Kelly Chen cooks Nian Gao, a kind of Chinese New Year cake during the Spring Festival. [Photo:Xinhuanet.com/TUNGSTAR]

Hong Kong singer-actress Kelly Chen celebrated her first Chinese lunar new year since her marriage in a very Chinese way.

Kelly married Alex Lau in a fairytale wedding last October. Media reports say Kelly accompanied her husband to visit relatives and pay New Year's calls on friends.

Respecting the traditional Chinese custom, Kelly gave out generous Chinese "Hong bao" (or money given in red envelopes on special occasions like New Year, weddings or birthdays) to people close to her.

The actress did not cut back on the amount of "Hong Bao" she gave out this year despite her recent nuptials. She said everybody will get one red envelope to symbolise a good "Cai Tou", or good start.

After the holiday, Kelly will switch her attention back to work and begin recording her EP soon. She is also looking forward to some good acting roles in the New Year.