Some netizens have taken to social media to criticise the red packets (angpows) given out by the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA).
Printed on these red packets are images of what appear to be either dead fish hanging by fishing lines or salted fish drying.
People wanted to know why the packets had such images.
Usually, the red packets have images of live fish.
Netizens were not happy with the images. One Max Chew, who posted the image on popular Facebook page ‘Complaint Singapore’ on Wednesday (Feb 10), said: “Dead fish on angpow covers that look like salted fish… LOL! Either one very heng hor? Just proves that the level of Chinese cultural or language knowledge is at its lowest point on the island.”
Many were either offended or amused by the red packets and said that it was probably designed by someone unaware of Chinese culture and symbolism.
The red packets could have been designed to symbolise the Chinese saying, “May there be surpluses every year”, (Traditional Chinese: 年年有餘; Simplified Chinese: 年年有余; Pinyin: nián nián yǒu yú), which, when spoken, sounds the same as “May there be fish every year”. /TISG