If there is one object that captures the spirit of Chinese New Year visiting in Singapore, it is a pair of mandarin oranges held out at the door. The custom of exchanging mandarin oranges CNY visitors carry from home to home is more than a nicety; it is a small ritual of goodwill, luck, and respect that opens almost every festive visit.
Why oranges, and why in pairs
The mandarin orange is auspicious because of language. In several Chinese dialects the word for the fruit sounds like the words for gold or for good fortune. To offer oranges, then, is symbolically to offer gold and blessings to the household you are visiting.
They are given in pairs because Chinese custom prizes even numbers and the idea of good things coming double. Handing over two oranges expresses a wish for doubled prosperity and happiness. The gesture is reciprocal: the host usually returns two oranges of their own, so that both households share in the exchange of good fortune rather than one simply taking from the other.
The round, golden shape reinforces the meaning. Roundness suggests completeness and wholeness, and the colour recalls gold. For all these reasons the humble mandarin becomes a carrier of wishes far larger than itself.
The etiquette of the exchange
There is a quiet grammar to giving and receiving oranges during a visit.
- Present the oranges with both hands, as a mark of respect, especially to elders.
- Offer a good wish as you give them, such as a phrase for prosperity or good health.
- Receive them with both hands too, and thank the giver.
- The host reciprocates with two oranges before the guests leave, completing the circle.
Where possible, oranges are kept fresh and unblemished, since a bruised or mouldy fruit would carry the wrong message on such an occasion. Many families buy them by the box in the days before the new year for exactly this reason.
Ang bao: the red packet
Hand in hand with oranges comes the ang bao, the red packet of money. Red is the colour of luck and vitality, and the packet turns a plain gift of cash into a blessing. During the festive season, married couples and elders give ang bao to children and to unmarried younger relatives and, in many workplaces, to junior staff or service workers as a gesture of goodwill.
A few customs are widely observed, though details vary by family:
- Giving is generally from the married or older to the younger and unmarried.
- New or clean notes are preferred, reflecting a fresh start.
- Amounts often favour even numbers and avoid the number four, which sounds like the word for death.
- The packet is received with both hands and thanks, and it is polite not to open it in front of the giver.
The point of the ang bao is the blessing and the gesture, not the sum inside. Comparing amounts or showing disappointment would run against the spirit of the custom.
Oranges, ang bao, and other gifts compared
Visitors often bring more than oranges. It helps to know what each common gift signifies and what to avoid.
| Gift | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Pair of mandarin oranges | Gold, luck, doubled fortune | The standard visiting gift; given and returned in twos |
| Ang bao, red packet | A blessing of prosperity | Given by married or older to younger and unmarried |
| Sweets and cookies | A sweet and happy year ahead | Popular alongside oranges |
| New clothes, often red | Fresh start, warding off bad luck | Worn on the first day |
| Clocks, sharp knives, white flowers | Best avoided | Associated with endings, cutting ties, or mourning |
The gifts to avoid are as much a part of the custom as the gifts to give. A clock, for instance, is shunned because the phrase for giving one sounds like attending a funeral, while sharp objects suggest severing a relationship.
The rhythm of visiting
Mandarin oranges make their journey during the round of visits that fills the first days of the new year. Custom often has families visit the most senior relatives first, then work outward to other relatives and friends over the following days.
At each home, guests exchange oranges and good wishes at the door, children receive ang bao, and everyone shares snacks, tea, and conversation. Trays of festive goodies, from pineapple tarts to melon seeds, sit ready for callers. The visiting is itself the celebration: it renews bonds across an extended family and community that may not otherwise gather in one place all year.
For guests and hosts
- Guests: bring enough pairs of oranges for the households you plan to visit, greet the eldest first, and keep good wishes ready.
- Hosts: keep a stock of oranges to reciprocate, prepare ang bao for younger visitors, and set out snacks and drinks.
How the custom is changing
Modern life has reshaped the details without erasing the meaning. Many now send digital red packets when they cannot visit in person, and some prefer e-transfers for convenience. Health-conscious households may set out fruit and nuts in place of heavy sweets. Yet the pair of oranges at the door has proved remarkably durable, precisely because it is simple, inexpensive, and rich in meaning.
A small fruit, a large gesture
The exchange of mandarin oranges during Chinese New Year distils the season into a single act: two hands offering two golden fruits with a word of goodwill, and two returned in kind. It costs little and asks little, yet it carries wishes for prosperity, health, and continued relationship. That is why, year after year, the first thing many Singaporeans reach for on the way out the door is a fresh pair of oranges.
Explore more: Giving and receiving hongbao: China vs Singapore · Lunar New Year in Singapore · Traditional Chinese customs in Singapore