Not Sponsored: Over the years, I have learned so much about Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival) from other bloggers. There are so many wonderful beliefs and customs they uphold, that I have since incorporated them into my own life. Many of these practices are said to bring you Good Luck! I find that these practices will keep you balanced and keep your life in order. I strive to do them every New Year and into the Chinese New Year (which is February 10, 2024 this year).
Image by Spider M from Pixabay
Clean The House
Before the New Year comes in, clean your home as thoroughly as possible. Many people that I know, thoroughly clean their homes many days/weeks before the New Year. Think of it as a deep and thorough cleansing of your home! Dust, mop, vacuum, clean your bathrooms, ceiling fans, scrub everything in your kitchen, take the trash outside and do the laundry. You want EVERYTHING as CLEAN as possible entering into the New Year! Why? Read the next paragraph section.
Open Windows
Before the stroke of midnight, open your windows! This practice is to let the old year out and let the new year into your home. The reason why you want your home as clean as possible, is so the New Year and it's Good Luck "stick" to everything in your home. If you have a dirty home (that's the old year), you don't want the New Year to stick to or mingle with the "dirt" of the old year.
Eat Something Sweet
If you want to have a SWEET NEW YEAR, then be sure to have something sweet to eat in your home. Whether cake, candy, cookies etc. Be sure to have sweets for everyone to eat in your home.
Good Luck Food
My family traditionally has pork (good luck), black-eyed peas (good luck), greens (money), cornbread (gold) and 12 grapes (good luck) for the New Year. With the Chinese New Year. Dumplings, noodles, fish and fruit (oranges, tangerines, apples) are associated with good luck and good fortune.
Wear Red
Don't wear black! Don't wear white! WEAR RED for GOOD LUCK!
Don't Cut or Wash Your Hair on Chinese New Year's Day!
Cutting anything is a NO-NO! You don't want to cut off, cut short or wash away your good luck! So think the night before, if there is anything you have to use scissors etc for and cut those things then. This becomes especially challenging for food preparation. So cut cans, bags etc the night before.
Don't Use A Broom. Don't Wash.
You don't want to sweep away your good luck. Plus, remember all the cleaning you did leading up to this day. Leave the broom in the broom closet. Besides not washing your hair, you are not suppose to bathe either (so take a bath/shower and hour or so before midnight). Don't wash clothes on New Year's Day either.
Don't Cry
Don't Cry on New Years Day or you will cry the ENTIRE year.
Pay All Your Debts
This is the only one, I never seem to complete every year (there's always something lingering). But isn't this a great practice! To go into a New Year, debt free!
You can read more about each of these online, but I wanted to give you a basic guideline so you can also have GOOD LUCK and PROSPERITY going into the Chinese New Year.
Great Tipps. It would be a wonderful new Year.
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