Among the well-known Lunar New Year superstitions lies the curious practice of refraining from washing one’s hair. The notion prevails that washing hair on this auspicious occasion could potentially cleanse away good fortune. This belief finds its roots in a linguistic connection within Mandarin, where the word for hair (髮) shares both Hair (发 / fā) shares the same pronunciation Similar to washing clothes, it is also considered bad luck to wash your hair on New Year’s Day. This superstition suggests that washing your hair on this day can wash away all your luck. To ensure good fortune in the coming year, it is recommended to skip washing your hair on New Year’s Day. Chinese New Year is just around the corner. To ensure that you start your new year on the right foot, here is a list of things that you should and should not do on Chinese New Year. 1. Washing and cutting hair 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 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 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 Chinese New Year in 2025 falls on Jan 29 (Wednesday). As Singaporeans gear up for the celebrations, these age-old superstitions remind us of the cultural richness and traditions that define the 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 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. “一年之计在于春” is a well-known saying in Chinese culture; meaning “you must start planning for the year in the spring” or “you better start the year off right!”. This leads to many interesting traditions in the early days of a Lunar New Year, including not washing your hair on specific days on the calendar. Photo by [] 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 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. Can you wash your hair on New Year’s Eve? Can I wash my hair on New Year’s? According to many cultures, washing your hair on New Year’s is believed to wash away all your luck, so it is better to avoid washing anything on the holiday to be safe. Should you do washing on New Can you wash your hair on New Year’s Eve? Some of those Chinese New Year taboos will only sustain for first few days of the festival, while others may be kept till the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month, or even for a whole month. Hereunder are 16 things you should never do during the Chinese New Year. This means washing or cutting it off is seen as “My grandparents used to tell us not to wash hair (hair is 发 in Chinese, which is similar to wealth – 发财) on the first day of CNY as it symbolises ‘washing away your fortune’, which Day 1 is New Years, day 2 is 开年 (Starting of the year), day 7 is 人日 (literally “Human’s 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 Yes, that’s right, one does not simply wash their hair or take a shower on the day of Chinese New Year as cleaning yourself on the day is seen as washing away good fortune. Though a thorough scrub of the hair and body is highly encouraged prior in order to rinse off any bad luck. Can you wash your hair on New Year’s Eve? Can I wash my hair on New Year’s? According to many cultures, washing your hair on New Year’s is believed to wash away all your luck, so it is better to avoid washing anything on the holiday to be safe. Should you do washing on New Can you wash your hair on New Year’s Eve? Read More » 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 During the Lunar New Year Lunch hosted by New World Hotel, Feng Shui expert Patrick Fernandez from the Yin and Yang Shop of Harmony shares practical advice on what to do—and what to avoid “My grandparents used to tell us not to wash hair (hair is 发 in Chinese, which is similar to wealth – 发财) on the first day of CNY as it symbolises
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