Chinese New Year Gifts 2027 in Thailand: 10 Ideas for Elders and Clients
The best ของขวัญตรุษจีน (Chinese New Year gifts) in Thailand carry a wish for luck and prosperity that anyone can read at a glance, which is why red and gold come first. They go to the elders you visit for blessings, and a business can also choose the new year to thank the clients and partners who carried its year.
Below are 10 ideas in three groups plus the classics, with prices. Around them you will find the 2027 dates, who gives to whom, the oranges and ang pao customs, the colours to choose and the gifts to avoid.
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What to give for Chinese New Year: the short answer
For parents and elders, give something red that carries a wish for luck. Our first pick is Malai Petite Purity Red, a red cotton malai (Thai garland) whose name reads luck and prosperity.
For clients and partners, choose red or gold with a wish for prosperity or a lasting partnership. The sections below cover the family customs, the colours and what to leave out.
Chinese New Year in Thailand, 2027
ตรุษจีน (Chinese New Year) falls on Saturday 6 February 2027. In Thailand it runs over three days, and each day has its own purpose.
One Thai astrology source gives 2027, or 2570 in the Thai calendar, as ปีมะแม (the Year of the Goat).
วันจ่าย (shopping day), Thursday 4 February
Families buy meat, fruit, auspicious sweets and the offerings for the day that follows.
วันไหว้ (offering day), Friday 5 February
Before dawn, families make offerings to the deities with three or five kinds of meat, liquor, tea and paper money. Late in the morning come the offerings to the ancestors, and ang pao are handed out.
In the afternoon there is a further round of offerings, with ขนมเข่ง and ขนมเทียน (sticky-rice cakes) and firecrackers.
วันเที่ยว (visiting day), Saturday 6 February
People put on new clothes, go out and visit their elders to ask for blessings. It is a day to avoid harsh words, collecting debts and cleaning the house, sweeping included.
Who gives to whom at Chinese New Year
Thai sources describe these directions of giving at the new year.
- Elders to children and juniors: ang pao, the red envelope of money.
- Working or married children to their parents: a way of saying thank you.
- Juniors to elders: oranges, brought along when asking for blessings.
- Employers to staff: one Thai source adds that some business owners give to their team at the new year.
A keepsake from the list below sits comfortably alongside the envelope and the oranges, as the piece that stays in the house after the visit.
Oranges and ang pao
Families bring oranges when they visit elders for blessings, commonly four, which stands for enough to eat and spend and prosperity all year. The elder keeps some and hands some back.
The Chinese word for orange is read as happiness or good luck, and in Teochew and Cantonese it sounds close to the word for gold.
อั่งเปา (ang pao) is the red envelope itself, from อั่ง (red) and เปา (envelope). แต๊ะเอีย (tae ia) is the money, or the blessing, tucked inside.
Thai-Chinese families prefer even amounts, and 8 is considered especially lucky. Amounts of 200, 400 and 800 baht are common.
Red and gold, the colours of the new year
Red is the auspicious colour of the festival, used in decoration and clothing. In Chinese custom it is a symbol of luck and happiness, and the red of the ang pao stands for hope and life force.
Gold keeps it company as a colour of balance and luck. New year blessings are written in gold letters on red paper and put up for the festival.
Black and white read as sad colours at the new year, so avoid black or white as the main colour of a gift, its wrapping or its bag.
10 Chinese New Year gift ideas
Numbered so you can scan, grouped by who you are giving to, with the classics at the end. You can compare them with the rest of our malai garlands and premium gifts.
For parents and elders (1 to 3)
1. Malai Petite Purity Red, from 1,290 THB
Our Malai Petite Purity Red is a 10 x 22 cm cotton garland that its own page describes as a gift for Thai-Chinese families and for business openings.
It comes in a plastic box at 1,290 THB or a wooden box at 1,590 THB. At Chinese New Year it takes 5 to 7 working days, quicker than most of our garlands.
Hand it over with the oranges on visiting day, and it stays in the house long after the fruit.
2. Malai Supreme Purity Red, from 1,990 THB
Our Malai Supreme Purity Red is the larger sister of idea 1, a 10 x 25 cm red cotton garland with a name that reads good luck and prosperity.
It costs 1,990 THB in a plastic box or 2,390 THB in a wooden one, and takes 10 to 20 working days. Special colours are available on quotation.
