This time of year is the best time to travel down to Asian countries, especially Singapore. Not only are you escaping the bitter cold in the UK, you are going to enjoy the different varieties of foods and festivals there. As a proud Singaporean, I would like to share some of our delicious Chinese New Year goodies. They are only produced once a year to celebrate the Chinese New Year.Chinese are very superstitious so all the goodies are labelled in red. Why Red? It is corresponding with fire, and symbolizes good fortune and joy.According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian (Chinese: 年; pinyin: Nián). Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. The people later learned that Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. So "Guo Nian" actually means "Surviving the Nian". Source from wikipaedia.Some of these photos were taken by my friend and sister in Singapore who kindly sent it over to me.Nian Gao (年糕)Nian Gao are made from glutinous rice. They symbolise raising oneself to a higher level in each coming year. They are available all year but people mainly consume it during Chinese New Year. They come in a variety of colours, depending on how they are prepared. Some are moulded in a fish shape, golden coin or plain white roll etc.