Chinese New Years Superstitions & Traditions: Year of the Pig

Chinese New Years Superstitions & Traditions: Year of the Pig

One of the most important holidays in Chinese culture is the Chinese New Year.  Chinese New Year is a two weeks-long event filled with superstitions and traditions that have been passed down between families for centuries.  2019 is the year of the Pig, and Chinese New Year begins on February 5th, 2019, and ends on February 19th with the Lantern Festival.

Also known as the Spring Festival and Lunar New Year, Chinese New Year is a time of change and new beginnings in Chinese culture.  Many of the traditions are done for the purpose of removing old items to make room for new good fortunes to come your way in the new year.  Chúxī, the Mandarin word for New Year’s Eve, literally translates to “remove” or “do away with” evening.  Here are some popular Chinese New Year traditions to make way for good luck in the new year.

Chinese New Year Traditions for Good Luck

Preparing your home for the New Year is one of the most important traditions in Chinese culture.  Families completely clean the house in the days leading up to the New Year.  It is considered auspicious to rid one’s home of any old, dirty, or broken items.  For example, clearing out any ripped or damaged clothing is considered to bring good luck in the coming year.  Families also prepare their homes by decorating with red symbols to represent wealth, good fortune, happiness and longevity.

Red is considered an extremely auspicious color in Chinese culture, so wearing the color red is another tradition during Chinese New Year.  Red symbolizes joy, virtue and sincerity.  According to Chinese mythology, a monster named Nian would descend from the mountains to terrorize villagers every winter before the New Year.  Nian, which translates to “year” in English, was afraid of the color red, loud noises, and fire, so villagers would hang red lanterns and scrolls on their windows and doors, and light firecrackers to ward off Nian.

Setting off firecrackers just after midnight is a popular tradition to scare off evil spirits during Lunar New Year celebrations.  Opening up windows and doors also allows for good fortune to enter your house as the Chinese New Year begins.  Another good luck tradition is elders giving out small, red cash-filled envelopes called hóng bāo to the children in the family.

Lucky Foods for Chinese New Year

Of course food is a big part of celebrations for Chinese New Year.  It is customary for families to gather for a feast.  Some of the lucky foods for Chinese New Year include pork, duck, fish, and rice.

• Fish is served whole, the head symbolizing the new year and the tail as the end of the year that has just passed.
• Pork symbolizes strength and abundance, while duck signifies fidelity.
• Rice symbolizes wealth and good luck, so it’s good to have an abundance of rice during Chinese New Year as well.
• Noodles are a lucky food to have as they symbolize longevity.
• Spring rolls are shaped like gold bars and represent wealth, and the round shape of dumplings symbolize coins for good fortune in the new year.
• Pineapple and citrus fruit such as Mandarin oranges, tangerines and pomelo symbolize luck and prosperity.  It is customary to fill a bowl with an even amount of fruit for good luck in the new year.
• It is also good luck to have lots of red-colored cakes and candies, including Nian Gao, a sticky and sweet rice cake that is traditional for Lunar New Year.

Many traditional Chinese families also serve a Tray of Togetherness for the Spring Festival.  The Tray of Togetherness is a platter with either six or eight compartments filled with different bite sized sweets such as dried fruits, nuts, and candies.  In Chinese culture, the number six symbolizes good luck and eight symbolizes fortune.

Chinese New Year Superstitions & Taboos

There are also a number of superstitions during the Chinese New Year season.  Here are some things you should avoid doing during the Chinese New Year to avoid bringing on bad luck.

While it is considered good luck to have a clean house when the New Year arrives, it is considered bad luck to use a broom during Chinese New Year.  Sweeping the floor is associated to sweeping away your fortune and good luck, so avoid using a broom during the New Year period.  The same applies to washing hair or clothing on the first day of the new year.  Using any type of sharp knives, scissors or needlework is said to deplete your wealth and is also avoided on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Avoid wearing black or white during Chinese New Year, as these colors are associated with death and bad luck.  Except in cases of emergency, many Chinese people also avoid visits to the hospital during the New Year festivities because it is believed it will bring you illness in the coming year.

New Year blessings, bài nián, are meant to be given only after you are out of bed, otherwise the recipient will be bed-ridden, according to Chinese New Year superstitions.  When visiting family for the New Year, giving gifts is customary but certain gifts such as clocks and pears are associated with separation and loss and should not be given.

The family’s rice jar should never become empty during the Chinese New Year festival, as it symbolizes wealth running out. You should also avoid lending money or demanding any repayment on New Year’s Day because it is thought to bring bad luck for the coming year.

The sound of a crying child is thought to bring bad luck, so parents try to prevent their children from crying during the New Year.  Many also believe that you should not enter the new year with any grudges, so it is best to mend fences with family and friends before the new year.  Turning off the lights at night on New Years is also thought to ward off any evil spirits from entering.

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