Chinese New Year Customs

Lunar New Year comes with a series of customs from fireworks to paintings. One of the most famous traditions is the New Year’s greetings, where the younger generation pays respect to the elder generation first by wishing them good health. Then, the elders distribute a red envelop with cash or chocolate coins to the young people, symbolising wealth. Some customs find their roots in phonetic, such as the steamed rice cakes called “Nian Gao”, which phonetically mean old age and symbolise “long life”. Therefore, they represent a must-have dish. Further, it is symbolic for families to clean their houses before the start of the new year, as the word “dust” in Chinese is a homophone for “old”, and therefore sweeping dust should drive away bad luck. Additionally, Spring Festival Couplets, a form of poetry written in calligraphy on red paper and expressing good wishes, are attached to doorways.