How to usher in good luck this Lunar New Year!

Chinese culture considers 2024 to be particularly auspicious because it will be the year of the Dragon, which is regarded as the luckiest sign among the twelve zodiac signs. However, according to Chinese superstition, you should do these things to increase your luck even more or to keep it from running out!

According to Chinese superstition, cutting your hair during the 15 days of the lunar new year is extremely unlucky, as the practice is thought to bring bad luck to your uncles. Getting a new look before the new year, however, is a welcome change that brings new fortune!

On the same topic of hair, superstition dictates that you should avoid washing your hair on the first day of the lunar new year. According to Honeycombers, doing so would mean washing away your luck for the rest of the year!

Did you know that according to Chinese culture, the colours of white and black are symbolic for mourning? Hence, TimeOut advises against wearing these two colours especially on the first few days of celebrating the lunar new year.

Instead, according to TimeOut and numerous other sources, one should wear bright colours, particularly the auspicious colour red, to bring in prosperity! This is also one of the reasons why, during the lunar new year, many Chinese shops and houses are decorated in red, with the hope that it will bring good luck to businesses and homes.

Cleaning out your home is synonymous with new beginnings in many cultures, which includes the Chinese! It is believed that cleaning up before the lunar new year would help clear away negative energies from the previous year.

In the same vein, Chinese superstition states that one should never do any cleaning during the first day of the lunar new year itself, as it does the reverse – sweeping away good fortune from your household!

The Chinese believe that what is done on the first day of the lunar new year is significant and will set the tone for the rest of the year. Having said that, avoid crying or negative talk on the first day of the lunar new year, and also on the third!

Also, according to Chinese tradition, if you take a nap on the first day of the lunar new year, it will be a sign that you will be extremely lazy all year. So, it's best to avoid naps on that day.

You might not be aware of this, but eating dumplings is believed to bring good fortune in the new year. According to CNN, this is because traditional Chinese dumplings are traditionally eaten as a sign of good fortune due to their shape resembling gold ingots.

Fish is also believed to bring prosperity when eaten during the lunar new year. According to China Highlights, the best way to maximise the benefits eating fish would bring would be to eat it as the last dish of the day, so that it’ll bring you a prosperous surplus.

Another lunar new year staple food is the ‘nian gao’, also known as the glutinous rice cake. A belief by China Highlights too notes that eating ‘nian gao’ is synonymous with getting ‘higher and higher’ and improving your place in life.

One can’t help if you accidentally break an item in the home, even during the lunar new year! Although breaking anything during the festive season is considered extremely bad luck, you can remedy it with the Mandarin saying, ‘sui sui ping an’ to repel the bad luck from broken items.

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According to Travel China Guide, the water god's birthday is celebrated during the first two days of the lunar new year. As a result, one should avoid washing their clothes during these two days, lest they offend the god himself!

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Did you know?: According to China Highlights, eating prawns can increase happiness in households during the lunar new year because the Cantonese word for prawns is synonymous with the sound of laughter.

Image: Pixabay

According to Time, mandarin oranges are popular during the lunar new year season because their Mandarin pronunciation is the same as the word for 'good luck'. To bring luck to loved ones, some families would place mandarins next to pillows before going to bed.

Image: Pixabay

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