Festivals are the best part of being in a multi ethnic country.Its a great opportunity for us to watch and experience the celebrations and in-line with the Chinese New Year celebrations, I found this awesome post by a old colleague and found it extremely informative!!

Interested to find our some facts about Chinese New Year? 

Some little known fact about red packets (angpows) that I’d like to share with everyone. Everyone knows that its customary to give out red packets d(with money in it) during CNY. But did you know that the money in the red packets are usually in even numbers? It’s because odd numbers are usually often associated with funeral money (帛金 : Bai Jin).

And(But?) the amount of money in the red packets never adds up to anything with the number 4 in it, because 4 in Chinese sounds like the word ‘death’.

By the way, the odd and even number is determined by the first digit in of the amount. So, 10, 50, not good. 20, 40 good. Get it?

And this one’s the most important of all. The act of requesting for red packets is normally called (Mandarin): 討紅包, 要利是. (Cantonese):逗利是. A married person would not turn down such request as it would mean that he or she would be “out of luck” in the new year (無利是). Kinda nice info to know, to blackmail the married people, don’ you think?

And finally, some do’s and don’t for CNY:

Do’s
======

Opening windows and/or doors is considered to bring in the good luck of the new year.
Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to ’scare away’ ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the new year.
Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a “sweet” year.
It is important to have the house completely clean from top to bottom before New Year’s Day for good luck in the coming year. (however, as explained below, cleaning the house after New Year’s Day is frowned upon)
Some believe that what happens on the first day of the new year reflects the rest of the year to come. Asians will often gamble at the beginning of the year, hoping to get luck and prosperity.
Wearing a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
The night before the new year, bathe yourself in pomelo leaves and some say that you will be healthy for the rest of the new year.

Don’ts
=====
Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck amongst some Chinese. The word “shoes” is a homophone for the word for “rough” in Cantonese, or “evil” in Mandarin.
Buying a pair of pants is considered bad luck. The word “pants”(kù) is a homophone for the word for “bitter”(kŭ) in Cantonese. (Although some perceive it to be positive, as the word ‘pants’(fu) in Cantonese is also a homophone for the word for “wealth”.)
Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one’s own luck (although modern hygienic concerns take precedence over this tradition)
Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year.
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious as well.
Buying books is bad luck because the word for “book” is a homonym to the word “lose”.
Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional funeral colour.

Have fun, and have a good Mickey Mouse (rat) Year, people

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!