Chinese New Year is the time of festive and celebration. Beyond it, the philosophy of the bright red color and the flashy decoration is to scare the mythology monster that would come once a year in spring. It is also the reason why we usually use loud firecrackers in celebrating the Chinese New Year.

This 2019, the Chinese New Year is welcoming the Year of the Pig. The Year of Pig is a symbol of wealth and fortune. So, it is reasonable if you decorate the house a little more sparkling this year. Here, we have some tips to decorate the house festively without having to spend too much on the budget. Be it a simple DIY or an affordable décor, some of this below might inspire you in this Chinese New Year.

1. DIY Red Lantern

In Chinese New Year decoration, a red lantern is a must! It is believed that a house that displays red lantern is distanced from bad luck. There are easy tutorials out there that you can follow to make your own DIY lanterns. Though red and gold is the main color combination for the Chinese New Year, you may want to use other festive colors such as yellow, green, or pink.

2. Blooming Flowers

If you see the traditional Chinese New Year decoration, blooming flowers are everywhere. It is not hard to find flowers that are in full bloom because the New Year happens on spring. Most popular flowers to be displayed are chrysanthemum, peach blossom, peonies, and orchids.

You can buy the whole bush in a pot or put some of them in a vase. Since the Chinese New Year festival goes about 15 days, you may want to keep them fresh throughout the celebration.

3. Find Kumquat Trees Online

Kumquat or golden tangerine trees are believed as a symbol of wealth. The golden fruit growing from the tree is seen as a good symbol of prosperity. Often, the tree is decorated using red hongbao, small red paper lanterns, and paper cuttings. If you find it hard to buy it offline, you can always visit websites like Amazon that sells kumquat trees in seed or in bushes form.

4. Print Your Own Door Couplets and Fu Posters

The essential of the Chinese New Year decoration is to fill the house with wealth, prosperity, and good fortune symbols. Doubling as a prayer, the decoration is believed to invite those things to the house in the upcoming year.

If you don’t have the time to buy the decoration, why don’t you print some by yourself? More than a thousand years ago, the Shu era has been using these couplets to invite good fortune to the house. Now, you can find the free design online and print it. It is a cheaper way and you can adjust the design and size to your preferences.

Unlike Christmas, many Chinese New Year decorations cannot be reused because the materials are made from paper. Luckily, with a little creativity, you can make them on your own. Traditionally, people start decorating around 10 days before the celebration. If you plan to make some of the décors with DIY projects, you may want to start earlier.