Mandarins and Lunar New Year in Australia

Mandarins appear at Lunar New Year because the Cantonese word for mandarin orange, gam, sounds like the word for gold. That link between fruit and fortune is old and specific. The fruit is symbolic, not decorative.

Why mandarins at Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year falls between late January and mid-February each year, following the lunar calendar. The date changes annually, but the season of giving citrus does not.

In Chinese communities, tangerines and mandarin oranges are presented in pairs during visits to family and friends. Pairs matter because doubling a gift doubles the luck. The number eight is also considered auspicious, so eight mandarins presented together on a plate carries particular weight.

The symbolism works on two levels. First, the colour: deep orange is the colour of gold in Chinese culture. Second, the sound: in Cantonese, gam (the informal word for mandarin orange) sounds like the word for gold. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for tangerine and orange carries a similar association with success.

This is not a recent marketing invention. Citrus has carried this meaning in Chinese tradition for centuries. It arrived in Australia with Chinese immigrants from the 1850s onward, and it has remained a central part of how many Chinese-Australian families celebrate the new year.

The Cantonese ‘gam’ homophone

The homophone works specifically in Cantonese, which is the dialect historically spoken by the majority of Chinese immigrants to Australia. Cantonese speakers from Guangdong and Hong Kong established the early Chinese-Australian communities in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland during and after the gold rushes.

That history matters. When a Cantonese-speaking family places mandarins on the table at new year, the fruit is both a practical offering and a spoken pun: gam for mandarin, gam for gold.

In Mandarin Chinese, the word for tangerine (júzi) and for orange (chéngzi) carry separate associations with luck and success, but the specific gold homophone is most precise in Cantonese.

How Chinese-Australian families use them

Mandarins appear at Lunar New Year in several ways in Australian homes:

As gifts. Families visiting relatives carry a pair of mandarins or a small bag of eight. The fruit is more than food. It signals respect and good wishes at the door.

On the altar or table. Mandarin oranges are placed with other offerings when families pay respects to ancestors. The fruit signals abundance and welcome.

On decorative kumquat trees. Small citrus trees, including mandarin and kumquat varieties, are placed in homes during the new year period. Their laden branches represent a fruitful year ahead.

Eaten during the celebration. The fruit itself is served and shared during gatherings. For Australian families, fresh Australian mandarins are often available at the right time of year.

In Malaysia, an additional tradition occurs on the 15th day of Lunar New Year, known as Cap Goh Meh or Chap Goh Mei. Participants write wishes on mandarins and throw them into a river. The tradition was introduced by Hokkien Chinese migrants from Fujian province, and it is observed in parts of the Chinese-Malaysian community in Australia as well.

The Australian export window

Australia’s mandarin season runs from approximately April to September, with the early-season varieties peaking from April to June. That timing creates a small but significant export window into Asian markets around Lunar New Year.

Australian citrus does reach Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia, though the primary export months are typically May through August, aligned with Australia’s winter season. The Lunar New Year window (January to February) falls outside Australia’s main citrus season. Most mandarins sold in Australian Chinese grocers and supermarkets at Lunar New Year are imported from the northern hemisphere or are Australian-grown fruit from cold storage.

However, late-season Australian mandarins (Honey Murcott and Afourer, harvested July to September) can enter cold storage and reach some Asian markets in the months that follow. North Burnett growers in Queensland export significantly to China, Thailand, and other Asian markets. Matt Benham, a Gayndah grower whose great-grandfather planted an orange tree on the Burnett River in 1924, has noted that Queensland has become a powerhouse of mandarin production and that there is strong interest in North Burnett-grown fruit in Asia.

Which Australian varieties are exported

The mandarin varieties grown in Queensland’s North Burnett region for export include:

Daisy (early season, April to May)
Royal Honey Murcott (mid to late season)
Honey Murcott (late season)
Low-seed Murcott (export-focused)

These varieties are selected for their flavour profile, sweetness, and shelf life during shipping. According to the chair of the Citrus Australia Queensland Regional Advisory Committee, up to 50 per cent of the North Burnett region’s mandarin production now goes to export, up from about a third in previous years.

Best Australian varieties for the table at Lunar New Year

If you are buying Australian-grown mandarins to serve during Lunar New Year celebrations, the following varieties are the most widely available:

Imperial is the first variety of the Australian season, typically available from April. It is easy to peel, sweet, and has few seeds. It is well-suited to gifting because the deep orange skin and compact size present well in pairs or groups.

Honey Murcott is sweeter and juicier, with a higher sugar content. The skin is tighter and the fruit typically has more seeds, but the flavour is considered by many to be the best of the Australian season.

Afourer (also known as Nadorcott) has a deep orange-red skin, peels reasonably well, and is usually seedless. It is available later in the season.

For Lunar New Year presentation, Imperial or Afourer are the better choices: easy to peel, attractive skin colour, and low seed count make them practical for sharing.

Pairs, stacks of eight, and gold-wrapped fruit

The conventions around how mandarins are presented at Lunar New Year are specific. Pairs are standard. A single mandarin is not a gift on its own at new year. Presenting two signals the doubling of luck.

Eight mandarins on a plate (or in a bag) is considered particularly auspicious because eight is the luckiest number in Chinese numerology. The word for eight in Cantonese sounds similar to the word for prosperity.

In Australian Asian grocery stores and some supermarkets, you will find mandarins sold in net bags of eight around the new year period. Some retailers wrap individual mandarins in gold foil or gold mesh netting, reinforcing the visual link to gold and good fortune.

Chocolate gold coins are often sold alongside fresh mandarins in gift hampers during the Lunar New Year season in Australia, combining both the gold colour symbolism and the sweetness of the fruit.