Bukit Merah residents pool money to decorate HDB block with 3m-tall God of Fortune & over 70 lanterns

Decorating for CNY has become a unique tradition for some of these Bukit Merah View residents.

Karen Lui | February 09, 2021, 10:50 AM

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For many holiday festivities, decoration is an instrumental part of getting everyone into the festive mood.

And doing so can even bring members of a community closer.

Some residents of Bukit Merah View block 119 have come together to adorn the block with various Chinese New Year decorations, including 70 lanterns and a 3m-tall inflatable God of Fortune.

New deco on the block

A video by Lianhe Zaobao featured all the extravagant decorations.

Right above the front entrance of the HDB block sits a 3m-tall inflatable God of Fortune holding a gold ingot.

Image by Lianhe Zaobao

Two spring couplets are hung beneath the God of Fortune with the messages "Wishing you wealth and prosperity" and "May all your wishes come true".

There are also 福 (fú) posters on each side of the mascot and beneath the couplets to wish the residents good fortune and blessings .

Image by Lianhe Zaobao

Residents have adorned the back entrance of the block with two rows of red lanterns entwined with colourful lights and yet another inflatable God of Fortune.

Unlike the God of Fortune at the front entrance, this one is slightly smaller.

The sheltered drop-off point has also been fitted with an inflatable Chinese New Year themed archway, complete with dragons and lanterns.

Image by Lianhe Zaobao

Collaborative effort

Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Chen Zhongming, a 71-year-old retiree who has been living at the block for almost 40 years, said that residents have been decorating the block's void deck every Chinese New Year for the past six years.

He explained that they had pre-ordered brand-new God of Fortune decorations and over 70 red lanterns for this Chinese New Year, but also reused some decorations from last year.

Chen noted that this year's decorations "are a bit more grand" as they hope it would bring more good luck to residents.

Image by Lianhe Zaobao

Another resident, 67-year-old retiree Wang Changming, also told the Chinese daily that this year's Chinese New Year decorations were put together by three residents, including himself and Chen.

They gradually put up all the decorations over a month.

According to Wang, the expenses for this year's decorations were covered by the donations of seven or eight residents. The donations they received ranged between S$150 and S$700.

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Top images by Lianhe Zaobao.