As a holiday that goes back thousands of years, there are a wide variety of Lunar New Year traditions that have been passed down. Some are based on myth, some on symbolism, some on superstitions, and some on wordplay. One of our favourite traditions is the symbolism of pineapples.

Why pineapples?

Pineapples are symbolically auspicious in Chinese culture. In the Hokkien dialect, the word for pineapple (ong lai, 王梨) sounds the same as the phrase “good fortune/prosperity comes”. As a result, pineapples and pineapple-based treats are often the go-to gifts for engagements, new babies and general well-wishes. When you give a pineapple you are wishing good luck and fortune to the recipient.

What's in our gift set?

Our popular Riceananas mini plush is loved by so many of you that we couldn't resist creating a wonderful gift set to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Our friends Dot Dot, a London-based patisserie and bubble tea shop serving up delicious Hong Kong treats, have worked with us to create some tasty pineapple cakes to complete the set. 

Included in the Prosperous Pineapple Set:

Dot Dot's pineapple cakes are handmade weekly in their London cafe so they're always super fresh. We can't get enough of those tasty pineaples! Did you know we have a whole famiy of pineapples here at Noodoll?

Visit them here!

Other symbols

Lots of other fruit and veggies feature as symbols during Lunar New Year celebrations. You'll see lots of traditional food like dumplings (Check out our Ricebao!) and noodles as well as more unusual ones like oranges. 

Did you know the Cantonese word for oranges: "kam" sounds similar to the word for gold? These tasty fruits have come to represent luck and wealth. It has become a special tradition during Lunar New Year celebrations to offer a pair of oranges to loved ones, wishing them prosperity and fortune. How about gifting someone a Ricesuma this Lunar New Year?

This year an important symbol for Lunar New Year is... Tiger! 2022 is the year of the Tiger, and that's why we designed the adorable Ricetiger plush for you. A thoughtful gifts for little ones born during 2022, or a unique present for any Tiger birthdays coming up.

Visit our Lunar New Year collection here to discover what is waiting for you.