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. 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. The cleaning should be finished before the New Year's Eve to clean away the dirt and the old of the past year and usher in the new. During the festival, any sweeping should be avoided. From the New Year's Day to the 5th day of the first lunar month, it is a taboo to sweep the trash out or pour water out, otherwise the good luck will be taken away. If the deceased was from the maternal side: Your mother's mourning period is 1 year. Your father will follow the same mourning duration. Your mouring period is also 100 days. For your grandfather, his mourning period is 3 years (the max is 3 years). Any special ritual would have already been done within 49 days after the deceased passed away. If a death occurs around major celebrations like Chinese New Year, funerals are postponed. Based on Chinese funeral superstitions, having a funeral during this time is seen as incredibly unlucky. People avoid visiting homes that are holding funerals to prevent bad luck from spreading. On the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, there is a Chinese New Year taboo on sweeping the house and dumping the trash. Otherwise, all the savings and valuables will be swept away. If it is really necessary, the house owner should start the sweeping from outside to inside of the house, which intimates collecting money. No Black and White Colors: Black and white colors are funeral colors in Chinese culture. During Chinese New Year, funeral colors are not welcomed and thought to be inauspicious and may bring death for the family. Avoiding bringing Illness. No Hospital Visits: Visiting hospitals during Chinese New Year period is omen to bring illness for the Traditional Chinese Funeral Customs Modern Chinese Funeral Customs; Elaborate funeral ceremonies with lavish arrangements: Streamlined funeral arrangements with the assistance of professional services: Lengthy mourning period of one year or more: Shorter mourning period of around 49 days: Emphasis on ancestor worship and rituals Visitations to your relatives’ houses during the Chinese New Year period is also not recommended. On the 1 st year death anniversary, the family will wear red after the “combination prayers”, to mark the end of the mourning period. On the first day of the lunar year: Chinese people consider New Year’s Day a very important day. There are many taboos on this day. No washing clothes or hair or bathing. The first and second day of the lunar year is the birthday of the “Water God”, so you are not supposed to use water to show respect for the Water God. Chinese Funeral Flowers: including Chinese New Year and Chinese festival celebrations, before the 1st-year anniversary. white became a taboo color in Chinese However, things take a completely different turn at celebratory festivals like Chinese New Year, which herald the beginning of a brand-new year. Here, death-related utterance or taboos are deemed “unmentionable” due to the profound fear of consequences, especially at a time when many hope to be greeted with good health and prosperity. You didn't mention what race your friend is, because different races (and even different religions) have somewhat different practices. But, assuming your friend is racially Chinese, and is holding a typical Chinese funeral service: (1) Wear dark coloured clothes, and avoid red colour, even if it is dark red. The plainer the design the better. Sending digital red envelopes has become a new way to greet friends or relatives that cannot physically be reached during the Chinese New Year period. It has allowed more red envelopes to be exchanged than ever before. Other Occasions for Red Envelopes. Chinese New Year is a red envelope season. But red envelopes are not limited to Chinese New Celebrating Chinese New Year with Chinese friends can be great, but, when the cultural gap is large, it can be really easy to give the wrong gift for Chinese New Year. Here, we've summarized 15 things you should not give as a Chinese New Year gift and their negative meanings in Chinese culture. Make sure that you don't give the wrong gift. Read on to find out the top 18 taboos during Chinese New Year. Certain Chinese Lunar New Year taboos are only on the first day of the Chinese New Year, while others are applicable throughout the entire Chinese New Year festival, from Chinese New Year’s Eve to the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the Lunar New Year). Follow these Chinese New Chinese New Years Eve: 春节: Chūnjié: Chinese New Year; Spring Festival: 春节快乐! Chūnjié kuàilè! Happy Spring Festival! 新年快乐! Xīnnián kuàilè! Happy New Year! 大吉大利! dàjídàlì! Wishing you great prosperity! 恭喜发财: gōngxǐ fācái: May you have a prosperous new year: 鼠年大吉: shǔnián dàjí 1. Good things come in pairs; 2. Number “4” should be avoided; 3. “250” means stupid; 4. Don’t flip the fish; 5. Don’t leave chopsticks standing straight up in your bowl of rice On New Year's Day", the western people generally adopt the form of evening party while the Chinese people generally celebrate in the form of dining together and sending gifts. Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) falls on the first day of the first lunar month of every year. It stands for a fresh start and new hope. Staying away from customary celebrations of the Chinese New Year within a year of experiencing a death in the family is usually observed too. The family in mourning should not visit other friends’ houses, but there is no restriction on them receiving visitors. Other information resources that were used as references: Guide to Chinese funeral
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.