Chinese New Year is almost here! The first two days, which are public holidays, fall on February 8 and 9, so we’re all looking forward to the four-day weekend. This also means you should already think about decorating your house if you want to ensure wealth and prosperity will be flowing through your home during the year. We have prepared some tips for you about making modern floral arrangements for Chinese New Year!
BUT AREN’T CNY DECORATIONS USUALLY GAUDY AND OLD-FASHIONED?
There’s only one problem: finding nice decorations are quite difficult, as CNY decorations widely available tend to look gaudy and tacky. There’s a simple solution – go for a magnificent modern floral arrangement! There’s no reason your Chinese New Year arrangement should look old-fashioned, dated and “auntie-looking”. Make it modern, young, fresh and bold, and luck and prosperity will surely follow you for the whole year! Follow our tips.
CHINESE NEW YEAR COLOURS
The main colours of CNY are of course red and gold. Actually anything will look festive if you use these two colours. But for Chinese people they have strong meanings:
Red symbolizes joy, virtue, truth and sincerity. It is thought to scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. Gold symbolizes fortune and prosperity, perfect symbols for a new year.
Incorporate red and gold, but don’t go overboard. There are other colours to use as well: yellow, hot pink and sweet pink, white to bring a modern and fresh feeling to your arrangement or centrepiece. Many gold accessories are available during this time, and you can even use spray-painted plants and flowers for your arrangement (but take note to use floral spray paint only!)
WHAT FLOWERS SHOULD YOU USE?
You shouldn’t have any problem with choosing festive flowers because they are the only ones your local florist or nursery will have in stock during this time, so don’t be afraid and just go for what you like following the colors you have chosen. But here are some flowers to use for CNY and what they symbolize:
Narcissus (daffodil) means prosperity
Chrysanthemum means longevity
Bamboo means luck
Sunflower means “to have a good year”.
Mandarin oranges means fortune
They all will look gorgeous with azalea, peonies and water lilies.
Peonies are known as the “flowers of wealth and honour” and are emblems of love and affection, as well as luck and good fortune.
Add some red hypericum berries and pines for colour and texture.
That’s it!
After you are done picking the flowers just let your imagination run wild with all the textures and shapes in your arrangement.
If all this is too much of a hassle, we’re happy to make you a custom CNY flower arrangement or centrepiece for your home, but place your order early!
Use our order form or enquire at hello@gatheredandstyled.com
All images are taken from www.ancestryimages.com