Chinese New Year in Hong Kong is quiet, very quiet - which is what happens when hundreds of people leave for holidays all at once, and most of those who remain spend much of their time in their own and relatives' homes.

Many shops and even restaurants close, so if you've ever spent Chinese New Year in Hong Kong, you might scoff at the Hong Kong Tourism Board describing this as "the most glorious and colourful Chinese festival on the lunar calendar".

With local friends retreating to parents and flights to destinations like Philippines hard to confirm, it's all too easy to feel that you're missing out on something.

But don't despair; it's not all bad - and the holiday has been livened up lately with the now-annual Chinese New Year parade. So, as the Year of the Rooster approaches, if you're going to be in Hong Kong for the holidays, we've come up with eight strategies to help you get in the mood. And before you start, remember to stock up on enough groceries to tide you through a day or two.

1. Eye-spy... mini orange trees

Like the groundhog appearing from its hole, or the first cuckoo of spring, once you start seeing those mini orange trees it's a sure sign that winter is coming to an end... and three days of public holidays are on the way.

The golden fruits of the miniature mandarin, tangerine or kumquat trees are considered lucky because the word kumquat sounds like gold in Cantonese.

By mid-January we can report sightings of orange trees lined up in battalions at the Shenzhen border. If they make it through customs, more than a million trees will be dispatched throughout the city, spreading good fortune as they go.

Do: buy a tree for a valued client
Don't: eat the oranges


2. Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Once it is Chinese New Year, and for several days afterwards, you can greet locals by cheerily announcing "Kung Hei Fat Choy!" - "Congratulations and be prosperous".

The reply is typically just "Kung Hei Fat Choi!" But kids, especially, might say "Kung Hei Fat Choi - Lai See Do Lay!" - which you should try too if you happen to be a kid greeting an adult, for here there's a chance of money changing hands (see suggestion #3).

For added emphasis when saying "Kung Hei Fat Choy!" try slapping a fist of one hand into the palm of the other, in front of your chest.

3. Show us the (lucky) money!

If you're married or are ever referred to by someone else as "boss" or "sir" or "madam", get with the programme and start handing out the lai see (lucky money).

Singletons can join in the lai see tradition and reward security guards and cleaners at your office or apartment. Go on, it'll bring you luck!

It's a gesture more than a tip, but knowing how much to give involves some inside knowledge and judgement. A straw poll has revealed that most Hong Kong people think HK$20 is a reasonable amount to hand out in the red envelopes, unless that is, you are the "Big boss", then, HK$50 to HK$100 is recommended.

For the people whose service you appreciate, lai see can be a chance to reward good service and make sure it continues.

As mentioned above, children also love lai see - they'll greet married people with both hands held out in front, palms up, smiling broadly as they say, "Kung Hei Fat Choy! Lai See Do Lay!" Even single adults are supposed to receive lai see from married people.

New notes are preferred but not essential. No coins, though. If you want an authentic Hong Kong experience, join the two to three hour queues that clog the city's banks in the days before New Year... Otherwise, stock up on the red and gold envelopes, iron your stash of small denomination banknotes, and distribute with a cheery "Kung Hei Fat Choi!".

4. Raise the red lanterns!

Throw a party for whoever's left in town. Gaudy red and gold decorations - lucky, happy colours - can transform your home into a festive oriental salon... Or maybe it'll just look like "opium den meets IKEA".

Have a candy tray - a "Tray of Togetherness" ready for your guests. This will feature lucky snacks like melon seeds, peanuts, longans and lotus seeds.

To boost the luck levels in your home, visit Ah Lo Magazine Company in Theatre Lane, Central. For more than forty years this stall has been selling magazines, newspapers, flags and festive decorations to Hong Kong people. HK$350 should buy you enough red paper lanterns, paper dragons, fake firecrackers, lucky fish, door decorations, lai see packets and red lampshades to brighten things up; as well as candy trays. And if money's no object, you should be able to find something more subtle across the lane from Ah Lo's, in Shanghai Tang.

While you're out shopping, buy some new clothes, preferably red. If that doesn't make you feel better, go buy yourself a new toy or gadget - it's almost a condition of residency to spend some money on something new at CNY; maybe some of the good luck locals get from new purchases will rub off on you.

5. Go smell the firecrackers (shh..)

Fireworks are illegal in Hong Kong unless you're putting on a harbour display, but blasting off firecrackers is a Chinese tradition that benefits from turning a blind eye in the New Territories.

This year, Wednesday 6th February - the last day of the Year of the Dog- is the day to head off to the New Territories and outlying islands for the firecracker experience. We can't tell you where exactly, except we're sure you won't be smelling gunpowder in the Plaza in Discovery Bay.

At midnight on New Year's Eve, strings of red fire crackers are suspended, from shops and buildings. When the New Year begins, the air is filled with gunpowder, smoke and tell-tale red paper. Don't duck for cover - that endless staccato of bangs is designed to frighten off the evil spirits. If you're out and about in the wilder parts of the New Territories, you might hear staccato bursts of firecrackers even in daylight.

6. Fight for flowers

Even if flowers are not your thing, Hong Kong's New Year's flower markets are lively affairs. Be prepared to jostle your way through the crowds, as you're elbowed out of the way by tiny, sturdy women with flower arranging on their minds.

As with all things festival related there's a host of traditions associated with colours, and whether flowers' names sound like "luck" or "money" in Cantonese.

Pussy willow branches may look elegant, but peach blossom will spice up your love life. Peonies and narcissi will bring good fortune, and even more of those orange trees will bring you "fruitful relationships".

For one week only, thousands of stalls sell lucky flowers, blossoms and trees in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay and in Kowloon at Fa Hui Park, Mong Kok. This year, the flower markets run from Friday 1st February to the early hours of New Year's Day on Thursday 7th February.

7. Hope it doesn't rain on our parade!

If you moved to Hong Kong with the impression that you'd be dodging Jackie Chan and lion dances on a regular basis as you went about your business, and you've wondered where they are, we can at least guarantee a sighting of a lion dance at Chinese New Year.

On New Year's Day, Thursday, February 7th, we suggest heading down to Tsim Sha Tsui for the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade.

The big parade starts at 8pm and is expected to attract 300,000 people. The lions are only looking to eat lucky lettuce (sang choi), so you'll be safe in Hong Kong's urban jungle. As well as lion dances, you'll see international floats, performers and marching bands - with this year's theme, "Kaleidorama".

Though you can pay between HK$300-180 for tickets in the spectator stand in TST, it's free to watch from most places along the route. But be warned: you'll probably have to arrive early to ensure a good vantage point. If that seems too daunting, maybe watch it live on TVB Jade, or on the HKTB website.

Info, including route map: DiscoverHongKong.Com

8. Watch firework displays from a strategic location

You could join half a million people lining the waterfront, to see the pyrotechnics, but on a cold winter night we prefer a little warmth and luxury, and easy access to the bar. In 2008, the New Year's firework display starts at 8pm on Friday, 8th of February.

To watch the fireworks in comfort, GeoExpat prefers:

• a party in a hotel room with a harbour view
• the terrace at The Viceroy and Milano restaurants at Sun Hung Kai Centre, Wan Chai
  
• Aqua at One Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
• watching the show on television at home (at least if you try this, you won't find smoke blows towards you and obscures the show, as it happened to us one year!)