10 Popular Chinese New Year Flowers & Plants That Symbolize Luck & Prosperity
Chinese New Year is incomplete without adorning homes and offices with certain flowers and plants that signify luck and prosperity. Here is a list of 10 popular Chinese New Year plants and flowers that not only bring visual beauty but are also symbolic of positive energy, wealth, and success.
1. Lucky Bamboo: is considered an auspicious plant in Chinese culture as its stalks symbolize wealth, while the knots and twists represent career advancement. It is also known to bring positive chi energy and balance to a home, promoting health, harmony, and love.
2. Money Tree: with its distinctive braided trunk, is symbolic of good luck and prosperity, particularly in terms of financial gain. As it is relatively easy to maintain, it is ideal for gifting and receiving as a symbol of bountiful new year blessings.
3. Orchids: are highly revered in Chinese culture for their elegance and exquisite beauty, representing fertility, abundance, and luxurious charm. These plants are perfect for Chinese New Year as their blooms coincide with the holiday season, making them an emblem of the new year's fortune.
4. Bonsai: represents peace, balance, and harmony. The practice of cultivating a Bonsai tree requires patience and thoughtfulness, virtues that are aligned with the principles of a prosperous New Year.
5. Red Roses: apart from being symbols of love and romance, are also recognized as tokens of prosperity and luck in the Chinese tradition. Their vivid color stands for celebration, hence they're considered apt for Chinese New Year's decorations.
6. Calla Lily: in China symbolize elegance and grace. The yellow variety in particular, resonates with gold, symbolizing the hope for an abundance of wealth in the New Year.
7. Chinese Money Plant (Pilea): is known for its round, coin-shaped leaves, symbolizing wealth and prosperity. This unique feature makes it an ideal plant for the Chinese New Year, embodying the hopes of a prosperous year ahead.
8. Peace Lily: represents harmony, prosperity, and spiritual enlightenment, which aligns with the objectives of a successful and peaceful new year. Its snow-white blossoms can lighten up the Chinese New Year ambiance, spreading tranquility.
9. Chrysanthemums: are traditionally associated with longevity and rejuvenation in Chinese culture. As they bloom in various vibrant shades, they add color and beauty to Chinese New Year celebrations, symbolizing joy and positivity.
10. Jade Plant: with their bright green, succulent leaves, are often seen as a symbol of good fortune, wealth, and prosperity. Their resilience and easy-to-maintain nature make them ideal gifts for the Chinese New Year, representing long-lasting friendships and relationships.
Chinese New Year Decorations & History
The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year because it begins with the new moon on the first day of the new year. The celebration concludes with a full moon 15 days later and is celebrated with the Lantern Festival with festive and gorgeous Chinese lanterns that light up the night. Since the New Year is based on the solar calendar, the celebrations falls on a different date every year.
Each year is represented by an animal and each animal has certain characteristics. Animals represented in the Chinese solar calendar include the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig.
Why are Flowers Important in the Chinese New Year?
Flowers are a vital part of the Chinese New Year as they symbolize growth, prosperity, and good fortune in the upcoming year. In Chinese culture, various types of flowers carry significant meanings and are used as a centerpiece in most of their festivals and traditions. The primary ones seen during the Chinese New Year include plum blossoms, orchids, narcissus, and bamboo, all symbolizing good luck and wealth. Furthermore, it's traditional for people to gift plants and flowers to their friends, family, and colleagues as it signifies wishing them prosperity and success in the New Year!
Lunar New Year Flowers & Plants
Red and gold are popular colors for the Chinese New Year and decorations like Chinese New Years flowers and plants are a popular gift as they are symbolic of growth. Flowers represent wealth and fortune and are lucky to give as gifts. Popular Lunar New Year plants include orchids, bonsai, Chinese money plant (pilea), peace lily, and bamboo plants. Man of these plants symbolize rebirth for a fresh new year.