Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is just around the corner. Although some of us will be spending it at home, it won’t stop us from being excited to celebrate and enjoy the occasion.
However, with this joyous event comes different traditions and superstitions. Here is a list of a few taboos to help you prepare for Chinese New Year:
1. Do not wash or cut your hair.
Although it isn’t easy for some people to miss out on a shower in a tropical country like ours, it is believed that washing one’s hair during Chinese New Year would remove one’s luck. The reason behind this is because the Chinese word for hair, 发 (Fā), has the same character as 发财 (Fācái), which means to get rich. So, try to avoid washing or cutting your hair.
2. Hold off your spring cleaning.
It’s nice to keep the house spic and span, especially amid the pandemic, but one should avoid cleaning on Chinese New Year as it would sweep away the wealth and the good luck out of the house. Hence, cleaning the house should be done beforehand to remove the bad luck.
3. Watch what you wear.
It’s a common rule to wear red during Chinese New Year, but that’s not the only thing you should remember. There is also a rule that you shouldn’t wash your clothes during this time out of respect for 水神 (Shuǐshén) or the Water God’s birthday (yes, it’s also his birthday). It is said that washing your clothes would offend him.
Besides this, you should wear clothes that aren’t damaged to avoid bad luck. Also, don’t wear the colors black and white since they’re related to mourning.
4. Stay away from sharp objects.
If you have been knitting during community quarantine, you should probably put it on pause for a while since sharp objects, such as needles or knives, are said to decrease one’s wealth.
5. Avoid the negativity.
Crying or uttering words that have negative connotations like “death” would bring misfortune to you and your family, so it is best to avoid them. Remember, Chinese New Year is all about happiness rather than sadness.
6. Be careful about the gifts you give on Chinese New Year.
Although giving gifts is a nice gesture, there are some presents that you should avoid giving, such as pears and sharp objects, as they have bad implications in the Chinese culture.
For Chinese New Year gift ideas, check out this article here. Know a beauty addict? You may want to give her special-edition Chinese New Year beauty products.
