7 Taboos Your Grandma Told You About Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is known for its many traditions and superstitions, like dressing in red, giving and receiving red packets, and decorating with blooming plants. 

This is because Chinese people believe that what you do at the start of a new year will affect your luck for the rest of the year. 

But have you ever wondered what these traditions really mean?

Here are 5 Chinese New Year myths that your grandma may have told you about when you were growing up that you’ve probably forgotten by now. 🤭 

Don’t clean the house 

“Don’t sweep the floor!” 

Your mum or grandma have probably yelled during Chinese New Year. 😅 

Sweeping the floor symbolises ‘sweeping’ the wealth away on this auspicious day. Similarly, taking out the trash symbolises dumping out one’s good fortune from the house. 

Don’t wash or cut your hair 

Have you ever noticed how the price of haircuts increase right before Chinese New Year? 

That’s probably because of the myth that you should not cut or wash your hair during the new year! 

In Mandarin, hair has the same pronunciation as wealth. Therefore, washing your hair is seen as washing one’s fortune away. While cutting one’s hair is believed to bring misfortune. 

Don’t wash clothes 

The first two days of Chinese New Year are celebrated as the birthday of the Water God. 

Washing clothes on these two days is regarded as disrespectful to the Water God and pouring away the laundry water symbolises pouring your wealth away.  

Don’t eat porridge for breakfast 

Porridge is considered a poor person's food from ancient Chinese times. 

Chinese people do not want to start the year “poor” by eating porridge for breakfast, as this is a bad omen. 

Don’t use any sharp objects 

The blades of a sharp object like a scissor or knife is compared to a person’s sharp mouth during a quarrel. 

Therefore, using sharp objects on the first day of Chinese New Year is believed to invite quarrels with others for the coming year. 

Don’t use odd numbers 

The number 4 sounds like death in Mandarin and is seen as extremely unlucky. 

When giving red packets, always use even numbers and avoid odd numbers like 4, 44, or 40. 

Avoid breaking things 

Breaking objects symbolises incompleteness and bad luck. Therefore, breaking anything such as a plate, bowl, mirror or glass is considered to be the bringer of bad luck, monetary loss, or family breakups. 

If something is broken accidentally, use red paper to cover up the broken pieces and say “sui sui peng an”, which means “all year round, safe and sound”. 

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