The Lunar New Year is the biggest festival of the year for the Chinese, and signifies the arrival of spring, heralding in of a new beginning and all things good and prosperous. This festival is steeped in traditions and rich in symbolisms, some of which may seem confusing to a non-Chinese.

The focus of the New Year is visitations by one's family members and relatives. Nevertheless, many Chinese like to take the opportunity to invite friends and colleagues over to their homes to partake in the celebrations and do some catching up. Here are some pointers for non-Chinese who are visiting homes of the Chinese. Knowing these, you will be able to avoid any social faux pas that may embarrass you and your hosts.

1. What to Wear:
Red is the colour of auspiciousness and good fortune for the Chinese. It does not however mean that you have to dress up like a walking red packet. Generally, clothes in bright and warm colours will not go wrong. Floral designs and colourful patterns are acceptable too.

Wearing clothes of an oriental design, if you have them, shows that you respect the hosts' culture, and will definitely please him/her. For the ladies, if you wish to show off your svelte figure, you can even consider wearing the qi pao/cheongsam. There are also modified modern variations of these traditional attire, which are more comfortable yet no less stylish.

The only colours to avoid wearing are all black or all white. These colours are traditionally worn by Chinese at funerals, so it is very inauspicious if you were to turn up at your hosts' home dressed in those colours.

2. What to Bring:
It is customary to bring a pair of mandarin oranges and present them (holding one in each hand) to the hosts upon arrival, while saying an auspicious greeting (see Point 3). With its bright colours, the mandarin oranges symbolise wealth. It is also no coincidence that in Cantonese, the mandarin orange is called 'gam', which rhymes with gold.

When you leave, the hosts will return to you another pair of mandarin oranges. This act symbolises the circulation of good fortune. Hence, if you are visiting more than one Chinese family on the same day, just having one pair of mandarin oranges will technically suffice. But it is better to bring an extra pair along just in case the hosts are busy entertaining guests and may overlook the returning process when you leave.

Besides mandarin oranges, if you wish to bring other gifts, candies, chocolates and

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