LUNAR NEW YEAR TRADITIONS HOW TO

You’ll see a lot of red lanterns (used to drive off bad luck), as well as paper cutouts and couplets (which are hung up to attract good fortune). Once you’ve finished deep cleaning your flat, it’s time to hang up your Chinese New Year decorations. Hang Up Your Chinese New Year Decorations (The Right Way) Read more: Where To Donate Or Sell Clothes, Furniture And Homeware In Hong Kong Remember to stow away your broom and vacuum because you wouldn’t want to accidentally sweep or suck away your good fortune! It’s important for this to be done before Chinese New Year Eve as it’s considered bad luck to clean your home during the first week of the first Lunar month people typically start two days before the holiday (spring cleaning day). What better incentive to finally declutter your room and give your home a good dusting than the promise of bringing in good fortune? As the Chinese characters for “dust” and “old” sound similar, the act of sweeping away dust is seen as a way to banish the old and usher in the new. At the opposite end of the spectrum, wearing black and white is a big no-no, as these colours are traditionally associated with mourning.

You may also notice that many people choose to wear red on the day to attract even more good fortune. So it’s no surprise that the hue is seen all around over the Chinese New Year in the form of lai see packets, paper lanterns and door couplets. In Chinese culture, the colour red is considered to bring good luck.

大吉大利 “dai gut dai lei” – good luck and may your year go smoothly.

心想事成 “sum seung si sing” – may all your wishes come true.

新年快樂 “sun nin fai lok” – happy new year.

If you really want to impress this year (and try and score a few extra lai see), you can mix it up and try these other common Chinese New Year blessings: Married people are traditionally obliged to give lai see to anyone younger and single when greeted. The Lunar New Year doesn’t officially begin until tomorrow, but you’ve probably already started to hear people greet each other “kung hei fat choi” (wishing a prosperous year). If someone says this to you, it’s good form to return the greeting, or you can respond by saying “sun tai kin hong”, meaning “I wish you good health”. Read more: The Best Hong Kong Staycation Deals To Book This Chinese New YearĬhinese New Year Traditions & Taboos Common Chinese New Year Greetings

LUNAR NEW YEAR TRADITIONS HOW TO

And hey, if you play your cards right, this just might be your most prosperous year yet! From when to book in your next haircut to how to properly hang your decorations, here are all the Chinese New Year traditions (and taboos) you should know. While our celebrations won’t quite be the same, the long-time Chinese New Year traditions and taboos never change. With social distancing restrictions still in place until after the break, it looks like we’re in for another quiet Chinese New Year. Maximise your good luck and ward off the bad with this guide to Chinese New Year traditions…

Lunar new year traditions