10 Taboos You Should Never Do During Chinese New Year or You’ll be Suay the Whole Year

Last Updated on 2023-01-10 , 5:08 pm

Many of us have probably forgotten about some of the taboos and traditions that we have to follow during the Chinese New Year period every year, so we’ve taken the liberty of collating 10 taboos that you must never commit on Chinese New Year, or your entire year might be suay.

Do not wash clothes on the first two days of Chinese New Year
The first two days of CNY is believed to be the birthday of 水神(water god) and people try not to wash clothes on these two days. That’s why you’ll usually see families rushing to wash all the laundry before Chinese New Year dawns.

Do not do needlework
The use of knives or needles or any sharp objects during CNY might lead to an accident, and doing harm during Chinese New Year is thought to be inauspicious and depletes your wealth for the entire year.

Do not sweep
Sweeping dirt away symbolizes you sweeping wealth away. If you’ve done this during Chinese New Year, you’ll realize that money-making opportunities rarely, if any, come your way for the entire year #justsaying

Do not owe anyone money
All debts should be repaid before CNY. If not, it is widely believed that you’ll owe people money for the rest of the year. Not a bad thing, until you’ve thought about it and realize that it means you won’t be able to earn enough money to repay your creditors. Imagine that.

Damaged clothes
There’s a reason why everyone shops for new clothes for Chinese New Year. No one should wear damaged clothes on the new year, if not you might bring bad luck upon yourself.

Do not wear black or white 
Because these 2 colours are associated with mourning traditionally. Instead, go for red  clothes which symbolizes good luck and prosperity, something everyone of us need in our lives!

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Do not wash your hair
Another play of words, hair (发) in Mandarin has the same pronunciation as wealth（发财）and it is believed that when you wash your hair, it’s akin washing your wealth away.

Do not eat porridge
In the past, porridge represents poverty. Therefore, having porridge on the first day of CNY is a sign of poverty, which is a pretty bad omen and no one wants to start the year with a bad sign. Go for rice instead. Or some hipster Instagram-worthy food.

Do not eat medicine
Unless you are sick, of course. If you ate medicine on the first day of the lunar new year, it symbolizes you being sickly and ill for the rest of the year.

Do not let your rice container be empty
It is believed that rice symbolizes our food, and if the container is empty, it signifies that the family will have trouble finding food for themselves in the new year. So be sure to stock up on rice before the new year comes.

Featured Image: wong yu liang / Shutterstock.com