Singapore: Chinese New Year festivities come to an end

Chinatown was surprisingly quiet on Sunday morning as the week-long New Year festivities were coming to an end.

Brightly coloured lions backed by musicians with drums and symbols performed in front of hawker centre stalls or shops to bring good luck for the forthcoming year. At the end of the ceremony, after consuming beer and an assortment of vegetables, the lion would leave pieces of tangerine in the shape of Chinese characters.

At Yuet Sing Seafood in Smith Street, one of the Gods of Fortune was having a great time waving to a couple of small children who bashfully waved back. Once the music and festivities were over, two very sweaty men emerged from the lion costume before leading the entourage to the next location.

Elsewhere in Chinatown, larger numbers than usual crowded around the Chinese chess tables. One gentleman tried to get comfortable on an old plastic chair while I pretended not to take his photograph. Another chap was mixing and selling ointment which must have included extract of millipede and scorpion judging by the props on the table. Numerous laminated pictures provided graphic examples of the ailments that could be treated with just a small pot of the orange mixture.

Most of the stall holders in the basement of the Chinatown complex had packed up for the day leaving only a heady warm smell of meat and fish. I suppose it was asking a bit much to find one of the chief ingredients for a traditional southern French peasant dish.