Chinese New Year’s celebrations are about getting rid of the old, and welcoming the new. To symbolise the new beginning cleaning up, the people tidy their houses and purchase new clothes. They also embellish their homes with bright red lanterns, wedding paints, paper-cutting and couplets.
The color red is one of the most traditional that represents happiness, joy prosperity, and wealth. Gold accents will add the feeling of festive to any decor.
1. Keep Your Home Clean
In Chinese culture, the New Year’s Day is an opportunity to clean and declutter and get rid of any negative energy or luck that may have collected in your home during the previous year. The first step is to give each and every corner a thorough cleaning, especially those places where dust often collects.
This includes sweeping the dishes, washing them, dusting and disposing of any garbage. Make sure you store your brooms as well as all of the other cleaners prior to New Year’s Day. Because sweeping and other activities to clean on New Year’s Day can sweep away all the luck which has arrived!
Paying off debts is an ideal option, because extending any of them into the following year can bring negative luck. Avoiding fighting and bickering can also bring you unlucky luck. It’s also believed to be lucky to dress in white. You can also display lucky ornaments, like dragons and Chinese couplets.
Your home should be decorated with gold and red, which is a symbol of prosperity. Be sure to provide some classic Chinese food items, including dumplings, fish, noodles, as well as pork. It will bring luck to yourself and your family. Utilize eco-friendly cleaners for cleaning your home to prepare for Chinese New year. In this way, you will be sure that your family’s safety is protected from the harmful chemical toxins.
2. Shop for new Clothes
The color red is an excellent choice for Chinese New Year, as it represents good fortune. Black and white on the other hand are not lucky colors. If you wear them on Lunar New Year could send messages of grief that are not spoken It is recommended to go with a brighter color or go for one that is gold (which signifies wealth).
Traditional clothes include the traditional hanfu (also called a qipao) that is a pair of clothes comprising a unisex shirt and a long skirt beginning from the chest. It is also possible to wear a sleeveless variant of the dress could also be put on by women. There are plenty of contemporary designers including Rixo to The Attico to Prada, inspired by traditional dresses. It is worth considering wearing a red cheongsam should you decide to wear one.
In the course of that dinner with luck, it’s also customary for guests to hand to guests red envelopes full of money (hong bao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese). The money must be utilized at the end of each year because it is considered unlucky. It is also a great moment to remember your our ancestors with fruits, flowers or other treats in their graves or on their altars. At this time, it is advised not to engage in fights and arguing as it could bring bad luck. Particularly, it is vital to not engage in arguments or fighting on The Day of Arguments, which is the third day of this festival.
3. Donate Red Envelopes
The red color signifies happiness, good luck and serves to protect against bad luck, making it ideal to have a clear slate ready for the coming year. It’s common to receive and distribute red envelopes with money at Chinese New Year. In addition, it’s typical for doormen and greeters to receive red envelopes, in addition to their usual tipping.
The elders of the community are recognized for presenting envelopes in red (also known as”lai sen”) or lai sen. ; mandarin: li6 si6) for children and families with no marriage for and to family members without a marriage during Lunar New Year. It’s also usual to present their aging parents and grandparents red envelopes at the time of this Lunar New Year as a expression of gratitude and affection. ufabet has been popular in the past few years to mail red envelopes electronically to colleagues and friends through messaging platforms like WeChat.
When giving out lai see, be sure the bills are fresh and clean as it is considered in the wrong taste to present dirty or damaged bills. Avoid numbers beginning or ending with 4 as these are thought to represent negative luck. If you’re confused about what amount to spend the gift of $20, it’s a good option for teenagers. If you have a married family member the $50 or $100 note is usually suitable. Always greet your recipient cheerfully with “Gong the Xi Cai”. The g ng k hao f cai) and they wish them prosperity, health and long life.
4. Make Your Home More Beautiful
The New Year is the time to do some decorating and ring in the blessings of luck. It is also an opportunity to pay respects to our ancestors.
In the course of Chinese New Year, it’s important not to get into arguments or disputes. They will just bring unlucky luck. Bring joy and happiness throughout the festivities. You can do this by decorating your house using the most luckiest gold and red ornaments. Additionally, you can apply Feng Shui principles to make your home even more welcoming. Make sure your windows are open, clean and organize, and then put out a bowl of oranges (a tradition Chinese meal).
Hang up paper cuttings to symbolize the prosperity of your life. These are usually made from the term “fu” ( ) or the numbers eight and higher, as these numbers are associated with fortune and wealth. Money trees are decorative decoration that is made from the threading of coins onto a length of string.
Other ornaments include Chinese lanterns, wishing trees and even Chinese lanterns. The trees, which are made from kumquats mandarin or orange, can be said to ensure prosperity during the new year. They can be hung in a living room or kitchen area to give it a holiday flair.
Another popular decoration is the fortune cookie. It’s fun to read the message that tells you your fortune in the coming year. The cookies can be bought at Chinese food restaurants and Asian supermarkets.
5. The hosting of a party
It is an occasion known as the Chinese New Year when people clean their houses to rid themselves of bad spirits. People also make wishes for good fortune. This is also the perfect opportunity to organize a gathering for family and friends. There are some wonderful ideas.
Flower arrangements, lanterns made of red and other decorative items that signify luck could be used for decorating your house. Make yusheng, a fresh fish salad. The ingredients on this platter will be a sign of the important intentions for the new year. For example, they signify longevity and wealth.
If you’re blessed with children you can make them sock puppets for the coming zodiac animal. This is the rat. There are tutorials on the internet that children can easily follow. It can make for a wonderful keepsake or a gift for beloved ones. An additional activity to do during the holiday season is to give out red envelopes with money inside. A gift card can be put inside!
Chinese new Year is an opportunity to take in lion dances as well as dragon performances. It is possible to organize such activities in your office or at the community center. Furthermore, you can bring in local musicians to play music from the tradition of Chinese music. It is a great opportunity to show employees the Chinese tradition and culture. It also helps to promote positive corporate culture and it encourages inclusion at work.
6. Visit Family
Chinese New Year celebrates families closer, and people come to see their loved ones. People also pay respect to ancestors with ritual offerings and visits to temples. This is the best time of year to celebrate with loved ones and relatives, exchange gifts and send your best wishes to each other for a successful start in the new year. Numerous places observe New Year’s Eve by hosting large families gatherings, where everyone gathers at a table for a large enjoy a meal. Incense is burnt to honor ancestral ancestors, and cash (in red envelopes called hong bao), which are meant for prosperity for young children, is given to them to grant wishes.
Create a festive atmosphere in your home by decorating it with paper lanterns, dragons or red couplets for a celebration. Make a hong bao craft to pass the time with your children. You can also you can make Chinese new Year cookies. These treats, known as the niangao are made of glutinous rice flour that has been boiled and kneaded with Chinese brown sugar, slabs along with a small amount of peanut oil. They are said to be akin to gold bars and symbolizes riches.
Also, you can check if a nearby Asian Cultural Center is planning events. It could be an lion dance in addition to food vendors and others performing.
Be sure to greet other partygoers with Gong Xi, pronounced “gohng zee.” Shorter greetings include Gong Hei Fat Choi and (Gong zhu chao). It is best to avoid fighting or fighting as they’re thought to be not lucky.