Ang pao, tikoy, food hampers: Chinese New Year 2023 gift ideas

MANILA, Philippines — This year's Chinese New Year falls on January 22, and it is never too late to think of ideas to give to start an auspicious year. Here are some thoughtful and meaningful items that you can gift to your family, friends or colleagues: 1. Food hampers or special Chinese New Year food menu sets Many grocery stores offer curated baskets that have all these auspicious items in it. Even hotels and restaurants are annually offering Chinese New Year sets that already feature a sumptous spread such as Nian gao (tikoy), Peking Duck, Yee Sang Salad, Yang Chow, Noodles and Steamed Fish. 2. Be specific A box of tikoy (sweet glutinous rice cake) will go a long way. Classic tikoys can be deep-fried, while newer versions come with fillings. This sticky treat is given with the hope for the continued bond or strong relationship of the family or between friends. 3. The paw (red envelope) Who doesn't want to receive money for the new year? The red, ornately designed envelopes symbolize good luck and ward off evil spirits. If giving a physical envelope is not possible, by all means, digital or e-money can be the answer for the tech-savvy. 4. Tea packets Tea-drinking has been ingrained in most Chinese cultures, and it is a perfect gift this season. There are many types of teas readily sold in groceries and specialty tea shops. For the safe option, go for green tea or black tea. It's better if you know your friend or relative's preference so you can pick up special tea blends that they will surely appreciate. 5. Lucky items or Chinese Zodiac animal items There are quite a lot of lucky items that serve specific purposes such as for money luck and well-being (eg Laughing Buddha or Lucky Bamboo). You can get the animal item in the 12 Chinese Zodiac for friends and families (cat and buffalo instead of rabbit and ox for your Vietnamese friends).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more