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One of the most well-known beliefs about Chinese New Year is that you should not wash your hair on the first day of the lunar year – in this case, on the 29th – as it could “wash away” the 5. Don’t wash your hair on the first day of the New Year: This is because the Chinese word for “hair” is a homonym to “wealth”, and people think it is miserable to wash wealth away at the beginning. 6. Avoid cutting your hair: It is thought that doing so may disrupt one's financial luck during the festive season. Taking naps, especially on the first day of the Chinese New Year, represents laziness. In Chinese culture, taking naps on the first day of the new year will affect your luck and career for the rest of the year. 9. Avoid breaking things in your home 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. 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 People avoid washing their hair on Lunar New Year because it’s believed to wash away good fortune. This belief stems from a linguistic similarity in Mandarin, with the word for hair (fa, 发) sharing both the same pronunciation and first character of the word for fortune (facai, 发财). That has evolved over the years into the superstition 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, it means that you’re washing “My grandparents used to tell us not to wash hair on the first day of CNY as it symbolises ‘washing away your fortune’,” shares one Singaporean As the Chinese New Year approached, an Wash or cut your hair Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year. The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosper. “On the first two days of the New Year, we do not wash our hair as it will wash away the good luck. In the first 15 days, we can wash our hair once with pomelo leaves, then washing hair becomes normal again. We just have to avoid days 1,2,7, and 15,” Debbie explains. “Lunar New Year celebrations last 15 days, and each day is special. This year, Chinese New Year begins on Wednesday, January 29. Those who celebrate will be entering the year of the snake. Just like with any holiday, traditions abound for Chinese New Year. Some of Washing hair on the first day of the New Year is thought to wash away good luck. The Chinese word for hair (发) sounds similar to the word for prosperity (发财), so washing hair is seen as washing away wealth. Avoid taking medicine on the first day of the Lunar New Year. According to folklore and tradition, it is believed that washing your hair on New Year's Eve may wash away good luck and fortune, leaving you vulnerable to misfortune and bad luck in the coming year. On the first day of Chinese New Year, you must not wash or cut your hair. Washing your hair on the first and second day of the new year is believed to be bad luck – it symbolises washing away your fortune. Not a very auspicious start to 2024! The same goes for cutting your hair. However, these days, not many people stick to such rules (not washing your hair in our scorching heat needs no explanation). Can we wash hair on first day of Chinese New Year? 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, it means that you’re washing your own fortune away for the coming 364 days. 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 thing to "wash one's fortune away" at the beginning of the New Year. On the first day of Chinese New Year, you must not wash or cut your hair. Rising early on New Year’s Day signifies diligence and success, while waking late can bring laziness into the year. 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 Not if you believe these superstitions. Here's what to do and what to avoid for a happier, luckier 2025. Chinese New Year falls on Jan. 29, 2025. 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. 5. Don’t wash your hair on the first day of the New Year: This is because the Chinese word for “hair” is a homonym to “wealth”, and people think it is miserable to wash wealth away at the beginning. 6. Avoid cutting your hair: It is thought that doing so may disrupt one's financial luck during the festive season. Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year. The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosper. This means washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away and dramatically reduces chances of prosperity in the year ahead.
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