Hot on the heels of the Christmas and New Year festivities, preparations for Chinese New Year are well under way across the island.

This year, Chinese New Year falls on Jan 25 and 26, which are a Saturday and Sunday.

The following Monday will be a public holiday for those whose rest day falls on Jan 26.

With the Year of the Rat on the horizon, a scurry of decorating with rat-and mouse-themed displays is taking place and will continue in the coming weeks.

These decorations are predominantly red - as the colour is believed to be auspicious in Chinese culture - and gold, symbolic of good fortune.

Aside from paper and plastic decorations being put up, mandarin oranges are also traditionally exchanged by the Chinese during this season while they visit one another's houses.

This practice originates from southern China. The Cantonese pronunciation of giving mandarin oranges - "song gam" - is the same as "giving gold", which signifies wishing prosperity for the recipient.