Been to Chinatown? Perhaps you’ll find some of these symbolic figurines in many shops at Dragon City Mall. Were you at a bubble tea place recently? You’ve probably met one of these cats.
I’ve been at a loss of words to describe this cat that greets customers in with the charm. Is it a “fortune cat”, “lucky cat”, “money cat”, or how about “that Chinese cat with the waving paw”? The proper name for this universal symbol (at least in many Asian countries) is maneki-neko, or literally translated from Japanese (nope, not Chinese) to English, a “beckoning cat”. Ever since the late Edo period, it has become a favourite to ring in the good luck.
“Must Love Cats” loves it:
(Cat lovers beware – this isn’t the only version of the origins of this cat either since many legends exist to explain the prominence it now enjoys today.)
The colours and gestures of the placed figurine matters when this lucky charm is intended to achieve a certain goal!
InterACTIVE – Before I go, do you personally feel that these figures are beckoning or waving at you? Drop off a comment for me 🙂
These cats are always in Asian stores! Being Chinese, I didn’t even realize that they were of Japanese origin! This is really neat. There are some that are motion-activated and meow and wave when you walk past them. I have to stay, staring at a wall of them during Chinese New Years in T&T gets a bit creepy sometimes…
My thoughts exactly! I thought they were Chinese or something! But I suppose since there are so many more Chinese stores that’s likely why we ended up thinking they were. 😛
Oh and yes, aren’t they always on sale during Chinese New Year or something? I recall seeing them around.