AS WE usher in the Year of the Ox, many Chinese households would have pasted red coloured strips with black or golden calligraphy Chinese characters written on them (known as Spring Festival couplets), or diamond-shaped Fu characters (denoting happiness and wealth) on their doorways.
The custom of attaching couplets to doorways for Chinese New Year can be traced as far back as the Later Shu State (934-965) in China, with the red colour denoting luck and gold characters showing wealth.
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