10 Chinese New Year do’s and don’ts

Chinese New Year is one of the (if not the) biggest holidays in Hong Kong. During this period, family dinners and celebrations are common – and if you’re lucky, you’ll receive some red packet money too. Along with the host of reunions and festivities underway, it is widely believed that certain traditions are observed to invite good fortune into the year ahead while taboos are steered clear of to ward off the bad luck. Here’s what you need to know to celebrate an auspicious Year of the Tiger.

Chinese New Year traditions

Do:

Prepare lai see

Lai see is the traditional name for the lucky red envelopes given by married people to their single relatives, colleagues and those in the service industry during the 15 days of Lunar New Year. The envelopes should contain crisp banknotes but make sure not to give any amount that contains the number four as this number is associated with ‘death’ in Chinese culture.

Clean your home before the new year

According to the traditional Chinese calendar, the 28th day of the 12th lunar month (or two days before the start of Lunar New Year) is the designated spring cleaning day. This year, it falls on January 30.

Homes are thoroughly cleaned before the new year as it is considered bad luck to clean your home during the first weeks of Chinese New Year.

Sweep dust into the middle of the room and out the door to symbolise the sweeping away of bad luck. Going one step further, some homeowners paint door frames and windows in order to encourage good luck to enter.

Visit the temple

It’s not all fireworks and feats; for those born during the Year of the Tiger, Monkey, Snake or Pig, bad luck may be on the cards in 2022. In order to ward off the negative vibes, pay a visit to your local temple. It is customary to burn incense, candles and joss paper for protection and to encourage good fortune. If you are not sure what to do, the helpful staff at the temple will show you the ropes.

Buy new clothes

If there’s ever a good excuse to go shopping, it’s right before Lunar New Year – set a proper tone for the year by purchasing a whole new set of clothing, all the way down to the underwear. New clothes symbolise wealth and a fresh start.

Buy a mandarin tree

Mandarins symbolise abundant happiness, making them popular gifts during the Lunar New Year. Many homes are adorned with potted kumquat trees, studded with tiny orange fruit that symbolises prosperity and good fortune. The fruit’s Chinese name, kam gat, sounds like the words for ‘luck’ and ‘gold’. Attach the fruit to red lai see packets containing a banknote for a really authentic touch.

Don’t:

Give clocks, pears and scissors

Certain items, like clocks, pears and scissors, should not be given during Lunar New Year. The Chinese characters for ‘giving clocks’, song jong, sound like the characters for ‘attending a funeral’, while the character for pear, li, sounds like the character for ‘separation’. Scissors should also not be gifted, as giving somebody a sharp object implies that you want to cut off your relationship with them in Chinese culture!

Wash your hair

Hair should not be washed on the first day of the new year. The Chinese character for hair, fa, has the same pronunciation as fa in fa cai, which means ‘to become wealthy’. Therefore, washing your hair would mean washing your fortune away – something you don’t want!

Visit the hospital

As cruel as it sounds, you may want to hold off on visiting your sick relative during Lunar New Year. A visit to the hospital during this period is believed to bring illness to the household for the rest of the year.

Wear black

Black and white clothing should be avoided as the colour is associated with mourning traditionally. Why not go for a lucky red outfit instead?

Eat meat

Legend has it that going vegetarian for the first day of Lunar New Year enhances longevity and helps purify and cleanse the body. Visit one of the city’s many vegetarian restaurants or create your own homemade vegetarian feast.

Read more: 7 best vegetarian Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong