KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — For Chinese New Year, it is not enough to make your house look pretty... you have to decorate your home to usher in prosperity and good luck.
For everything you need in that department, visit Happy Planet at Jalan Petaling or Nu Lycie, which is just around the corner at Jalan Sultan.
And for those who have no time, you will be happy to discover that these shops open up to the eve of Chinese New Year.
You can't go wrong with hanging lanterns outside your home. Not only are they believed to drive away bad luck but they also look so beautiful.
Red lanterns may be traditional but for a trendy look to bedazzle your guests, go for the 3D lanterns, designed by Happy Planet's owner, Lily Wong.
She takes pains to design items that are uniquely beautiful and will appeal to Malaysians. "Malaysians like simple, nice and not overly decorated items," she explained.
Usually, she'll start designing the lanterns at least six months before. The handicraft work is all done in-house, as every detail is supervised by Lily who has operated the shop for around 15 years.
Another popular item is a hanging decoration with three rings wrapped with ribbon, emblazoned with the Chinese word for prosperity and festooned with flowers. She also has another version fashioned from flat baskets.
Embroidered patches are stuck on the lanterns by hand. You also have cherry blossoms and peonies, flowers associated with the festivities.
Aside from flowers, these lanterns also feature motifs meant to bring prosperity such as double fishes, dragon, phoenix and even the Prosperity God or Choy Sun.
Last year, lanterns fashioned from rattan were first introduced to the market. Nu Lycie's Ms Lai tells us, this year, there are even more designs since the response was good.
These lanterns that come in various shapes also feature flowers like peonies. Some even sport long red tassels.
This year, piggy banks are the rage. Ms Lai tells us it's their best selling item and only one design is left: a chubby, shiny gold piggy bank.
She adds, "People like to put money inside it for the year and it is also decorative."
Over at Happy Planet, Lily's daughter, Michelle Low tells us, that customers will even rub the top of these coin boxes, all in the hope of the animal blessing them with prosperity the whole year round.
The shop also features an unusual pearl crusted piggy bank. Since pearls in Chinese sound similar to the word for pigs in Chinese, it's got double meaning.
Michelle also explained that it is similar to an auspicious greeting that symbolises your riches will flow into life, just like a pig in a basket.
And let's not forget angpows. While most people use the ones distributed by banks, sometimes you want something unusual in order to stand out in the crowd.
As this is the Year of the Pig, most of them feature the animal. A popular version features the cartoon character Peppa Pig.
If you find that too ho-hum, how about surname angpows? There's no way the recipient won't know who gave them their lucky money, since they can trace your surname back to you... well, unless it's at a family gathering!
Happy Planet
121, Jalan Petaling, KL
Tel:03-20703608
Open: 9.30am to 6pm (Monday to Friday), 9.30am to 8pm (Saturday and Sunday)
Closed for Chinese New Year.
Nu Lycie
17, Jalan Sultan, KL
Tel:03-20319882
Open daily: 9.30am to 7pm
Closed for Chinese New Year
