ‘prosperity toss’ – has gained popularity in Hong Kong in recent years. A raw fish salad, it consists of shredded vegetables and raw salmon. Diners toss it with their chopsticks, aiming as high as possible – an act that symbolises prosperity.

Sea Moss

The Cantonese name for this delicacy, fat choy, is a homophone of the phrase ‘strike it rich’. A prized ingredient that’s become increasingly hard to come by, sea moss is primarily sold in dried seafood shops like those around Des Voeux Road West and Wing Lok Street in Sheung Wan. Families prepare it at home as part of a Chinese New Year meal.

Glutinous rice balls

Symbolising ‘union’ and ‘togetherness’, these sticky, sweet treats are usually stuffed with sweet bean paste or sesame paste. One of Hong Kong’s most famous spots for them is Kai Kai , where Ningbo-style glutinous rice balls with sesame filling, served in ginger broth, are a signature. Expect to wait in line: Kai Kai has a Bib Gourmand recommendation in the Michelin guide.

Celebrating Chinese New Year in Hong Kong

Flower Markets

Come Chinese New Year, floral decorations appear at just about every corner in Hong Kong. Orchids, peach blossoms and pussy willows are among the blooms believed to bring luck and prosperity. Numerous flower markets normally spring up across the city – one of the largest and most popular is held at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

Temple visits

For many, the third day of Chinese New Year in Hong Kong normally calls for visiting a temple. At Wong Tai Sin Temple , an important site for Buddhists, Taoists and Confucianists, worshippers present their prayers in the kau cim tradition of shaking a cylinder full of fortune-telling sticks, something that visitors may find fascinating to witness. At Che Kung Temple  in Sha Tin, locals wait their turn to spin the fan-bladed wheel of fortune.

Hikes

Hongkongers often hit the hiking trails during public holidays and Chinese New Year is no exception. The weather is usually cool and crisp, and many trails require heading up a mountain – in other words, aiming high in the New Year. Take your pick among these easy and more challenging Hong Kong hikes.

Horse Races

Horse racing is a passion in Hong Kong, and crowds normally flock to Sha Tin for the annual Chinese New Year Race Day.

Wishing Trees

Write a wish on joss paper and tie it to one of these banyans, and your wish will come true – so goes the legend. That’s why, on a typical Lunar New Year’s day, thousands flock to the New Territories village of Lam Tsuen  and attach joss wishes to wooden racks.

Chinese New Year Etiquette

• Don the colour red, which is believed to bring good luck.
• Give out red lai see packets to those who provide you with service, such as door and security staff and office cleaners, as a gesture of goodwill.
• Be gracious in accepting red packets, or servings of food, from elders.
• Avoid discussing bad news or using words associated with misfortune, such as death.
• Don’t clean or cut your hair on the first day of the new year – this is believed to wash your good fortune away.
• Don’t clean your home during the first three days, as it will similarly ‘sweep away’ your fortune. Instead many locals do their spring cleaning two days beforehand.

This story was originally published in October 2019 and updated in January 2023.

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