Chinese New Year superstitions are traditional beliefs and practices observed during the Lunar New Year to bring good luck and ward off misfortune. These customs range from avoiding certain actions to performing specific rituals, all aimed at ensuring a prosperous year ahead. 20 Chinese New Year Superstitions 1. Avoid Cleaning on New Year’s Day Wong adds that many Chinese traditions around the new year, like cleaning or eating sweets, are all about setting the mood for the year ahead. "A lot of it feels about intent. New clothes, new shoes, new bags, new bed sheets, what have you. But why the obsession? Ancient Chinese believed that marking a new year with all things new was the best way to signify new beginnings and also properly depose of bad experiences in the previous year. Each culture celebrating the Lunar New Year has traditions passed down from generation to generation that are thought to bring good luck. For the Lunar New Year 2025, I asked NPR readers and listeners to share the new and old traditions they practice to ensure a lucky year ahead. Here are some of their responses, edited for length and clarity. The most common Chinese New Year foods include dumplings, fish, spring rolls, and niangao. We've rounded up 12 essential Chinese, or Lunar, New Year dishes, and included the symbolism behind them all. For Chinese people, Lunar New Year is the Spring Festival, wishing to cut away last year’s bad luck and walk out with a clean, shiny slate. Then it’s no washing for 24 hours, to avoid If you are expecting a lucky new year, you can follow this guide and find some lucky things to do for Chinese New Year. Also, it’s worthwhile to have a tour during Chinese Lunar New Year. See our sample tours for some inspiration. So, what are some easy, lucky foods you can make for the Chinese New Year? Spring rolls, dumplings, lettuce wraps, fried rice, lo mein, long noodles (mian tiao) and mustard greens are simple to make and you can include several lucky food items. What else can you do for luck? On February 8th and 9th, wear red or decorate your home with something The best Chinese New Year traditions to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Snake in 2025. Try these good luck traditions of foods, colors and open windows. Here we've rounded up the top lucky flowers and fruits that are most often gifted and used as decorations at Chinese New Year. 1. Tangerine or Kumquat Tree — Wealth and Good Luck. Kumquat trees are a very popular plant displayed during the Chinese New Year holidays, especially in South China's Cantonese-speaking regions of Hong Kong, Macau During Chinese New Year, people have a long list of things to do. From one week preceding the festival to the 15th day after, many Chinese New Year customs are widely observed for thousands of years. The family reunion dinner, eating dumplings, and setting off firework are the must-dos that you might know. What else interesting do the Chinese do? 3. To welcome the Chinese New Year 2024, you can decorate your home with some auspicious symbols that attract good luck and prosperity. For example, you can hang a red banner with the Chinese character for “fortune” (福) on your door or wall, or place a statue of a dragon in your living room. 1. (福) Fu: blessings, good fortune, good luck. Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used during Chinese New Year. It is often posted upside down on the front door of a dwelling. The upside-down character fu means “good luck came,” since the character representing “upside down” in Chinese sounds the same as “good luck has Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festival 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. Snake is the new year animal. Learn more about Chinese Lunar New Year traditions, taboos, food, zodiac signs, and greetings. Chinese New Year's Eve Traditions 1. Putting Up New Year Decorations. People believe that auspicious decorations can drive away evil spirits and bring good luck. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Chinese people will hang red lanterns in front of their houses, put Chinese New Year Couplets on doors, and put flowers with lucky symbols inside their houses. Generations come together to celebrate Chinese New Year, honoring traditions and strengthening family bonds. Clean—but don’t sweep luck away. Houses are cleaned before Chinese New Year to discard bad vibes, but on the day itself, no brooms or mops are allowed. Sweeping during festivities risks brushing away newly arrived fortune. 7. Sending Chinese New Year Wishes. During Chinese New Year, Chinese people will greet each other with pleasant words like: 'Xin nian kuai le' which means 'Happy New Year' (simplified Chinese: 新年快乐). See more Chinese New Year Greetings and Wishes. 8. Watching the New Year TV Gala lucky colors to wear ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide. The act of sharing and enjoying these delectable pockets during the New Year celebrations becomes a communal tradition that extends beyond culinary delight, fostering a sense of togetherness and the belief in the prosperous journey that lies ahead. 20. Niangao (Chinese New Year Cake) 4. Kumquat Trees. Kumquat trees are a beloved Chinese New Year decoration, especially in regions like Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong and Guangxi. The word "kumquat" sounds similar to words for "gold" and "luck" in Chinese dialects, making it an auspicious choice.
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