10 things to avoid for the Lunar New Year
HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR everyone!!
As in every culture, there are certain things (habit, custom,..) that you should avoid in a specific time of the year.
In Europe for example, one will lose his job or wife for things like “seeing black cats“, “walking under ladders” or “breaking a mirror“.
In Asia, there are other things you should avoid, especially during the New year. Lets have a look at the top 10 things that can represent 'Bad Luck'.
1. DO NOT have porridge for breakfast because it is considered that only poor people have porridge for breakfast, and people don't want to start the year “poor” as this is a bad omen. Therefore people must have cooked rice for the first meal of the year, in the hope that the family will be rich for the whole coming year. Besides, meat should not be eaten at this breakfast out of respect for the (Buddhist) gods (who are believed to be against killing of animals), as all gods are expected to be out meeting and wishing a happy New Year to each other
2. DO NOT say 'unlucky' words (i.e death, finished, gone).
3. DO NOT wash your hair or your clothes as it considered to be washing away one’s own luck.
4. DO NOT sweeping the floor as it means you sweeps away wealth.
5. DO NOT lend or borrow money as it can leads to debt. If someone who owes you money, do not go to his or her home to demand it. Anyone who does so it is said will be unlucky all the year.
6. DO NOT wear 'black/white' clothes as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
7. DO NOT get a hair cut as it means you cut away your own luck.
8. DO NOT do any needle work as the use of knives and scissors should be avoided for any accident, whether harming a person or tool, is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth in the coming year.
9. DO NOT buy a pair of shoes as it is considered as bad luck. The character for “shoe” (鞋) is a homophone for the character 諧/谐, which means “rough” in Cantonese; in Mandarin it is also a homophone for the character for “evil” (邪).
10. DO NOT offer anything in fours, as the number four (四), pronounced sì, can sound like “death” (死) in Chinese.
However, things can (or even should) be done 'before' the New year!
- Buy New Shoes and Clothes - Here is your chance to turn a want into a need!! Yes, you really do have to buy yourself a new pair of shoes and clothes to welcome in the new year :)
- Get a Haircut - New year, new you!! Just as importantly, no snipping off your lucks for a month after, or you'll be cutting away your prosperity as well. You wouldn't want that.
- Clean the House - Be sure to sweep the floor of dirt, taking the bad luck out with it, but put your brooms out of sight on the New Year. No sweeping up messes either, or you may send your good luck out the door.
Traditionally many of those things are associated with the New Year Festival, but in recent years some of them have been discarded, especially among the modern urban populations in larger cities and the younger generation.
As in every culture, there are certain things (habit, custom,..) that you should avoid in a specific time of the year.
In Europe for example, one will lose his job or wife for things like “seeing black cats“, “walking under ladders” or “breaking a mirror“.
In Asia, there are other things you should avoid, especially during the New year. Lets have a look at the top 10 things that can represent 'Bad Luck'.
1. DO NOT have porridge for breakfast because it is considered that only poor people have porridge for breakfast, and people don't want to start the year “poor” as this is a bad omen. Therefore people must have cooked rice for the first meal of the year, in the hope that the family will be rich for the whole coming year. Besides, meat should not be eaten at this breakfast out of respect for the (Buddhist) gods (who are believed to be against killing of animals), as all gods are expected to be out meeting and wishing a happy New Year to each other
2. DO NOT say 'unlucky' words (i.e death, finished, gone).
3. DO NOT wash your hair or your clothes as it considered to be washing away one’s own luck.
4. DO NOT sweeping the floor as it means you sweeps away wealth.
5. DO NOT lend or borrow money as it can leads to debt. If someone who owes you money, do not go to his or her home to demand it. Anyone who does so it is said will be unlucky all the year.
6. DO NOT wear 'black/white' clothes as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
7. DO NOT get a hair cut as it means you cut away your own luck.
8. DO NOT do any needle work as the use of knives and scissors should be avoided for any accident, whether harming a person or tool, is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth in the coming year.
9. DO NOT buy a pair of shoes as it is considered as bad luck. The character for “shoe” (鞋) is a homophone for the character 諧/谐, which means “rough” in Cantonese; in Mandarin it is also a homophone for the character for “evil” (邪).
10. DO NOT offer anything in fours, as the number four (四), pronounced sì, can sound like “death” (死) in Chinese.
However, things can (or even should) be done 'before' the New year!
- Buy New Shoes and Clothes - Here is your chance to turn a want into a need!! Yes, you really do have to buy yourself a new pair of shoes and clothes to welcome in the new year :)
- Get a Haircut - New year, new you!! Just as importantly, no snipping off your lucks for a month after, or you'll be cutting away your prosperity as well. You wouldn't want that.
- Clean the House - Be sure to sweep the floor of dirt, taking the bad luck out with it, but put your brooms out of sight on the New Year. No sweeping up messes either, or you may send your good luck out the door.
Traditionally many of those things are associated with the New Year Festival, but in recent years some of them have been discarded, especially among the modern urban populations in larger cities and the younger generation.
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