Visit Singapore

Lunar New Year (January / February)

This marks the coming of spring. In the old days in China, this was the only time that the farmers take a break from working their land. Today the festival represents more of a spiritual renewal than a physical one, with the celebration representing new beginnings, new opportunities and the reaffirmation of family ties. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated over a 15-day period. There are many food that is symbolic of this festival

• Bak Kwa

Preserved sweet meat is a tradition that harks back to China, before the invention of refrigerators. The meat is trimmed of fat, sliced and marinated before spread on rattan trays and baked in an oven. Removed and cut to size, it is then ready for storage.

The secret to a successful bak kwa lies in the marinade, and the recipes are closely guarded across Asia. A favorite and traditional Lunar New Year offering for visitors and gift for business associates, it is so popular that it is available throughout the year.

• Yu Sheng

Yu sheng began in China as plain raw fish with a few types of vegetables. In the 1950s, four Singaporean chefs added more types of colorful vegetables to make it look more appealing. It was then popularized as a "rising abundance" dish and a "must have"  during the Lunar New Year.

A unique part of Lunar New Year celebrations in Singapore is yu sheng, a salad of paper-thin ra wfish, finely shredded fresh vegetables, candied melon and citrus, red and white pickled ginger, pomelo flesh, sesame seeds, lime leaf, crispy crackers and peanuts dressed with plum sauce, oil and spices.

This salad is traditionally eaten on the seventh day of the new year, (though people now eat it throughout the 15 day) and diners toss the salad together with their chopsticks, shouting "lo hei" (toss up) and making wishes for abundance and prosperity before eating it.