Lunar New Year Ornament Sales in Batam Rise Ahead of Kongzili New Year
Several Lunar New Year ornament sellers in Batam City, Riau Islands, reported that sales of Kongzili New Year goods have increased by up to 50 percent ahead of the turn of the year.
ANTARA’s observation at one of the shopping centers in the Batam Kota area on Sunday found a dedicated Lunar New Year ornament stall bustling with buyers. They were busy selecting ornaments to decorate their homes, including lanterns, hanging decorations, red envelopes (angpau), and fortune god stickers believed in by Confucian followers.
According to Flora (25), one of the sellers on the first floor of the shopping center, sales increased by up to 50 percent two days before Lunar New Year.
“Actually, it started getting busy a week before Lunar New Year. But the closer the day gets, the more people come shopping,” Flora said.
She said the Lunar New Year ornament stall has been open since early February 2026, selling nearly 20 varieties of ornaments with prices ranging from Rp9,000 to Rp1 million.
One of the most sought-after ornaments that has already sold out is lanterns with lights. The red lanterns inscribed with “Fu” (meaning wealth), measuring less than one meter in diameter, are priced at Rp1.1 million per pair.
“The most sought-after items are lanterns with lights. But we’ve already run out of stock — 20 boxes have been sold,” she said.
The illuminated lanterns are popular because Confucian followers believe they bring blessings, as the glowing lights emit a bright red color.
“According to their belief, the redder their home, the more blessed it is,” Flora said.
Other highly sought-after ornaments are hanging lanterns shaped like pineapples and garlic, which the Confucian community believes symbolize peace and good wishes.
“We don’t have those ornaments — we probably didn’t get any stock because there’s a lot of competition in selling Lunar New Year ornaments,” she said.
The second best-selling ornament is Duilian — red stickers with gold lettering typically posted on house walls or front doors. Duilian are like prayer scrolls representing the hopes of Batam’s Chinese-descent community for blessings and prosperity in the coming year.
In addition to fortune prayer inscriptions, these Lunar New Year ornaments are also decorated with images of horses and koi fish. The horse is the zodiac animal of the year 2577, while the koi fish symbolizes good fortune.
At the same location, another Lunar New Year ornament stall was also packed with buyers. According to Yenni, another seller, the most popular locations for Lunar New Year ornament sales in Batam are shopping centers such as One Batam Mall, BCS, and Nagoya Hill.
She said buyers are not only Batam residents but also people from outside Batam, and even from Singapore.
“The majority of buyers are Batam residents, but there are also Singaporeans shopping here,” she said.
As the Lunar New Year 2577 Kongzili approaches, sellers are also offering discounts of up to 40 percent. For example, Chaisan (fortune prayer stickers) previously sold at Rp90,000 are now Rp38,000.
Lunar New Year 2577 Kongzili falls on Tuesday (2/17). The government has designated February 16 as a collective day off, giving the public a long holiday ahead of the month of Ramadan.