Chinese New Year Taboos - Things You Should Not Do During Chinese New Year

[StarShapedGummy]

First of all, Happy Chinese New Year!!!
 
Credits to Cindy Tang @ http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-taboos.htm
 
Chinese New Year Taboos - Things You Should Not Do During Chinese New Year
 
Chinese people believe that, as the Spring Festival is the start of a new year, what you do then will affect your luck in the coming year. There are many things you should not do.

Traditionally many taboos are associated with the New Year Festival, but in recent years some of them have been discarded, especially among the modern urban populations in larger cities and the younger generation.

 

Chinese New Year's Day Taboos
Here are top 6 things that people should avoid doing on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

1. Avoid taking medicine.

Chinese New Year tabooAvoid taking medicine at CNY.
It is a taboo for a person to brew herbal medicine or take medicine on the first day of the lunar year, otherwise it is believed he or she will get ill for a whole year.

In some places, after the bell announcing the New Year at midnight New Year's Day, sickly people break their gallipots (medicine pots) in the belief that this custom will drive the illness away in the coming year.

2. Don't sweep or take out garbage.

The act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away. Taking out garbage symbolizes dumping out the good luck or good fortune from the house.

3. Don't eat porridge and meat for breakfast.

Chinese New Year's Day TaboosDon't eat porridge.
Porridge should not be eaten, because it is considered that only poor people have porridge for breakfast, and people don't want to start the year "poor" as this is a bad omen.

Besides, meat should not be eaten at this breakfast out of respect for the (Buddhist) gods (who are believed to be against killing of animals), as all gods are expected to be out meeting and wishing a happy New Year to each other.

4. Don't wash clothes and hair.

People do not wash clothes on the first and second day, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of Shuishen (水神, the Water God).

Hair must not be washed on the first day of the lunar year. In Chinese language, hair (å‘) has the same pronunciation (and indeed is the same character) as fa in facai (å‘è´¢), which means 'to become wealthy’. Therefore, it is seen as not a good thing to “wash one’s fortune away†at the beginning of the New Year.

5. Needle work should not be done.

Chinese New Year tabooNeedle work should not be done.
The use of knives and scissors is to be avoided for any accident, whether harming a person or tool, is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth in the coming year.

6. A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents.

A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents, as this is believed to bring bad luck to the parents, causing economic hardship for the family. Traditionally a married daughter visits the house of her parents on the second day of Chinese New Year.

[Ant]

lmao

we can't cut our hair too apparently

[Pyo Hyemi]

HOLY FUCK

I WASHED MY HAIR :(

[blank_stare]

Well too late on eating meat then. Oh well.

[taigemei]

my grandma always gets on our case about the hair washing lmao

wai po i'm sorry but i'm not going into the new year with greasy hair

[My Everything]

no hospital visits

 

 

 

that's kinda...wrong

[Azero]

And there goes my luck

[Rapmon's Ahjussi Husband]

No washing hair, no sweeping, no clothes washing, no lending money ?, I see a patron right there

 

 

Edited: btw I can totally make that joke because of my cantonese heritage so spare me the drag

[korosensei]

Never heard of "avoid taking meds" and "No scissors and knives" tbh.

[twicecrushed]

I cleaned by sweeping my room and do my laundry every morning, today's no exception. I washed my hair too and ate chicken soup for breakfast. I guess this year I'll be doomed. 

 

Edit: and I took my anemia pill after breakfast. Is that count as well? There goes my luck 

[campfire]

'In some places, after the bell announcing the New Year at midnight New Year's Day, sickly people break their gallipots (medicine pots) in the belief that this custom will drive the illness away in the coming year.'

 

Ooh, girl....

[StarShapedGummy]

holy crud... i just realized i shouldn't use my credit card today

[wnr00]

Thanks for the info. I learnt something today, It's amazing to learn different cultures around the world. Fascinating I guess. Happy New Year for everyone celebrating. 

[sakurahanabira]

lol my work uniform is black and I have work today

 

and I feel that it's better to call it the Lunar New Year since it's not only celebrated by the Chinese but Vietnamese people, too. The taking trash taboo is also part of Tet (our word for the LNY) superstition. Not sure about the others.

[TickleMePink]

All of them are very tame

Then I saw the "no killing"

 

Regardless, this is very interesting and I never knew these things

[A Hamster Named Loneliness]

oh i took a shower today, whoops. But it was a must for me though since I hadn't washed my hair in two days and it was getting greasy.

[JiMiJu]

I broke some of these.

[jinkiskhan]

First of all, Happy Chinese New Year!!!

 

Happy Lunar New Year ^^

 

All of them are very tame

Then I saw the "no killing"

 

Regardless, this is very interesting and I never knew these things

 

You made me laugh

I think the "no killing" rule traditionally refers to animals, e.g. killing of livestock for meat during the festive season. Though murder will probably be bad too~

 

"The cry of a child"

This reminds me of one Lunar New Year when I was asked to babysit a family friend's kid, and that devil's spawn bawled her eyes out on the floor of my room for an hour, loud enough to drive the good luck away from every household in my block