3. Baan Bua in Thai-Gold, 3,000 THB
Baan Bua is a Thai scent piece in cotton, stone and brass: a lotus leaf with fish hanging beneath it, whose name on its page reads family protection.
For Chinese New Year, choose the Thai-Gold version. It comes in a wooden box, can be engraved and is available on pre-order only.
It suits the parent or grandparent who already has everything, where one gift speaks for the whole family. It also opens our list of housewarming gifts for elders.
For clients and partners (4 to 6)
4. Malai Prestige Gold, 3,090 THB
Our Malai Prestige Gold is in gold, believed to bring success, and its name wishes wealth and prosperity. It is 10 x 28 cm and takes 10 to 20 working days.
Give it to the key client or partner you most want to thank for the year.
5. Malai Empress, 4,555 THB
Our Malai Empress is a 12 x 38 cm cotton garland, all red with gold thread, that carries a wish for strength and success.
It is on pre-order and takes up to one month, so order it early for the new year.
6. Malai Glin Rak with a red or gold tassel, 499 THB
Malai Glin Rak is a small Thai scent piece in cotton and wood, 3 x 6 inches, with a name that reads warmth, wherever you are. Of its eight colours, choose the red tassel (vitality) or the gold tassel (prosperity) for the new year.
At 499 THB, it is the easy choice for a whole team or a long client list.
A hanging piece for the new year (7)
7. Pla ta pian keychain, 390 THB
Our pla ta pian keychain is a barb fish handmade in cotton, 11.5 cm tall, made to order, with delivery in 5 to 10 working days.
A small piece to hang from your keys or bag for the year ahead. We tell the barb fish's story and meaning in our article on the woven barb fish.
The classics (8 to 10)
Three classics to pair with any piece above.
8. Oranges
The gift juniors bring to elders when they ask for blessings, commonly four, as explained above. They are usually given on offering day or visiting day.
9. Tea
Tea sits on the offering table before dawn on offering day, so a good tin makes a thoughtful gift for an elder.
10. Ang pao (red envelope)
From elders to children and juniors. Keep the amount even: 200, 400 or 800 baht are common, and 8 is the especially lucky number.
Chinese New Year gifts for clients and staff
Giving to clients and staff at Chinese New Year is a business choice: a way to thank the people who stood by your business. Red and gold garlands suit it, since the colours already carry the wish.
If a client is opening a new shop around the new year, our guide to shop opening gifts covers that day too.
No minimum order
There is no minimum order for businesses, and Malai Supreme Purity Red comes in special colours on quotation.
Lead times and when to order
At Chinese New Year, Malai Petite Purity Red takes 5 to 7 working days, per its page. Most of our other garlands take 10 to 20 working days, and Malai Empress up to one month.
For gifts to a whole client list, order in early January and confirm your delivery date with us by email. You can request a catalogue and a quotation from our page for company orders.
Gifts to avoid at Chinese New Year
These come from Chinese belief, and they are easy to respect when you know them.
- Clocks, as giving a clock sounds like an unlucky word in Chinese.
- Sharp objects such as knives and scissors, which are considered unlucky.
- Shoes, whose name sounds like an unlucky word in Chinese.
- Black or white wrapping, considered unlucky at the new year.
- Gift sets of four pieces, as four sounds like an unlucky word in Chinese. Oranges and ang pao follow their own custom, where four and 400 baht are common; if unsure, give two or eight oranges, or 200 or 800 baht.
Frequently asked questions
What should I give my parents for Chinese New Year?
Something red with a wish for luck, handed over with the oranges when you visit for blessings. Malai Petite Purity Red (from 1,290 THB) and Malai Supreme Purity Red (from 1,990 THB) suit it, and Baan Bua in Thai-Gold (3,000 THB) makes a gift from the whole family.
What is a good Chinese New Year gift for clients?
Something in red or gold that reads as prosperity or partnership. Malai Prestige Gold (3,090 THB) for a key client, or Malai Glin Rak (499 THB) for a long list. Order in early January.
How many oranges do you give at Chinese New Year?
Commonly four, which stands for enough to eat and spend and prosperity all year. The elder keeps some and hands some back. If you are unsure, give two or eight.
What should you not give for Chinese New Year?
Clocks, sharp objects, shoes, black or white wrapping and gift sets of four pieces, each considered unlucky. Oranges and ang pao keep their own custom, where four oranges and 400 baht are common.