Liberté Chan Instagram – Growing up with a Chinese mom, I eagerly looked forward to the New Year.
ICYMI, the holiday is full of superstitions and there are certain do’s and don’ts to follow to secure a prosperous and lucky year ahead.
Here are a few of them:
🧧WEAR RED
Red is considered a lucky color and if you can wear something new AND red, that’s even better. It’s believed to bring good luck and fortune.
🧧PLACE DECORATIONS UPSIDE DOWN
When decorating with the blessing symbol, ‘Fu,’ the character for good fortune/luck, hang it upside down to symbolizes luck “pouring down” or “descending on” your home.
🧧DON’T CLEAN ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
Don’t clean your home on the first day of the Lunar New Year for fear of washing away any good luck that arrived at the stroke of midnight. Make sure you spend time with family and friends on New Year’s Day instead of cleaning!
🧧OPEN WINDOWS
Open windows and doors on Chinese New Year’s Eve for good luck! According to Chinese New Year tradition, opening the windows and doors ushers in positive energy.
🧧LUCKY MONEY
The tradition of distributing red envelopes (laisee) filled with crisp cash to children and unmarried adults is a gesture of good luck. As a child, I would get small amounts of money, but as I got older, the amount became more generous.
🧧EAT SWEETS!
Eating something sweet is believed to make this year sweeter than the year before.
🧧SYMBOLIC FOODS
In the Cantonese language (what my mom spoke), the word for “Fish” and “Abundance” are homonyms. I was always told as a child to make sure I ate some fish so I would have an abundant year ahead. Other foods that are always served: noodles which symbolize longevity and dumplings which symbolize wealth and prosperity as they look like ancient Chinese ingots/money. And, don’t forget about fruit like oranges and pomelos which symbolize fullness and wealth.
🐉 DRAGON YEAR 🐉
The 2024 dragon year is said to bring improvement, evolution, and abundance; it would be the perfect time to lay the foundation for long-term success.
#cny #lunarnewyear #chinesenewyear #traditions #chinesetraditions | Posted on 12/Feb/2024 00:38:35
