They are hung in storefronts in the month before the New Year's Day, and often stay up for two months. They express best wishes and fortune for the coming year. There is a great variety in the writing of these poetic couplets to fit the situation. A store would generally use couplets hat make references to their line of trade. Tangerines and oranges are frequently displayed in homes and stores.
Tangerines are symbolic of good luck, and oranges are symbolic of wealth.
Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits. Traditionally, it was made up of eight compartments, each of which was filled with a special food item of significance to the New Year season. 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. The animal signs for one another in an established order, and are repeated every twelve years. This teacher's guide, produced as part of the Ethnic Heritage Studies Project of the Chinese Culture Foundation, is an effort to develop teaching materials on the Chinese New Year festival suitable for use in secondary schools.