There’s plenty to tick off your to-do list before Chinese New Year (CNY) rolls around: decluttering, spring cleaning, decorating, buying new clothes — and, of course, setting out an irresistible spread of festive treats for your visitors.

While classic snacks like pineapple tarts and love letters often get modern makeovers with trendy flavours like yuzu or truffle, their symbolic meaning in Chinese culture remains timeless. 

Here’s a quick guide to the significance behind some of your favourite CNY goodies.

Ring in the new year with nian gao

In the Chinese language, homophones — words that sound alike but have different meanings — often carry symbolic weight. Nian gao or ‘year cake’, sounds like ‘year high,’ representing hopes for growth and success in the year ahead.

Fun fact: Legend has it that nian gao was invented to keep the Kitchen God quiet! Sticky-sweet and delicious, it was used to seal his mouth shut so he couldn’t report bad behaviour to the Jade Emperor.

Prosper with pineapple tarts

The Hokkien name for pineapple, ong lai, translates to ‘fortune arriving’, making pineapple tarts a sweet way to wish for prosperity in the new year. These buttery pastries filled with spiced fruit jam are a marriage of Western baking and Nyonya flavours.

Fun fact: Pineapples hold historical significance in Singapore. Yishun was once home to a sprawling pineapple plantation owned by Lim Nee Soon, also known as the 'Pineapple King,' whose business brought prosperity to the local community.

Go for gold with mandarin oranges

Mandarin oranges, with their bright orange hue, are a must-have gift during CNY. Their colour symbolises wealth and prosperity, while their Cantonese name, gam, sounds like the word for ‘gold’. Given in pairs for good luck, mandarin oranges are often presented with their leaves and stems still attached, symbolising fertility and freshness.

Fun fact: During the Qing dynasty, mandarin oranges were placed next to children’s pillows to ward off monsters — a tradition steeped in both sweetness and superstition!

Crack open happy nuts

Did you know pistachios are called ‘happy nuts’ in Mandarin? Their curved shells, when cracked open, resemble smiling faces, making them a cheerful snack to serve during CNY.

Fun fact: Pistachios are not just tasty — they’re healthy too. High in unsaturated fats, they can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. For maximum benefits, opt for unsalted baked pistachios.

Paint the holiday red with bak kwa

This sweet, smoky, barbecued jerky is a CNY favourite, thanks to its deep red hue — an auspicious colour associated with luck, vitality, and celebration in Chinese culture.

Bak kwa, a sweet charcoal-barbecued jerky originating from Fujian, China, is deeply rooted in Hokkien culture. Meaning ‘dried meat’, it boasts an appealing deep red hue that perfectly matches the ‘everything in red’ theme of Chinese New Year. Red, symbolising fortune, vitality, fire and the sun, is a colour associated with good luck, making it a staple to wear, eat and decorate with during the festive season.

Fun fact: Bak kwa is so popular during CNY that queues for premium brands can stretch for hours, with prices peaking during the festive season!

Enjoy longevity with peanut cookies

Peanuts, known as hua sheng in Mandarin, carry connotations of health, longevity and prosperity. Whether served whole for guests to deshell or baked into crumbly cookies, they’re a festive staple.

Not to be confused with American peanut butter cookies, Chinese-style peanut biscuits are made with sugar, flour and ground peanuts, giving them their signature melt-in-the-mouth, sandy texture. These delectable treats are also traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven.

Fun fact: Though peanut cookies are more about indulgence than health benefits, in traditional Chinese medicine, peanuts are believed to enhance appetite, strengthen the lungs and reduce phlegm.

Don’t write off these love letters

These delicate, coconut-scented wafers are said to have originated as secret messages between lovesick villagers, earning them the nickname ‘love letters’. Sweetened with sugar and enriched with eggs — earning them the alternate name ji dan juan or egg rolls — these traditional treats are a nostalgic delight, perfect for sharing during CNY.

Fun fact: Accepting a love letter wasn’t just about enjoying the snack — it meant you understood and accepted the romantic message hidden within. Choose your love letters wisely!

Shop for CNY snacks in Johor Bahru

Ready to stock up on these meaningful treats? Every kiasu Singaporean knows that the best part of CNY shopping is scoring great deals on delicious goodies.

Join the 1D Lunar New Year Shopping Tour (JB) on Saturday, 18 January 2025, 7am to 10pm, and visit factory outlets like Tong Garden, Johor Premium Outlets and Ming Ang Confectionery. Night markets like Johor Jaya and CNY Carnival are also on the itinerary. The tour includes lunch, overseas group insurance and a guide — sign up by 31 December 2024 to secure your slot!

Prefer staying closer to home? Head to the Lunar New Year Bazaar 2025 at CSC @ Tessensohn on Saturday, 11 January, 10am to 4pm. Along with festive goodies, enjoy craft activities, a lucky draw and goodie bags for pre-registered members, and even a free five-minute head and shoulder massage. Click here to pre-register (open to CSC main card holders only).