Starting February 10 this year, 2 billion people across the globe will be celebrating a 4000-year-old tradition called Lunar New Year. Also called Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, its date changes from year to year as the holiday is based on the lunar calendar. Unlike the solar calendar, which has fixed dates for each month, the lunar calendar has variable dates that depend on the phases of the moon.
Considered the grandest festival in China, Lunar New Year is also celebrated in other Asian countries like South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Each culture has a different name for the holiday: Spring Festival, or chūnjié in China; Seollal in Korea and Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán in Vietnam. Traditionally celebrated as a 15-day festival, in the US, it is mostly celebrated on the first day of the New Year.
Out with the bad, in with the good
Like the Western New Year, the Lunar New Year centers on letting go of the past and ushering in the new and the good. Which is why there are plenty of traditions to bring in good fortune and keeping out bad spirits. Follow these Do’s and Don’ts to usher in good fortune in 2024, which according to the Chinese zodiac is the Year of the Dragon - a symbol of power and good fortune.
Do’s
- Clean your house before Lunar New Year - Sweep away bad luck, mop off bad spirits. Get your house clean to welcome good fortune. But make sure all your cleaning is done before the eve of the Lunar New Year.
- Red for good luck – Red symbolizes fortune and joy. So, on New Year’s Day, wear red when visiting family and friends. Hand out red envelopes containing money to the children. Hang a red lantern on your front door to ward off bad luck.
- Bring on the firecrackers – The loud noises firecrackers and fireworks make are believed to scare away evil spirits. In places where these are illegal, popping a balloon is seen as a good – and just as effective – alternative.
- Eat lucky food – On Lunar New Year’s Eve, serve these 7 lucky food as each expresses people’s good wishes for the new year: dumplings for wealth, fish for surplus and fortune, glutinous rice balls for family unity, noodles for longevity, wontons for wealth and treasure, spring rolls for a fresh start and glutinous rice cake for career success.
- Pay off your debts – Clear off your debt before the start of the Lunar New Year. Otherwise, you will never be able to accumulate wealth and your debt problem will be never-ending. You’re in luck with Financial Rescue! Give us a call so we can help you get out of debt and turn the Year of the Dragon a roaring success.
Don’ts
- Cleaning on the first day of the Lunar New Year – Good fortune comes to your home at the stroke of midnight. So don’t sweep, wipe, or do any form of cleaning that would clear your house of luck. Instead wait for the next day to clean up.
- Wash or cut your hair – Refrain from cutting your hair on the first day of the New Year. The Chinese character for ‘hair’ is the same first character for ‘prosperity’. Cutting your hair is believed to reduce your chances of prosperity.
- Eating porridge - Don’t eat rice porridge on the first day of Chinese New Year as it is considered ‘poor man’s dish’. Thus, starting the year poor is seen as a bad omen.
- Wearing white or black -White and black are colors associated with death and grief. Both colors portend misfortune. Avoid these colors during the Chinese New Year.
- Lending or borrowing money – Borrowing or lending money during the weeks-long celebration is said to lead to financial difficulties. Avoid these practices to ward off bad luck.