This year, Chinese New Year’s Day fell on Sunday, February 14; which of course also happens to be Valentine’s Day. I would have guessed that Valentine’s Day and Hong Kong would be a natural fit. Chocolate, flowers, fluffy stuffed critters, and romantic love: all things Hong Kongers seem to love. Hong Kong certainly took to Christmas and even Halloween; but Valentines was barely a blip on the radar.My theory is that Chinese New Year is such a big stinking deal around here, that Valentines simply gets eclipse. Retailers –who seem to drive so much of the holiday fervor- simply don’t need Valentines. They are doing just fine with the much bigger Chinese New Years.
Traditionally, lai see envelopes and their enclosed cash flow from older, married couples to younger, unmarried individuals. But as I watched some of my students exchange little red lai see envelopes with each other in the hallway before Chines New Year, I was struck by how similar it was to students exchanging valentines.
Which has led me to the following prediction: In the same way that it seems inevitable that we have a syncretistic mash-up of El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead from Mexico) and Halloween, I am predicting that Chinese New Year will begin to absorb some of the traditions of Valentines Day such as the increased exchange of sentiments and sweets among peers. It can’t be long before little cupids start appearing on some of those lai see envelopes.
Now I wonder if Valentines in the States will start to take on some of the attributes of Chinese New Year? Maybe we’ll start to see valentine cards with dragons on them.
-Jack
Picture: one of the few vestiges of Valentines we saw in Hong Kong: a bouquet of bunnies.
Restaurants, florists, jewelers etc were all bemoaning the loss of income resulting from the fact that Valentine's Day fell on Chinese New Year this year (it changes every year). Usually they go all out with special set menus, floral arrangements, etc. I even read that one restaurant, who, like most other Chinese restaurants has always closed on CNY, decided to stay open and offer the expected set menu just in case there were couples out there who still wanted a romantic night out and not spend it with relatives... Well, next year all should be well since CNY is in early Feb.
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