Dos and Don’ts in the Chinese New Year

The Spring festival is a time of joy, but it is also a time of superstitions. It is a common belief, that the way you start the year is the way the year will be. If they start the year in a good way, the rest of the year will be a road of roses. On the other hand, if they start the other way around, they will better pray that the year will end soon.

That is the reason why those celebrating this festivity will avoid many things just to be blessed with good luck. They will do whatever they can to follow the code, even if a lot of the superstitions they have may seem a little bit extensive and extreme. Here are just some of the most important superstitions.

Don’t mind the Garbage

Even if the garbage is pilling at home, it will bring bad luck if you take out the garbage on the first five days of the Chinese New Year. You cannot take the garbage out or sweep the house. They believe that if you do this, you could cast away your luck or make fortune or richness go away.

Porridge? no, thank you

If you are going to start the Chinese year having breakfast, you should do it in style. The bigger the banquet is, the better. It is a reflection of how full your plate will be the rest of the year. It is not as if porridge is not good enough, but being honest, it is not that fancy.

Medicine free day

Sickness is not the best omen in the Chinese New Year. However, if it is not a case for the hospital or extreme fever, it is custom to avoid all kind of medicines during the main day of the lunar year. The reason for this is that if you take any medication, there is a belief that you will be sick for the rest of the year as if medicine would be something invasive for your body on that date.

There is even a tradition, in some places, in which as soon as midnight strikes, all sick people break their medications bottles to push the illness away for the rest of the year.

Saving water

Even though it is the year of the pig, the reason why during the first two days of the Chinese year it is custom not to wash hair or clothes it is not linked to this animal. The real reason has to do with Shui Shen (the water god). The first two days of this festivity coincide with the birthday of this god.

The other explanation is related to the phonetics of the word hair, which has a similarity or a connection with the expression “end up rich”. That is why there is the belief that if you wash your hair on that date, you will “wash” your fortune away.

Needles and Pins

Any sharp element like a needle, a knife or scissors should be kept at a prudential distance. If possible, it is better not to use them. You will never know if, by accident, you could inflict harm to someone else. Even if it is a very small and anecdotic kind of accident.

Hurting someone with a sharp element is considered a bad omen. But this rule does not only apply to people, but also to animals since blood is considered a sign of evil. That it is why they avoid sacrificing animals during the Spring Festival.

Beware of pickpockets

As if being robbed is not unlucky enough, being a victim of theft will overshadow your luck for the rest of the year. Make sure that no one with “long fingers” will steal something from you, like for example money or your wallet. You have to stay alert not to give any unnecessary advantage to pickpockets and protect your belongings.

Clear of debt

If you don’t want to be the rest of the year in debt, pay your dues before New Year’s Eve. Not only in economic terms but also in case of honor. This goes also the other way around. If someone owes you money, don’t try to collect it during the spring festival. This could lead to having difficulties to collect the money for the remains of the year.

Meet the parents

The Chinese New Year is also a family tradition. It is custom for married couples to visit the parents. However, the visit is not always welcome. Visiting the parents of the bride is not recommended until the third day of the festivity.

The reason, they believe that if a wedded girl comes to visit on the first two days, it may bring misfortune and financial difficulties to the parents of the wife.

This is for married couples, but there is another “underground” tradition of Chinese Year related to relationships or to be more precise, “fake relationships”.

Due to the pressure of being single in China and to avoid the annoying family comments of <<When are you going to find someone and get married?>>, there is a new trend to rent a “fake” boyfriend or girlfriend to bring home during one of the visits to the family.

The only thing this rented boyfriend or girlfriend have to do is to pretend to be in a relationship with their customer. But fortunately for them, pretending to be someone you are not will not bring bad luck to them for the rest of the year.