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Chinese New Year Taboos and Superstitions: 16 Things You Should Not Do Avoid taking medicine. Don’t sweep or take out garbage. Don’t eat porridge and meat for breakfast. Don’t wash clothes and hair. Needlework should not be done. A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents.
What can you not do on Chinese New Year?
Don’t: Swearing, saying words with negative meanings (e.g. death, poverty, ghosts) and bad-mouthing are things not to do on Chinese New Year as they will bring you bad luck all year long. The word “sì” for “4” is also considered a bad word since it sounds similar to “death” in Chinese.
What is bad luck in Chinese New Year?
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious. Buying (or reading) books is bad luck because the character for “book” (書/书) is a homonym to the character for “lose” (輸/输).
What color should you not wear on Chinese New Year?
Everyone loves the colour black because it flatters most body shapes. Unfortunately, it is a colour that you must never wear during the new year because black is typically worn during funerals. The colour has been associated with death, depression and all sorts of inauspicious things!.
What should you do on Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year Customs — How do Chinese people celebrate the CNY. The main Chinese New Year activities include 1) putting up decorations, 2) eating reunion dinner with family on New Year’s Eve, 3) firecrackers and fireworks, and 4) giving red envelopes and other gifts.
Why should you not wash your hair on Chinese New Year?
Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year. The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosper. This means washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away and dramatically reduces chances of prosperity in the year ahead.
Is it OK to say Chinese New Year?
The name ‘Chinese New Year’ likely originated from Western countries wanting to differentiate what the Chinese celebrate as New Year with their own. There’s nothing technically wrong with calling it Chinese New Year. Or Vietnamese New Year. Or Korean New Year.
What color do you wear on Chinese New Year?
Chinese usually wear red or other brightly-colored clothes on New Year’s Day, to go with the festive and upbeat mood. Black or white, symbolic of mourning and death would not be appropriate. Learn more about Lucky Colors in Chinese Culture.
What is eaten on Chinese New Year?
Not only do the dishes themselves matter, but also the preparation, and ways of serving and eating mean a lot. The most common Chinese New Year foods include dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangao.
What is good luck for Chinese New Year?
Oranges, kumquats, tangerines and pomelos are common Chinese New Year gifts because they’re believed to bring good luck and happiness. The Chinese words for “orange” and “tangerine” closely resemble the words for “luck” and “wealth.” The gold color of these fruits also symbolizes prosperity.
Why does Chinese New Year go for 15 days?
During the 15 day period new year visits (Traditional Chinese: 拜年; pinyin: bài nián, translated: pay respect, worship, salute the year) will be made to family and friends. The day symbolises as well a new start in one’s life, refreshing hopes for prosperity, wealth and happiness.
What clothes do they wear on Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year Clothes Some families still wear traditional Chinese clothing like qipao, but many families now wear regular, Western-style clothing like dresses, skirts, pants, and shirts on Chinese New Year’s Day. Many opt to wear lucky red underwear.
What do oranges mean in Chinese New Year?
The words for tangerine and orange in Chinese resemble the words for luck and success, respectively. Their bright color also symbolizes gold, hence the fruits have a meaning of bringing good luck and wealth.
How many days does Chinese New Year last?
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, annual 15-day festival in China and Chinese communities around the world that begins with the new moon that occurs sometime between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Festivities last until the following full moon.
Who gets a red envelope for Chinese New Year?
Generally, parents and grandparents receive $100-$300, children receive $20, friends and relatives receive $10-$30 and employees are given a red envelope on the last working day before New Year of $20-$200 as a small holiday bonus.
Can you spend money on Chinese New Year?
Money should not be lent on New Year’s Day, and all debts have to be paid by New Year’s Eve, and, if someone who owes you money, do not go to his or her home to demand it. Anyone who does so it is said will be unlucky all the year.
Can you wash dishes on New Year’s Day?
Do not wash clothes or dishes on New Year’s Day as you’ll be washing for the dead in the new year.
Can you wash your hair on New Year’s Eve?
If for any reason a gift is to be given this day, leave it in a car or out building New Year’s Eve. — Some cultures believe one should not wash his or her hair on New Year’s Day because it will wash away the good fortune of that person.
Can I clean on New Year’s Day?
As in, don’t wash on New Year’s Day, don’t scrub, and whatever you do, don’t sweep! It turns out cleaning house on New Year’s Day, the day before, or even between Christmas and New Year’s can bring you bad luck.
Is Japanese New Year the same as Chinese?
Historically, Japan used to celebrate the New Year according to the traditional lunar calendar just like China. However, during the Meiji Era, the Japanese government moved towards Westernization and adopted the Gregorian calendar with the New Year beginning on January 1.
Why do we call it Chinese New Year?
Because the traditional Chinese calendar is mostly based on the changes in the moon, the Chinese New Year is also known in English as the “Lunar New Year” or “Chinese Lunar New Year”. This name comes from “Luna”, an old Latin name for the moon. Another old name for the holiday was Lìchūn, meaning “Early Spring”.
