As the Tiger roars its last for the year and makes way for the docile and happy Rabbit, Chinatown is once again decked out for the coming change of the Lunar New Year. This year, expect sales rabbit-themed gifts to skyrocket – a la plush toys, cartoon rabbits and pet hares.

There’s no better place to absorb the Lunar New Year spirit than in Chinatown. Chinatownboy blogs about this year’s bazaar:

With my wife, we decided to do an ‘inspection’ of Chinatown this afternoon to see what’s new in preparing for the new year. We probably have been pounding the streets of Chinatown – particularly Smith Street, Temple Street and Trengganu St – for more than 50 years. Each year before the Spring Festival (met an old guy at the Heritage Exhibition who advised me that in China, we should say Chun Jie 春节 and not Xin Nian 新年), we would eagerly join in the jostle to see what’s new. In the old days, we were probably hoping to get our new clothes. These days, it is not so much about clothes but about what to buy for the family and to add more colours to the house.

Have you gone shopping for the Lunar New Year yet? Check out Chinatownboy’s inspection of the streets here.