6 Chinese New Year Superstitions You May Not Know About
Chinese New Year is happening this weekend! Whether you’ve been invited to Chinese New Year parties or putting up one yourself, you’ve got to remember certain superstitions that might make or break your 2020 fortune! Here are six of the most popular ones you can’t forget.
#1 Stick to eating sweets
Traditional treats like glutinous rice balls, chocolates, and candied fruits are among the most popular snacks during the Lunar New Year. They believe that eating sweets will make the next year sweeter than the past one.
#2 Do not wear black or white
Clothes in black and white are a no-go during this time of celebration as these colors are usually associated with death and funerals.
Instead of these neutral colors, stick with a red outfit to bring you good luck!
#3 No head or hair-washing
Take a bath before the Lunar New Year because you can’t wash your hair on the first day. In the Chinese language, the word ‘hair’ has the same pronunciation as the character ‘fa’, which means ‘to become wealthy’.
‘Head’ is also associated to ‘beginnings’, therefore washing your hair may appear as if you’re trying to wash off wealth or jinxing a good start of the year.
#4 Don’t give sharp objects as gifts
Before the new year, don’t forget to put away all your sharp objects like needles, knives, and scissors, which can be causes of accidents. Having an accident during this time is treated as a bad omen. Gifting them is also strictly discouraged as this could mean ‘breaking off relationships.
#5 No porridge for breakfast
Porridge is deemed as a poor man’s breakfast and eating this on the first day of the new year might affect the family’s economic status for the whole year. So skip the porridge and just stick with whatever’s left of last night’s new year feast.
#6 Stay out of debt
If you currently have a debt, make sure to pay them off and avoid borrowing money until the Chinese New Year celebration ends. Starting off the new year in debt is considered a bad omen and might bring bad luck to your finances for the whole year.
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