SINGAPORE, 4 January 2023 – To ring in the Year of The Rabbit, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) has prepared an exciting line-up of programmes to kickstart Chinese New Year celebrations. 

Ultimate Survival Guide for CNY 

Still trying to figure out the Chinese New Year practices, festive greetings and how to address your relatives? Festive Fever is SCCC’s one-stop information portal which contains all the know-how to help Singaporeans navigate the intricate Chinese New Year practices.

From the yusheng guide to taboos, the all-encompassing online guide provides the knowledge you will need for Chinese New Year, including recommended playlists to get you into the celebratory mood. 

Check out the new Festive Fever microsite at https://festivefever.singaporeccc.org.sg/chinese-new-year/

Rabbit-Themed Art Installation 

Commissioned by SCCC, local artists Fiona Koh and Warren Khong created (Tu)gether, an art installation exhibition highlighting Chinese New Year practices in Singapore.

Photo: One of the works on display at (Tu)gether art installation

The mixed-media artwork presents characters from Chinese New Year mythology — Tu Zai (rabbit), Ong Lai (pineapple), and Nian Mei (monster “Nian”), who celebrate friendship and family during the festive season. Visitors can catch the installation at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Roof Garden till 31 March 2023 from 10am to 10pm daily. A light and sound show will be held on selected Saturday nights from 7.30pm to 8.30pm with narration of the story of Tu Zai’s journey home to celebrate Chinese New Year with his family and friends. Admission to both the exhibition and light shows are free.

Photo: CNY Red Packet 2023

SCCC and the artists of (Tu)gether also created unique red-and-gold packets that showcase how Chinese New Year is celebrated in Singapore, such as tossing yusheng, giving red packets, exchanging mandarin oranges, lion dance performance and more. Each set includes two blank packets with stickers to allow you to create your own personalised red packet. Members of the public may obtain a set of these limited-edition red packets by heading down to the reception at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Level 1 from now till 5 February 2023 (the last day of Chinese New Year), while stocks last.

Photo: Wallpapers with WhatsApp and Telegram Sticker Pack: CNY (Tu)gether with SCCC

To spice up your Chinese New Year greetings to loved ones, you may download the (Tu)gether sticker pack for free from the Festive Fever microsite. The 12 adorable stickers of various designs are available for use on WhatsApp and Telegram. Wallpapers adapted from (Tu)gether red packets are also available for download from the Festive Fever microsite.

Musical Interpretation of Chinese Singaporean Culture by local artistes Annette Lee and Benjamin Kheng

Photo: <We Are…> Music Video

SCCC aims to highlight the distinctiveness of our local Chinese culture and welcomes views from the public on what they find to be special about the Chinese culture in Singapore. For instance, in 2020, a street poll of young Singaporeans was held to get their take on being Chinese Singaporean. In addition,  SCCC and Lianhe Zaobao jointly presented a podcast series  “Same Same but Different” last year, where guests were invited to share their stories. To usher in the new year, SCCC has invited two renowned local artists, Annette Lee and Benjamin Kheng, to share their interpretations of Chinese Singaporean culture through music. In this new  composition <We Are…>, Annette and Benjamin gave their unique take through an upbeat song about their shared experiences of our local Chinese culture. Head over to SCCC’s Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages to catch the Music Video.

Bringing Our Local Cultural Heritage Onboard Singapore Airlines

Photo: Kaki Says – Winter Solstice Festival Video

As more Singaporeans and international travellers take to the skies in the new year, SCCC has partnered Singapore Airlines to share SCCC’s videos on local Chinese culture with SIA’s passengers. SIA’s KrisWorld’s in-flight entertainment system will offer the following SCCC videos from now till March 2023:

• Keeping Traditions Alive, where Singaporeans try their hand at making traditional snacks such as bak chang (Rice Dumplings) and tangyuan (Glutinous Rice Balls). 
• Try Leh, Singaporeans, where youths experience various aspects of our local Chinese culture, such as learning and speaking simple Hakka terms.  
• Kaki Says, where Kaki shares interesting and fun facts on festivals celebrated in Singapore such as the Duanwu Festival. 

Enjoy CNY cocktails for a limited time

Photo: Love Letter (L), Prosperity Sling (R)

From now till 4 Feb, enjoy two specially concocted CNY cocktails by Cherki, a casual gastro-pub which specialises in Peranakan food and creative cocktails at SCCC. Loveletters is a commonly consumed snack during CNY, but what would a Love Letter drink taste like? Incorporating ingredients like lychee and rose which symbolise romance, Cherki dedicates this drink to its namesake. The Prosperity Sling, which is inspired by the red packet, combines ingredients like pineapple, pomelo and mandarin into one delicious tipple to drink up some “fortune”. 

Patrons can also enjoy a 10% discount off ala-carte items by producing the SCCC (Tu)gether Red Packet. Click here for more details.