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Lucky Money contained in Red Envelopes or "Lai See" These red envelopes are usually given to children during Chinese New Year. They will contain sweets or more often money which is then considered to be lucky. The envelopes or "Lai See" will also be given on birthdays, at Christmas and to the bride and groom at weddings. |
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The Chinese God of Wealth, Chinese Lucky Man or "Choi San" The Chinese God of Wealth appears during the Chinese New Year festivities. He can be likened to a Santa Claus of the Chinese culture. He will be seen spreading good luck and handing out red envelopes as gifts. |
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This martial arts display plays a major role in the Chinese New Year activities. The lions bring good luck and protects from evil spirits. It is lucky for the lion dance to visit your home or business and this is the reason why you will see cabbages or lettuce dangled outside shops in Chinatown as this attracts the lions to visit your building. It is especially lucky if the lion decides to put your head in its mouth! As part of the lion dance procession, there will be specially trained percussionists. The drums represent the lion's heartbeat and must be continuously played as the lions dance or move from one location to another. |
Chinese New Year's Eve - The family will spend time together and enjoy a banquet. The home will be decorated with flowers and plants and will be cleaned including all rubbish thrown out. The belief is that the gods will inspect your house the following day - the tidier it is, the luckier your year will be. At midnight there are street parties and fireworks. Chinese New Year's Day (Day1)- Again, the family will spend time together. It is considered unlucky to clean up, brush up or even throw rubbish out of the home, that is why it is done the night before! The superstition is that if you throw anything out or brush anything up, you are actually throwing, brushing or washing away your good lick for the New Year. Some think that is is even unlucky to wash your hair! In the evening, the family will eat a vegan meal as a sign of respect to all animals. Day 2 - Visits will be made to extended family and friends. This will include a trip to the cemetery to pay respects to friends or relatives that have passed away. Day 3 - The family will stay at home because the superstition says that if you visit anybody on this particular day, you will argue with that person for the rest of the year! Days 4,5,6 - Things start to return to normal - Children are back in school and shops open again. Day 7 - National Birthday Day. Everybody celebrates their birthday for the year! |
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