18 Jan 2012 ~ Mong Kok Flower Market

Listening to: Dev ~ Dancing in the Dark (TBA)
I love the Monk Kok Flower Market.

It has a fascinating selection of cut flowers, house plants and feng shui flora.

It was especially busy in preparation for the Chinese New Year festivities. (And this picture does not do justice for actually how crowded it is further down the street.)

The two flowers most associated with the New Year are the plum blossom and the water narcissus.

The plum blossom stands for courage and hope. The blossoms burst forth at the end of winter on a seemingly lifeless branch. In Chinese art, plum blossoms are associated with the entire season of winter and not just the New Year.

Water narcissus signifies good luck and fortune as it is a flower that blossom at New Year's time. If the white flowers blossom exactly on the day of the New Year, it is believed to indicate good fortune for the ensuing twelve months.

Additionally, tangerines and oranges are frequently displayed in homes and stores. Tangerines are symbolic of good luck, and oranges are symbolic of wealth. These Chinese New Year symbols have developed through a language pun, the word for tangerine having the same sound as "luck" in Chinese, and the word for orange having the same sound as "wealth". Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits.