However, it is okay to cut your hair before the new year. “That will bring in new wealth,” Lin stated. RELATED: The Luckiest Months Of The Lunar Year Of The Snake For Each Chinese Zodiac Sign By doing these chores, you’re clearing out bad luck from the ending year, and making way for new luck and fortune. Get a Hair Cut Cutting your hair before the new year helps you rid yourself of last year’s impurities, and enables new growth. Decorate the House Decorating your home with items resembling luck and fortune like red couplets Giving shoes to someone as a present in the new year signifies bad luck. As the pinyin for shoes (鞋, xié) and evil (邪, xié) sounds similar, it is believed that if you give someone shoes, your relationship with the person will eventually end. 5. Do not eat porridge or congee Click to see What to Eat at Chinese New Year to Bring Good Luck? 5. Avoid washing hair and getting a haircut. Hair must not be washed on Chinese New Year's Day. In Mandarin, hair (发, fa) has the same pronunciation (and indeed is the same character) as fa in facai (发财), which means 'to become wealthy'. Therefore, it is seen as not a good The Chinese believe that cutting or washing your hair on the first day of the New Year is bad luck, because the Chinese word for hair (fa) is the same character used in the word “prosper” (facai; 发财). So, cutting or washing your hair symbolizes cutting or washing the prosperity away. People should not get their hair cut during the first lunar month, for it indicates the death of their uncle (mother's brother), and of course it is a thing you should never do during the Chinese New Year. Although it sounds absurd, people are glad to abide by this tradition. The Chinese character for hair is the same character meaning “to become wealthy.” If someone washes their hair, they would be considered washing away their fortune. Don’t cut your hair. Similar to not washing your hair, cutting your hair is also a symbol of bad luck. When a person cuts their hair, it is associated with cutting their If you don’t cut your hair, the superstition is that you are carrying all of the bad things that happened to you in the past year into the new year. So, if you don’t cut your hair then you bring bad energy and bad luck into your future. 2. Context. The informant’s understanding of this ritual is that it signifies “out with the old, in The Chinese word for “book” (shū) sounds exactly the same as the word for “lose” – so buying a book right after ringing in the New Year is considered an invitation for bad luck. Karen Yee of San Francisco, says she doesn't cut or wash her hair on New Year's Day. "Hair and luck in Chinese are homonyms," she said. "So if you cut or wash your hair on the day of the Lunar New 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. It is bad luck to cut anything during the 15 day Chinese New Year period, hence the Chinese tend to go for a haircut before the last day of the Lunar year so that they will not look unkempt, and also because a clean, well maintained appearance matters to usher in a prosperous new year. It is bad luck to cut anything during the 15 day Chinese New Year period, hence the Chinese tend to go for a haircut before the last day of the Lunar year so that they will not look unkempt, and also because a clean, well maintained appearance matters to usher in a prosperous new year. It is bad luck to cut anything during the 15 day Chinese New Year period, hence the Chinese tend to go for a haircut before the last day of the Lunar year so that they will not look unkempt, and also because a clean, well maintained appearance matters to usher in a prosperous new year. DON’T do laundry, wash or cut your hair on New Year’s Day (the day before is fine) but you don’t want to wash away your good luck! DON’T break any dishes or glasses!Jan 25, 2022 DON’T break any dishes or glasses!Jan 25, 2022 3. Don't cut or wash hair on Chinese New Year's Day. Do these in the week or so leading up to New Year's Day, but don't do it on the day of as you don't want to wash away or cut short your luck 6. DON’T wash or cut your hair Don’t wash or cut your hair on the first day of Chinese New Year (Photography: Element5 Digital via Pexels) On the first day of Chinese New Year, you must not wash or cut your hair. In Cantonese, hair is pronounced as faat (髮), which is the same as the word for “getting rich” (發). If you wash your hair Don’t Wash Your Hair or Clothes on New Year’s Day. Washing is thought to wash away wealth and blessings. Postpone laundry and hair-washing until after the first day. By following these traditions and avoiding the taboos, you can usher in a year full of prosperity, happiness, and good luck. Wishing you a joyous and auspicious Chinese New The house is cleansed thoroughly to sweep out any bad luck and to make way for good luck in the new year. No cleaning on the first day of the year, however, as you can sweep away the luck of the new year. Using knives, scissors, or anything sharp on New Year’s Day is considered bad luck as you will “cut off” the New Year’s fortune.
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