PETALING JAYA, Feb 15 — A Singaporean debt collection company spread some festive cheer this Lunar New Year by getting its employee to visit debtors’ homes dressed as the Chinese God of Wealth.

In a Facebook post from Saturday, Fast Debt Recovery Specialist (FDRS) shared photos of a staff member dressed in the elaborate red robes and headgear commonly associated with Caishen.

“The God of Fortune continued with his visitations today despite ending late last night.

“God of Fortune is there to give luck, not there to demand for payment,” wrote the company, which provides debt collection services for corporations and individuals.

The God of Wealth also handed out goodie bags containing two mandarin oranges, a Toto lottery ticket, and a 4D number.

The company wrote in a follow-up post yesterday that one of their debtors managed to strike winnings with the 4D number they received from the God of Wealth.

 

 

虽然我们的财神爷昨天很晚才放工,今天是大年初三还是去拜年。昨天晚上我们接到欠债者的电话,他说财神爷给的4D号码开了。祝这位欠债者兴旺发! Last night our God of Fortune ended late but today...

Posted by Fast Debt Recovery Specialist Pte Ltd on Saturday, February 13, 2021

 

 

FDRS weren’t the only ones to approach the Chinese New Year with a quirky touch.

Dancing ‘cows’ promote veganism for Year of the Ox

Representatives from animal rights group Peta donned cow costumes and danced on the streets last week to promote veganism in conjunction with the Year of the Ox.

The animal lovers made their way to Chinatown in Jakarta, Indonesia and Manila in the Philippines where they held up signs that read, “Make it a good year for cows: go vegan.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by PETA Asia (@petaasia)

 

“Every hamburger or block of cheese sold represents an animal who was sentenced to a lifetime of misery.

“By going vegan, you can help spare cows, pigs, and other sensitive animals a miserable life and a terrifying death,” Peta Asia wrote in a press release.

A Merry Lunar New Year

Taking down the Christmas tree can be an arduous task for most people but one Malaysian Twitter user decided to tackle the issue by repurposing her tree for the current festive season.

User @KahDoubleE shared a picture yesterday of her Christmas tree which was adorned with Chinese New Year baubles and ornaments.

 

 

“It’s easier than to dismantle the whole thing,” she wrote.

Many of her followers dubbed it a “win” while another user wished her a “Merry Lunar New Year.”

One-metre long ang pow for Covid-19 era

It goes without saying that Chinese New Year this year has been like no other celebrations in the past due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many rituals have been changed to comply with standard operating procedures or foregone entirely to contain the spread of the disease.

Singaporean content studio Distillery decided to create a unique solution for people to hand out ang pows this year while staying safe.

 

 

Their limited-edition one-metre long red envelopes allows families to exchange ang pows and greetings while adhering to physical distancing rules.

And who knows, the extra space in the long ang pow could mean space for more money!