For anyone who has felt awkward at Chinese New Year, here’s a simple guide to navigating the social minefield of red envelopes – condensed into eight simple rules. 1. You give out red envelopes if you’re married. Don’t commit the classic faux-pas of handing out one red envelope from the two of you. Both spouses give a red envelope each. 2. 1. It's a tradition to put crisp, new bills inside a Chinese New Year red envelope. Giving dirty or wrinkled bills is in bad taste. In the week leading up to Chinese New Year, many people stand in long queues at banks to exchange old bills for new ones. 2. You're supposed to avoid putting coins in the envelopes. 3. Nowadays, you can give red envelopes to practically anyone. Giving red envelopes to your co-worker’s or higher-up’s children is used for social networking. It’s just for fun between friends and politeness between acquaintances. How to Receive Red Pockets. Red packets are given when you pay a New Year’s visit (拜年 / bài nián). With the festival fast approaching on January 29, 2025, if you want to get involved but are not sure of the etiquette, here’s everything you need to know.The most basic things to remember are to give and receive lai see with two hands and wish everyone the essential Lunar New Year greeting, “Gong hey fat choy,” roughly meaning “Best wishes for prosperity in the new year.” Given that Chinese New Year isn’t celebrated with material gifts, the amount is usually around $20, enough for the child to buy a toy on his or her own. Grandparents generally give red envelopes in similar amounts to their grandchildren during visits on New Year’s Eve or in the days following New Year’s Day. 2. The red envelopes (red pockets or red packets), lucky money, hong bao in Mandarin, or lai see in Cantonese, are commonly used as a monetary gift during the Chinese New Year. service@chinatravel.com 86-773-286-5632 (Intl rates apply) This year’s Chinese New Year falls on Feb 10. One of the things that everyone associates with Chinese New Year is hongbao (红包) — money-filled red packets given to family, friends, colleagues, and employees. Every year around this time, I always find myself checking in with others about how much to put in the envelopes. You can refer to local or family traditions and customs to see how much people of your own generation give , so that you can decide how much you want to put in a red envelope. Chinese New Year red envelope money are suggested to be in even numbers, and avoid 250, 300 and 400. What are the Lucky Chinese Numbers on the Red Envelope? 1. It’s expected that you’ll give red envelopes to your own children ($20 is common), to any unmarried children among your family and friends ($5-$10 is common), to your parents ($50-$100 is common) and to any friends or family you visit ($20 is common) during the Chinese New Year holiday. The boss in a company will distribute the red envelopes to employees in the working days preceding the Chinese New Year. However, in southern China, people are likely to give “a start back to work” packet (Li Shi) when employees return after the Spring Festival. Chinese new year red envelopes, aka hongbao, are lucky money wrapped in red packet given to kids and elders during Chinese New Year, or given on weddings and birthday parties. Ringing in the Chinese New Year comes with traditional gifts like ang paos (or red envelopes). Generally, on New Year’s Eve or New Year's Day, Hang says children give their best wishes to their family members and in return receive red envelopes with money "to bless them with good luck in Chinese new year red envelopes, aka hongbao, are lucky money wrapped in red packet given to kids and elders during Chinese New Year, or given on weddings and birthday parties. A red envelope (red packet or red pocket), lucky money, hong bao in Mandarin, or lai see in Cantonese, is commonly used as a monetary gift during holidays or special 1. Chinese New Year. When visiting family and friends during the Chinese New Year holiday, be prepared with a fistful of red packets to hand out in every household in which you encounter children, e.g. unmarried, young dependents, typically teenagers and younger. The red envelopes (red pockets or red packets), lucky money, hong bao in Mandarin, or lai see in Cantonese, are commonly used as a monetary gift during the Chinese New Year. service@chinatravel.com 86-773-286-5632 (Intl rates apply) Well, you can go on a holiday during Lunar New Year but people will remember you as the cheapskate person who’s $188-288 sounds like a reasonable amount. In Hong Kong we sometimes give out exactly HK$888, HK$1000 exact if you're being lazy. Is red envelope what you guys call in the overseas? We normally just call it red packets here. Edit: I wonder if there's any other words for the "red envelope" Chinese New Year Red Envelopes are one of the favorite Chinese traditions for children, because on New Year’s Day they are given the shiny packets with money inside. Kids of all ages quickly learn the words for red envelope: “hong bao” in Mandarin, “lai see” in Cantonese. 2025 Chinese Snake Year Red Envelopes Celebrate the 2025 Chinese Snake Year with these vibrant red envelopes! Featuring elegant snake-themed designs, they’re perfect for gifting during Lunar New Year, weddings, or special occasions. Red Envelopes for Chinese New Year Presenting red envelopes during the New Year is significant in Chinese traditional culture, and it means conveying blessings. The following will give you a detailed introduction to the etiquette of the Chinese New Year's red envelopes, helping you better express the blessing. 1, When are red envelopes given Yeah my parents used to give me $200-500 in red envelopes but we don’t have much family here, so I’d only get an envelope from them. If I had a bigger family, it would likely add up to that much if you totaled all the envelopes given even if they’re multiples of 20.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.