Chinese New Year is undoubtedly one of the most important and liveliest cultural events in Hong Kong. Preparations for the season kick off immediately after Christmas, seeing festival markets, parades and performances pop up all around the city.
While the country soaks itself in the festivities, have you forgotten about having that slice of fun in your workplace? If you’d like to bring that cheerful mood into the office but are unfamiliar with what to do, here are our top suggestions that are both easy to implement and fun for all.
‘Lou Hei’
Nothing screams Chinese New Year like a good toss of the Lou Hei – a Chinese customary activity involving the mixing and tossing of various sweet and savoury ingredients, and the shouting of prosperity phrases for auspiciousness. Each step of the ingredient mix comes with a specific phrase meant to prosper various aspects of one’s life, such as love, career, family and more.
It is also a great way of getting colleagues to come together and soak in the festive spirits.
What you’ll need
• Pre-packed boxes of Lou Hei ingredients, readily available at any major supermarkets
• Disposable chopsticks
• List of prosperity phrases for each step of the Lou Hei – Find them on Google!
Office Decorating Contest
It is customary for anyone celebrating Chinese New Year to put up red and gold Chinese New Year decorations- lanterns, zodiac cut outs, placemats and flowers to drive bad luck away. While this responsibility usually falls on the Office Manager, it is time we consider involving other colleagues to spruce up the environment with every individual’s own streak of creativity.
Employees may moan and groan about having to be involved in this “silly” activity, but fret not! Turn the activity into a mini competition involving incentives like attractive prizes and you will surely capture their attention.
Workplace Spring Cleaning
The New Year is the season to shed junk from every corner of one’s home. But while everyone is busy scrubbing their homes clean and throwing things out, they turn a blind eye to the clutter that has secretly piled up by the workspace over the last year. And we’re not just talking about the physical clutter but also the digital junk!
Encourage employees to start spring cleaning and offer incentives if you must. They may dread starting it but that all-around cleanliness is addictive, and you can bet they’ll want to do it again, even before the next Chinese New Year.
Dress Your Best For Chinese New Year
As Chinese New Year marks a new beginning on the Lunar calendar, the Chinese often buy new, red clothes to celebrate the season. It is believed that red scares away the evil spirits and brings in great fortune – surely every business would want that for themselves. Encourage employees to come dressed in the festive colours like they do when going visiting!
Remember to take some photos for your company’s social media pages, hashtag #OOTD!
Off-site Chinese New Year Meal
The celebration is incomplete without a get-together reunion meal, the most significant cultural activity of the year, apart from receiving red packets.
This meal is extremely symbolic. It signifies the end of everything negative in the last year, and welcomes happiness and prosperity in the one ahead. While this often takes place at home amongst family members, this can be adopted in the workplace as well.
Restaurants all over Hong Kong offer reunion dinner menus during this time of the year, so it’s worth looking them up, and bring the workplace together for one last hearty meal together.
Dai Ga Sun Nin Fai Lok, Gong Ho Sun Hei, Sang Yi Hing Lung!
