Jin ju

Today at the end of a staff meeting I received two tangerines as a gift from the company in honor of Chinese New Year.  I happily accepted them and promptly asked...

Why oranges? 
The first response was that they are actually tangerines and not oranges.  They are given as a symbol of prosperity and good luck.  Apparently in the Chinese language the word for tangerines, jin ju sounds very similar to the word for luck.

Next question...

Why two?
They are given in pairs because then you will receive twice as much luck.

Last question...

Is it okay to eat them?
Having traveled around enough countries and been in the midst of enough unknown cultures I've learned to ask simple questions such as these.  The last thing I need to do is offend my local colleagues by breaking into my tangerine when in fact it was meant to just be accepted and not eaten.  The answer is yes, you are allowed to eat them.

 

As this was my first ever official Chinese New Year gift I wanted to get a picture of them.  This isn't a great shot but I have been up since 4:30 am (it is now after 8 pm) and it is dark and it is incredibly stark in my apartment and I'm tired...maybe I'll eat them tomorrow...