The Do’s and Don’ts if Chinese New Year

Chinese etiquette, taboos, and superstitions are steeped in tradition. Perhaps some may be outdated, but here are some that you may want to be aware of as we begin our Lunar New Year celebration:

Never stick chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, since it resembles incense sticks at a funeral. Instead, place your chopsticks on the side of your rice bowl or your plate.

Chinese food is served “family style” - communal dishes for all to share. When using your chopsticks to take something from the main dish, turn it around so that the part that touches YOUR mouth does not touch the communal dish. Or use a dedicated chopstick for the shared plates.

The number “4” is considered unlucky since its name - depending on the tone - resembles the word for “death”. Have you noticed that when you go to dim sum places, the dishes are usually served in units of three? When giving gifts during the Lunar New Year, avoid giving anything in packets of four. Better yet: double up and offer something in units of eight, which is considered one of the luckiest numbers. The word “eight” resembles the meaning of “wealth” and “prosperity”.

BTW: Our Mah Jong banquets usually offered menus with eight courses for good luck.

According to tradition, we are not supposed to sweep and clean during the first few days of the new year. We’d be washing away signs of wealth. Therefore, I am busy doing major cleaning of my home before the new year arrives (aka early spring cleaning!).

We are also not supposed to eat porridge (congee) which is what poor people ate according to Chinese tradition (as for me, I love making congee out of the bones of turkeys, chicken, ham, beef ribs – to me, this is comfort food). Still, so as not to tempt fate, I have a jar of caviar that I will bring out once we welcome the Year of the Horse. After all that splurging, it’ll be vats of congee for me!

Wear red. Red is a lucky color and, while it may now be associated with MAGA hats, the Chinese had first dibs on the color red first. For us, the color red represents joy, vitality, good fortune. It is one of our luckiest colors.

Avoid using scissors or sharp objects – these may “cut” the inflow of wealth and good fortune.

These are but a few Chinese traditions: some still revered, some may be in need of a retrofit. For more info and to learn more: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-taboos.htm