This year, February 1, 2022, marks the start of the Lunar New Year. 2022 is all about the year of the tiger, so it's safe to say that you can expect a lot of excitement and buzz. But there's more to celebrating this holiday than watching lion dances, eating Chinese delicacies, and the like. The Lunar New Year is all about welcoming luck for the next 365 days. Wouldn't you want to join in on the fun in the hopes of having a great year ahead? Perhaps, if you do any of these important traditions, you might just expect something great soon!
Show Off The Door Gods
Also called 'Menshen,' hanging the images of 'Door Gods' on any threshold in your house is an important custom during the Lunar New Year. These 'Door Gods' are deities that protect your home from evil spits and bad luck, particularly during the start of the new year. And you can't just hang any Door Good anywhere. In Chinese culture, ther are main door gods, secondary door gods, back door gods, and the like. You'll need to properly place each one in their respective door in order to let them protect your home. And never place two door gods back to back as this is considered bad luck.
Source: MaxPixel
Clean Your Home
Just before Chinese New Year, it's a common tradition to clean your whole house. You need to scrub your windows, sweep the floors, dust the furniture, and the like. In the Chinese language, the words 'old' and 'dust' sound the same, hence, cleaning away any unnecessary dust drives away bad luck. And you need to do your cleaning before the Lunar New Year too since doing it on the day itself is unacceptable. If you clean your house on the holiday itself, you risk 'dusting away' the new good luck that comes with the new year. And you wouldn't want that to happen, would you?
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Follow Feng Shui
While you're cleaning your home, why not rearrange your furniture according to Feng Shui as well? Feng Shui is Chinese art rearranging the pieces in your living space to create balance in the natural world. There are certain rules you must follow in order to draw in good fortune and to turn away bad luck. According to the
bagua, or the Feng Shui energy map that's superimposed to your home's floor plan, there are eight areas you have to focus on. They include Family (Zhen), Wealth (Xun), Health (Tai Qi), Helpful People (Qian), Children (Dui), Knowledge (Gen), Fame (Li), Career (Kan), and Partnerships (Kun). A ninth area in the center of it all, 'Tai Chi,' represents your overall wellness.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Paint The Town Red
The color red is an important color for the Lunar New Year and in Chinese culture overall. It's said that Nian, a lion-like monster that attacks villages and kills children, is afraid of the color red. And since its name is translated to 'year' in English, he's expected to be most active during the holiday. Hence, to ward him off, red is used to decorate homes and various places throughout the world. The most common way to go about it is to hang red Kǒngmíng lanterns outside the home.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Give Money and Chocolates
The concept of Karma is alive and well in Chinese culture and since the color red also represents wealth, you're expected to share blessings on Chinese New Year. Traditionally, older adults and richer folks give out
lai see, or red packets filled with money, to less fortunate and younger acquaintances. Employers are also expected to hand out these money-filled packets to their single employees on the holiday. As for the little ones, their packets are often filled with chocolate coins to represent money. Only when they get to a certain age can they start receiving actual money in their lai sees.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Even if you're not Chinese yourself, the Chinese New Year is a special holiday where everyone can participate. It's all about welcoming the Lunar New Year with good fortune after all. And if you want to have a great year ahead, doing these traditions might just do the trick!
