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Hundreds of millions of Chinese, living in China and overseas, will be celebrating Lunar New Year this weekend. Expect to see the color red bloom in Chinese households, with paper decorations, gift boxes, money envelopes and even clothing.

If you really want to soak in the Chinese New Year atmosphere, the best thing is to head to the nearest Chinatown, where every shop and storekeeper will be decked in red and ready to engage customers with promotions and treats.

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If you want to go further, join in and welcome prosperity the way the Chinese do it. I’ll admit they do have quite a number of customs and superstitions, and it’s easy for some of these to get lost in the translation. But there are these five that are fairly easy for anyone who wants to be part of the fun to do and follow.

#1 Time for a trim

Go and get a haircut before the Lunar New Year for a fresh start. The Chinese believe that cutting hair symbolizes removing (any) bad luck from the last year, and getting a new, luckier beginning. It does not have to be a drastic cut – even just a trim will do. There’s also no hard and fast rule on when to do it, so long as you sport a shorter hairstyle before the clock strikes midnight on February 9.

#2 Fill up red envelopes 

On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the Chinese like to fill red envelopes with cash, turning them into lucky money, and giving them away to family and friends. Usually, the elders are the ones doing the giving, but they can also be on the receiving end. They call this “Hongbao” but now more popularly known as “angpao”. They say that with the red envelopes being passed around, it’s not just the cash you are getting but also wishes of good luck and good health.

One of the best parts about red envelopes is you can also give them to yourself. Put cash in red envelopes and place it in your wallet, bag, closet and different parts of the house. How much to put when giving to yourself or others? It’s really up to you, but try to avoid the number “4” because it means “death” in Chinese. Pick luckier numbers like “6” which is said to mean that “everything goes smoothly” and of course 

“8” which is a global symbol for good luck, especially in making money.

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#3 To clean or not to clean

This has confused some people who see the Chinese deep cleaning their homes leading to Lunar New Year, and then refusing to clean on New Year’s Day. Well, cleaning ahead of the Red Letter Day is to ensure a brand-new start for the next year. They also like to dress up their homes with red and gold decorations to attract positive energy. But come New Year’s Day, you don’t want to sweep or wash away your gold luck, so no cleaning the floors or doing the laundry.

#4 Have your cake and eat it too

It’s also the one day where everyone is encouraged to have something sweet. That’s why millions of “Tikoy” are baked and sold this time of the year. According to the Chinese, eating sweets will make you feel happy and will brighten your life. Whether it’s “Tikoy”, “Hopia”, or any other Chinese delicacy, munching on sweets will help you start the new year on a joyful note with happiness and energy.

#5 Red is the only color

If you’re all set to do numbers 1 to 4, don’t be shy and go all out by also doing number 5 and wear something red. Or better yet, just wear all red. 

For the Chinese, sporting all red is an auspicious way to attract maximum good luck. For many, it’s not just red clothes, but also red socks and even red underwear. Some believe it’s just as important if not more to wear red inside, saying this boosts energy and happiness from the inside out. If you don’t think red is your color, you can also choose to wear other bright colors. 

Whatever color you do decide to wear, with shorter hair and with pockets stuffed with red envelopes after a sweet bite inside your sparkling clean house, what’s important is to look ahead with hope, inviting a glorious future to come to you in the new Lunar year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aneth Ng-Lim returns to writing after more than two decades of working as a communications specialist in the government and the private sector. Her advocacy for financial inclusion and personal finance began when she served as head for Consumer Education during her stint at a multinational bank.

Disclaimer: The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.