Asian Festivals and Customs A Food Exporter’s Guide By Grant Vinning and Kaye Crippen Asian Markets Research Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Global Competitiveness Research and Development RIRDC Publication No 99/60 RIRDC Project No AMR-3A © 1999 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 0 642 57944 X ISSN 1440-6845 Asian Festivals and Customs: A Food Exporter’s Guide Publication No. 99/60 Project No. AMR-3A The views expressed and the conclusions reached in this publication are those of the author and not necessarily those of persons consulted. RIRDC shall not be responsible in any way whatsoever to any person who relies in whole or in part on the contents of this report. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details Grant Vinning Kaye Crippen Asian Markets Research Asian Markets Research (South East Asia) 157 Horizon Drive formerly of Singapore, and Jakarta, Indonesia WESTLAKE 4074 QUEENSLAND Phone: (07) 3376 2244 Fax: (07) 3376 7264 Email: [email protected] RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 1, AMA House 42 Macquarie Street BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4539 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in November 1999 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Union Offset Foreword ii Food has always been central to human activity. In a number of countries, it is a major element in people’s cultural and spiritual activities. When food becomes closely associated with culture and religion, factors such as price recede as major buying influences. Festive seasons and special celebrations, whether cultural or religious, can offer unique marketing opportunities. This publication provides a description of a number of the major Asian festivals and the foods popularly consumed at these festivals. However the study goes beyond merely providing a list of what is consumed. It argues that the awareness of the potential marketing opportunities for special foods is related to an understanding of local cultures. It provides recommendations as to how Australian food exporters can increase their potential to participate in the provision of foods to the festive occasions by being culturally sensitive. In Australia, we do not tend to consider as important cultural issues such as the role of colours, numbers and symbols. As this publication shows, the adoption of auspicious cultural symbolism associated with packaging, signage, and logos can have a very positive influence in the market place. Asia has been and will continue to be a major destination for Australian food exporters. The more that we can do to provide information regarding Asia’s many festivals and customs, the more we will increase the prospects for food exports from Australia. This report, a new addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 400 research publications, forms part of our Global Competitiveness R&D program, which aims to identify important impediments to the development of a globally competitive Australian agricultural sector and support research that will lead to options and strategies that will remove these impediments. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/Index.htm • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/cat/contents.html Peter Core Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Contents Foreword iii Executive Summary v CHINESE FESTIVE SEASONS 1 Chinese belief systems 2 Chinese New Year 6 Mid-Autumn Festival 12 Feast of the Hungry Ghosts 15 Qing Ming 16 Dragon Boat Festival 17 MUSLIM FESTIVE SEASONS 19 Islam 19 Muslim festive season motifs and colours 23 Ramadan 25 Leberan 32 Idul Fitri 34 Idhul Adha 35 CHRISTIAN FESTIVE SEASONS 36 Festive season motifs and colours 37 Festive foods 37 Easter 39 OPPORTUNITIES 40 Celebration commonalities 40 Visualising market opportunities 42 Consumer factors 43 Retail factors 47 Marketing and promotional aspects 48 Finding and creating marketing opportunities 52 Product categories 54 Festive season opportunities 58 Denouement 59 COMPENDIUM 60 Appendix 1 152 Appendix 2 154 Appendix 3 155 References 159 iv Executive Summary Festive seasons offer a major opportunity for food marketeers. This is due not only to family celebrations and the tradition of open houses during these times but also the general festive mood. This results in a great deal of celebrations at work and between businesses. Gift giving, especially of food items, is extremely common. Most consumers are willing to spend more on food products at this time. This is particularly true for Chinese New Year, Ramadan /Leberan, the fasting month of Muslims, and Christmas. Hotels and restaurants are important because they use the important festive seasons to continually differentiate themselves in a competitive business environment. Three major festive periods were studied: the Chinese New Year, the Muslims’ Ramadan, and the Christians’ Christmas. The studies were conducted in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Chinese festivals Chinese festivals are generally linked to the lunar calendar. They are celebrated by Chinese in most Asian countries as well as by the Chinese diaspora. A number of other festivals throughout Asia have their origins in China. Most of the festivals are considered cultural festivals and not linked to any one religion as Chinese may belong to one of any number of religions. Often times the celebration is based on their cultural rather than their religious significance. At the same time, many devout followers of a specific religion celebrate the festival at a temple or shrine and consider the event to be more than a cultural festival. Whilst there are local variations in the celebration of these festivals, commonalities abound. Generally, the best festive season foods one can afford are consumed as a show of status and ability to provide. In some places the festive food becomes a symbol of cultural identity for isolated groups of Chinese. In Southeast Asia, other Asian cuisines and availability of new ingredients has influenced the festive foods showing that there is room for innovation in the introduction of new foods used during the Chinese festive seasons. Actual food practices invariably occur in a cultural setting reflecting Chinese belief systems. These include the influence of symbols, colours, and numbering. The study showed that certain foods are preferred with certain festivals. It also revealed that symbolism is a major issue in marketing. There are certain numbers, such as seven and eight, and colours, such as red, gold, and yellow, that have great symbolic appeal and are very auspicious whilst other numbers, such as four, and some colours, usually white, should be avoided. Most foods have great symbolic appeal - fish at Chinese New Year is a case in point. Other foods have particular meanings and to be able to incorporate these into one’s food marketing strategy is a major advantage. Other major lessons drawn from the study relate to the role of convenience because of stress placed upon the female head of the house during the festive periods, the role of helpers, the v challenge imposed by the limitations of the traditional Asian kitchen, the need for recipes, and the need to understand the role of yin-yang in producing a balanced meal. Whilst retailing is often seen as the preferred outlet for food, the study showed that for the major festive periods, restaurants and hotels should be considered a primary target because of their need to differentiate themselves in this crowded period of dining out. Muslim festivals There are several major events for Muslims that have important food implications. Ramadan, the ninth month of the Arabic calendar, is known as the month of fasting. Idul Fitri, the feasts shared with family and friends, marks the end of the fasting month. During Idul Fitri, most people go to their families or visit close relatives and friends. The tenth month of the Arabic calendar is Lebaran. Many special foods are consumed during these two long Muslim festive seasons. Ironically, total food consumption increases during the fasting month. The day of sacrifice Idul Adha is the day that goats, sheep, and cows are slaughtered and the meat is distributed to the poor. The increasing incidence of breaking the daily fast during Ramadan is leading to many food opportunities. Break fast buaka puasa buffets at hotels are becoming increasing popular and offer a ready vehicle for the introduction of new foods. The popularity of dates as a high sugar food to break the fast is well known. This raises the possibility of developing a high energy break fast food for children as they learn to fast. The food service sector should be a major market target during the Muslim festivals. Whilst the competitive nature of hotels will lead them to explore new foods as they seek to differentiate themselves as the desired place to break the fast, the role of small food outlets in shopping malls is rapidly increasing. At the retail level there is the need to think of unit purchases of a much larger size compared with Australia. This is partly because of the larger family sizes but also because Ramadan and Idul Fitri are festivals where one is allowed to spoil one’s family with extra food treats. The fasting month is a good time to market prestigious foods. Above all, food marketeers need to become conversant with halal requirements to the point of having their product registered with either their own or the importing countries’ Islamic authorities. Christian festivals Christmas is the major Christian festive season celebrated in Asia.