Unveiling Chinese New Year Superstitions

A special preparation which must be made before the start of Chinese New Year is cleaning the house. This is the reason it is used in washing away misfortune as well as preparing for the harboring of good luck. However, there’s a catch:

• No Cleaning on New Year’s Day: According to customs, cleaning is prohibited on the first day of the New Year to avoid sweeping away the good luck that arrives with it.
• Storage of Cleaning Tools: All of them are kept out of sight so that they do not cause any harms by falling on the floor.

olors and Decorations

Red and gold dominate Chinese New Year decorations because of their auspicious meanings:

• Red: Symbolizes luck, prosperity and health or protection against all forms of calamity. Money is also given in small red envelopes to children and unmarried individuals as the representatives of fortune.
• Gold: Stands for richness and richness as it symbolizes coins.
• Popular decorations include:
• Paper Cuttings: Complex geometrical patterns in red colour indicating motifs associated with good fortune and long life.
• Spring Couplets: Couples of poetic expressions on red scrolls to bring in blessings.

Words have power, and during Chinese New Year, certain phrases are avoided to prevent bad luck:

• No Mention of Death: People consider the mentioning of death or dying a taboo.
• Avoid Negative Terms: The idea is to avoid any terms like loss, broken, or poor and anything linked to them. Instead, use of positive words and utterances.

A Fresh Start New clothes, particularly red ones, symbolize a new start and people believe that wearing such garments will bring them good fortune. However, certain colors and styles are avoided:

• No Black or White: These are mourning colors and should not be used.
• Comfort Over Glamour: Clothes should be first of all comfortable so that people feel ease and there is harmony.

A New Cultural Reference of Lucky Foods Food plays a central role in Chinese New Year, and each dish has a special meaning:

• Fish: Symbolizes extra and plenty. Some of the fish must be left untouched to imply more fortune or wealth in the future.
• Dumplings : They are gold shaped and are associated with wealth.
• Noodles: Noodles are long and their consumption should not be accompanied by slicing them, which is why long noodles are never broken.
• Tangerines and Oranges: Their colour being gold and round shape symbolizes wealth or fullness in measure.

 Scaring Away Evil Spirits The loud popping of firecrackers is not just for fun; it has a deep-rooted purpose:

• Ward Off Evil: The is believed to chase away evil spirits.
• Welcome Prosperity: It is believed that the sound brings fortune or luck into homes.

The first person to visit your home on Chinese New Year sets the tone for the year ahead:

• Auspicious Guests: Choose a person with positive thinking and good results in life.
• Avoid Conflicts: People who argued on this day would be disadvantaged and poor throughout the year. 

Money matters are treated with extra caution:

• No Lending: Loan on the first day of Chinese New Year is prohibited to minimize family’s problems in the course of the calendar year.
• No Borrowing: Likewise, borrowing is regarded as incurring debt into one’s home.

For this reason, haircuts are shunned throughout the Chinese New Year period as “Hair” is pronounced similar to “Wealth”. Getting a haircut might shave off your luck as people say.

Little children are dressed in red clothes and accessories as a shield against evil spirits, more especially during the festive period. Red serves as barrier so as to prevent dangerous forces from getting closer.

Chinese New Year superstitious beliefs are not simply cultural practices, they embody part of Chinese belief system that is optimism, family reunification, and good luck. I can only wonder, why some may seem funny or even old fashioned, they certainly have their purpose and character to the events. So go ahead, follow all of these traditions and superstitions to make your New Year happy and lucky.