KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Red lanterns, vibrant flowers, orange or kumquat trees, Chinese calligraphy stickers as well as banners and other predominantly red-coloured decorations adorn shops along Petaling Street in Chinatown here.

As Chinese New Year (CNY) is just two weeks away, the smell of roasted chestnuts and meat permeates the air as a cacophony of Chinese traditional music plays in the background to add to the festive atmosphere.

Shoppers can be seen buzzing in and out of the shops there to see the latest trend in decorations and buy them to spruce up their homes for the festive season.

Yong Yin Ping, a sales assistant at iDecor Home Sdn Bhd in Petaling Street, said that more than 100 customers walk in daily to get their hands on decorative items of all shapes and sizes.

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“As soon as the store opens at 9.30am, many customers including families will walk in to browse and buy the decorations,” she told Bernama here today.

Lunar New Year decorations, featuring Chinese zodiac animal, the Rat, are seen near Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur January 7, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara
Lunar New Year decorations, featuring Chinese zodiac animal, the Rat, are seen near Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur January 7, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

She added that weekends seemed to be the most preferable time for people to do their shopping.

Yong said that this year the decorations were more towards stickers and banners that represent the rat, the zodiac sign for this CNY, which falls on January 25.

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Being the Year of the Rat, it’s not surprising to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters taking pride of place in the decorations.

She said the Disney characters seemed to be the popular choice for many customers.

Other than that, customers also opt for stickers and plush toys representing the rat, the first animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

A shop sells Lunar New Year decorations near Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur January 7, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara
A shop sells Lunar New Year decorations near Jalan Tun HS Lee in Kuala Lumpur January 7, 2020. — Picture by Hari Anggara

Customers also buy lanterns that now come in different colours and shapes along with the ubiquitous red round lanterns.

At Nu Lycie Sdn Bhd, another store selling CNY paraphernalia, customers were seen going for decorations with Chinese wordings and symbols that represent positive vibes.

“Our customers love to buy the stickers and banners with words signifying luck such as ‘Money Come’, ‘Prosperity’ and ‘Happiness',” said its sales manager Lai Wai Meng.

Both stores say they give discounts of between 30 and 50 per cent for CNY decorations and have extended their opening hours to include Sundays.

Customers also have many other stores to choose from in Petaling Street to get the necessary decorations for CNY. — Bernama