Everything turns red and gold in the Chinese world as we celebrate Chinese New Year! There are a lot of customs and traditions around this time. As a child, I remembering questioning my parents as to why we had to do certain things. As I grow older, I understand the importance of having rituals and intentions.
The essence of the customs is to start the new year with good intentions. Here are a few examples…
– paying off your debts before the year starts
– cleaning your home – much like the western spring clean
– on CNY itself, it’s important to stay positive with good thoughts (no swearing or complaining allowed as you want to start with the tone you want for the rest of the year)
– no sweeping of floors as you might be swept away your luck
– decorating your home with lucky signs of fortune to remind you – and to bring good luck
– children get lucky money and good wishes to help them with their studies
– having a family dinner – fish to represent abundance, noodles to represent long life, chicken for wholeness and prosperity, dumplings, and many many more dishes
All aimed at the best start for the new year.
I wish you a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!
Gong Hei Fat Choy!
Footnotes
- https://chinesenewyear.net/zodiac/ox/
- We say Gong Hei Fat Choy in Cantonese (a Chinese dialect) and Gong Xi Fa Cai in Mandarin.