Lifestyle | 29 January 2024

How we’re celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Dragon with our clients

Jenny Tan and Bianca Yau, both private bankers in our Asia team, explain how we’ll be celebrating the Year of the Dragon with our clients in 2024.

The Lunar New Year is always a special time, each celebration taking on a special association with an animal from the different zodiacs within the East and South East Asian communities. When the Year of the Dragon comes round, it’s always extra special. Not only does this famous mythical beast inspire cultures all around the world but, for Lunar New Year, its characteristics are seen as especially auspicious. The dragon embodies strength, resilience, luck, power, honour and success. Typically, many babies are born in a Year of the Dragon, joining other famous Dragons such as Bruce Lee, Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jnr, Pele and Adele.

Importantly, the Lunar New Year is celebrated across the world by communities and diasporas with connections to East and South East Asia. This year families with connections to Malaysia, Singapore Japan, Korea, Cambodia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Hong Kong as well as China, will be celebrating the Year of Dragon, while families with a Thai heritage will be celebrating the Year of the Naga.

Families will be coming together on the eve of the Lunar New Year to share a special meal such as a hot pot, or a lavish banquet – in Singapore and elsewhere families celebrate with a symbolic Yee Sang tossed salad. The younger generation will also spend time visiting their elders, bringing them gifts such as mandarin oranges, and in return they’ll often receive red envelopes with money in them as a way to wish them luck for the year ahead. The backdrop for celebrations is a colourful party, illuminated by gold, red, firecrackers – and lots of festive snacks.

How we’re celebrating with clients

A celebratory setting and food stand

Fittingly, we’ll be decorating the Garden Court of our 440 Strand headquarters with lucky kumquat trees, and a stall serving traditional Lunar New Year pastries and drinks. We’ll also be hosting some of our partners at 440 for a Lunar New Year afternoon tea.

Red envelopes for prosperity and good luck

A number of our clients will also receive an exclusive set of bespoke gifting red envelopes to share with loved ones, marking good luck and wealth for such an auspicious year.

Special Lunar New Year Dinner

We’ve invited several clients to enjoy a Lunar New Year Dinner with us hosted at 440 Strand. Our renowned chef, Peter Fiori, will be serving a special Asian fusion meal inspired by the traditional banquets held to celebrate the year of the Dragon.

A traditional Dragon Dance

We’ll also be hosting a dragon dance in Garden Court for colleagues and clients to enjoy, complemented by traditional Chinese drummers and dancers. The dance is symbolic of the power of the dragon, its chasing away of evil spirits and monsters and its protection of us from natural disasters and bad luck.

Coutts has been proud to serve our clients throughout Asia and beyond for generations and we know thousands of you will be celebrating the Lunar New Year around the world. To all of them and their families we wish you strength, success, luck and prosperity for the Year of the Dragon