Preparations for Chinese New Year

January 22, 2008 by willng24.

I just realized that the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, so to prepare myself for the festivities I began cleaning my apartment. You may think I have some time before February 7th, but you haven’t seen my apartment. This got me thinking of my childhood during the New Year. We use to see tons of family and friends and just feast wherever with whomever. What a great holiday! However, this also got me thinking of the superstitions that my family use to follow. I remember that I couldn’t shower or cut my hair on Chinese New Year. Additionally, all house cleaning had to be done before the that day.

Ever since I moved out of the nest, I don’t follow those traditions anymore. However, I know my family still does.

So what superstitions did your family believe in? Do you still follow them? There are surely odder ones than just the washing of the hair.

Below is a list of superstitions I found on about.com.

1. Dirty Doings

Put your feet up and relax. Certainly the most enjoyable of the Chinese New Year superstitions, sweeping and cleaning is strictly forbidden. The Chinese believe cleaning means you’ll sweep all of your good luck out the front door.

2. Time to Come Clean

Before you can enjoy number two, you need to give the house a full spring clean, before putting cleaning tools in the cupboard on New Year’s Eve.

3. Read Between the Lines

Be sure to stock up on reading materials before Chinese New Year, as Hong Kong’s bookshops will be padlocked tight. In Cantonese, book is a homonym for ‘lose’.

4. Choppy Waters

Make sure you avoid rough seas in the new year by not buying shoes over the holiday period. In Cantonese, shoes are a homonym for ‘rough’.

5. Balance the Books

If you’re in debt, it’s time to dip into your pockets and pay people off. The Chinese believe that if you start the new year in the red, you’ll finish it the same way.

6. Ghostly Conversations

Caught round a campfire over the holiday period? No ghost stories. Tales of death, dying and ghosts is considered supremely inauspicious, especially during Chinese New Year.

7. Lady in Red

Chinese New Year is packed with colors, and while all the colors of the rainbow bring good luck, it’s the color red that is considered the ultimate luck bringer.

8. Sweet Year

Hong Kongers have a sweet touch at the best of times, but Chinese New Year offers the perfect chance to raid the sweet shop, as eating candies is said to deliver a sweeter year.

9. Feel the Breeze

Welcome in the New Year with a blast of fresh air, opening your windows is said to let in good luck.

10. Get to the Point

Sharp objects are said to be harbingers of bad luck, as their sharp points cut out your good luck, pack them away.You should also avoid the hairdressers or you’ll have your good luck chopped off.

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