FADED AWAY:The flower market in Taipei’s Neihu District has been failing to attract customers in its new location, which is far from the nearest MRT station
Taipei Times
Date: Feb 12, 2016
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
Lunar New Year holiday celebrations come in many forms, but in a nation
Pots of kalanchoe are displayed at Taipei Flowers Auction Co’s flower market in Taipei’s Neihu District on Saturday. Photo: Stacy Hsu, Taipei Times
where people staunchly believe a good start to the year brings in wealth and good fortune, celebrations almost always involve the practice of surrounding oneself with foods and floral decorations that have auspicious meanings.
In most cases, the practice manifests itself as dishes with propitious names on the Lunar New Year Eve’s dinner table, such as fish, which is homophonous with the Mandarin word yu (餘, surplus) and symbolizes a wish for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.
Fruits such as apples and pineapples, which denote safety and prosperity respectively, are also popular choices of food offerings to the gods during the holiday.
While some favor auspicious foods, others opt for flowers or potted plants to add festivity to their homes, as the Mandarin word for “flower” is a near homophone for fa (發, becoming wealthy), while numerous plants are associated with good fortune.
