Chinese New Year Superstitions

Now that the Western world has put away its noisemakers and put the empty champagne bottles in the recycling, it's time for the Eastern world to prep for it's coming Lunar New Year. We say goodbye to the industrious rabbit to make way for the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac, the dragon. To welcome this fiery year (or any new year for that matter) there are a few things us Chinese like to do to ensure as much good fortune and prosperity.

Before New Year's Day:

Out with the old ~ Spring cleaning is a must to make room for new energy. Everything has to be scrubbed, dusted and swept out before new year's day because anything swept out over the threshold at that time means you're also getting rid of new fortunes and some even believe it means you're getting rid of someone in your family.

Once you're done cleaning, put all brooms, cleaners, mops, dust pans and whatever else you used away.

Get out of the red ~ If you owe someone money, no matter how small the sum, pay them back. If you borrowed something from someone, give it back. Start the new year free of debt - that's just good sense. And just because we believe the color red is good luck, doesn't mean your finances have to be in it. Start in the red, live in the red. This is the one time you want something in black!

New Year's Eve:

Feast ~ Traditionally, families gather for a big new year's eve feast. Before sitting down to whatever style of meal they prefer (my family likes to do the hot pot/steamboat meal), we "lo hei" (Cantonese) or "yu sheng" (Mandarin) and it basically means "toss." It's a salad comprised of julienned carrots, radish, peanuts, cucumber and a sweet sweet sauce that you pour over everything. Topped with sliced raw fish and crackers, everyone grabs chopsticks, reaches in and tosses like mad. Like so:

Big air = more prosperity. It is terribly messy but so much fun. And the salad tastes pretty good - crunchy, sweet and salty, flavors and textures that also mean good fortune.

Let There Be Light ~: My dad always turned on all the lights in our home. He told me it's to ward off any negative energy or evil spirits. Sounds silly but I'm doing it anyway - can't be too safe!

All Red Everything ~ My favorite tradition was going out to buy either a new outfit or a new set of pajamas, typically with something red on it. No black or navy or dark colors for the Chinese New Year, just bright reds for prosperity. Thankfully, red looks pretty decent on Asian skin tones!

New Year's Day and after

Visiting Friends ~ The Lunar New Year lasts for 15 days, meaning you'll also hear the rumblings of a nearby lion dance almost non stop for that duration. There's a lot of celebration and visiting of friends and family. When you go to someone's home, you usually bring a gift of two oranges and/or a "nian gao" which is a sweet, sticky cake.

Wish them well ~ When you greet someone, it's believed that the first thing you say to them determines their fortune for the rest of the year so it's always best to wish them a happy new year right off the bat. Traditional greetings (in Mandarin) are "Gong xi fa cai" or "xin nian kuai le." Can't pronounce those? "Happy new year" will suffice if you're greeting your Chinese friends!

Hong Bao ~ Translation: Red packetsThe older generations will bestow red packets that hold money to children and the younger generation, helping them start off the year with little bits of fortune. And as we grow older, we show our parents our respect by giving them red packets as well as a sign of filial piety and to just give back because if it weren't for their generosity when we were growing up, we wouldn't be where we are now.

I know some of you may find a few of these things silly, and if you didn't grow up with these superstitions, they can seem far fetched. But for those of us who did, especially those of us who are far from home right now, these are the fun little things we think about to stay connected as we try to start our own little traditions with our own friends and families.

Gong xi fa cai!

Tabitha is a lifestyle blogger and social media consultant to small business owners. In her old age she has come to embrace her Chinese heritage. All the information on today's blog post are from her own life's experiences. Any discrepencies aren't deliberate, please feel free to correct them in comments. You can find more of her musings on her blog, Life à la Mode.