ILOILO City – Chinese New Year is kicking in. Do you have the right charms to boost your luck in the Year of the Metal Ox?
In this city, it’s a tradition in the Chinese community as well with some Ilonggos to have items believed to herald good fortune and prosperity all set for the 15-day celebration of Chinese New Year.
At a mall on Ledesma Street, all sorts of decorations, charms, figurines, and trinkets are selling out fast.
Panay News visited some charm stalls to experience the way people practicing Chinese New Year rituals and traditions prepare for the most important festival of the year.
Feng shui stall vendor Melvin Aranda, 30, said people patronize good luck items believing these will bring them prosperity and fortune in life.
The demand for these products usually peak in late January up until the culmination of Chinese New Year, he added.
According to the Chinese calendar, 2021 is the year of the Metal Ox.
Thus more and more people are buying metal Ox figurines, although Aranda said the jade Ox brings the same good luck.
“Ang mabakal subong nga year amo ni ang metal Ox figurine with gold bar kay may ginabitbit nga prosperity, good luck for business, good income and opportunities. May coin man sia sa lawas nga good luck for money,” explained Aranda who had been in the business for over eight years now.
Majority of his clients, he said, are owners of either big or small businesses.
Some of Aranda’s items are sold at high prices, such as a six-inch figurine of a golden Ox, which can be bought at P4,500. The small sizes, on the other hand, range from P1,500 to P1,000.
There are other lucky charms, however, that are sold at affordable prices such as the black Onyx bracelet believed to protect its bearer against bad elements. It can only be bought at P350 each.
“Mabakal subong ang black Onyx bracelet for protection against people with bad attention, pangontra sa accident and protection against illnesses like coronavirus,” the charm vendor added.
He understood that selling good luck items is seasonal. So he makes sure the presentation of the items is good and pleasing to the eyes to get the attention of the public.
Aranda observed that before people buy the item they first read the calendar which, he said, tells the lucky charm that’s right for them.
But some, he said, only buy the cheapest like the “tiger eye” bracelet at P450, saying their first priority is still food and other needs.
A native of Banate, Iloilo, Aranda display feng shui items every year to attract people. His sales this year are doing good so far. But he lamented the huge difference compared in previous years.
He makes only P6,000 to P7,000 in daily sales now, far from the P10,000 minimum sales he had last year.
“Mas okay ang Year of the Rat kon sa bentahanay lang unlike now mas gamay gid because of the pandemic,” said Aranda.
But the lucky charm trader is not losing hope for the pandemic’s end so small-scale vendors, just like him, could return to their normal lives./PN
