There are many Chinese New Year traditions about dos and don'ts. Find out the top 18 things you should not do. Some are taboos on the first day of the Chinese New Year and some are superstitions for the whole New Year Festival season (from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year). 1. Avoid taking medicine. Chinese New Year superstitions are traditional beliefs and practices observed during the Lunar New Year to bring good luck and ward off misfortune. These customs range from avoiding certain actions to performing specific rituals, all aimed at ensuring a prosperous year ahead. 20 Chinese New Year Superstitions 1. Avoid Cleaning on New Year’s Day Chinese New Year is a joyful and harmonious festival, but there are some traditional superstitions and taboos as doing them may bring bad luck. The Spring Festival typically lasts for 15 days, some things are forbidden throughout the entire festive period. Superstitions on Chinese New Year 1. Keep the Lights Turning On. Sometimes, parents live together with sons, and therefore the bad luck would also goes to women's brothers. 9. Needle Work: In some Chinese New Year superstitions From shouting auspicious phrases during lo hei and giving out angbaos and even numbers, it’s no surprise that Chinese New Year comes with lots of practices to follow. If you want to be extra careful this year, here are Chinese superstitions and taboos to keep in mind this CNY so you don’t start the year with bad luck. This particular superstition is quite contentious and frequently results in many friendly debates during Chinese New Year visitations. Back to top. 6. No visitations on 3rd day of Chinese New Year Inauspicious to do visitations on the third day of Chinese New Year. Bai nian (translate: paying respects) is a major activity during Chinese New Chinese New Year superstitions. One of the biggest festivals in China, Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, has numerous Chinese superstitions that come into play. Cleaning rituals. In the days leading up to Chinese New Year, homes are meticulously cleaned, an act believed to sweep away any lingering bad luck from the previous year. Chinese New Year: 9 superstitions you must avoid to prevent bad luck, including eating MEAT Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, is celebrated by millions across the globe. As per Chinese superstitions, odd numbers are bad luck, so using them during the new year will bring bad luck. Even if you give money as a gift to someone in the new year, the amount should be in even numbers, as this is considered lucky. Avoid Eating Meat and Porridge The Lunar New Year is a time for joy and celebration; nobody wants to hear negative words during this special period. There are words such as “death,” “sickness,” and “four” that people should not say during Chinese New Year celebrations. This is so as to avoid bad luck coming into the new year. 4. Traditionally, multiple generations live together. The bride moves into the groom’s home after marriage. And, of course, she will celebrate Chinese New Year with her in-laws. Returning to her parents on New Year’s Day means that there are marriage problems and may also bring bad luck to the entire family. The tradition of partying from one year into a brand new one on New Year’s Eve is more than 4,000 years old. Something else that’s been around for many new years: superstitions meant to ward off bad luck or bring only good things into the next year. According to Chinese superstition, doing any of these on Feb 29 – the day Chinese New Year falls in 2025 – will lead to bad luck for the entire coming year. Traditionally, people should stay up all night rather than go to sleep early on New Year's Eve; say lucky rather than dirty words. It is a taboo to overturn the oil bottle on New Year's Eve. Therefore, parents often try their best to keep their children from overturning the oil bottle, which will offend the Kitchen God and bring them bad luck. Along with refraining from using bad language, visiting hospitals and cutting their hair, Chinese people are expected to adhere to some pretty rigorous superstitions over Chinese New Year. Careful unspoken rules and traditional customs reign supreme – especially during auspicious times like the Chinese New Year. The validity of these superstitions might be up for debate, but one thing’s for sure – they ring true to a whole lot of us. To help you usher in the new year with extra huat, we’ve compiled a list of 10 common Cleaning or sweeping on New Year's Day is considered bad luck, as it’s thought to sweep away good fortune. The same goes for doing laundry or taking out the trash — avoid these chores if you It is believed that using Knives and scissors on New Year’s Day is bad luck believed using them will cut off the New Year’s fortune. Every house is cleaned before the Chinese New Year for good luck on the coming year, but it cannot be cleaned for the first several days of the New Year for fear of sweeping away good luck in the New Year. Some Chinese families present funeral guests with a bit of red thread to take home and tie to a doorknob to ward off spirits. Bad luck may befall your family if you attend a funeral at a certain time. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20. Prevent bad luck or jinxing yourself during Lunar New Year by not uttering words with negative connotations. Examples include death, sick, empty, poor, and kill. Sweeping. Sweeping and cleaning should only take place before the Lunar New Year. Sweeping during the New Year could sweep out the good luck that may have collected in your household.
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