With the new year already two months in — crazy, I know — much of the celebration and excitement has died down. Fortunately, for many Asian-Americans like myself, we get to celebrate the new year once more, also known as Lunar New Year. This means another round of chaos, delicious food, and not to mention, Lai See, which is Cantonese for red envelope. Red envelopes are typically given to children by married couples for good fortune, so make sure to accept them any chance you get!
Unlike the traditional American calendar, the date for the new year changes annually. This is because we follow the lunar calendar. The lunar calendar determines what each day is depending on the movements of the moon, and this year’s Lunar New Year happens to fall on Friday, February 12.
Just like every culture, there are protocols and traditions to follow on memorable days like these. My parents often prepare days in advance, burning ceremonial papers to our ancestors and gods to ensure protection, happiness, and good health as well as a handful of other things. However, I would go on for ages if I explained how they prepare every year. Instead, I thought it would be fun to share some of the simpler things that my family and friends are expected to do and not to do on Lunar New Year.
#1: Never cut your hair on the day of Lunar New Year.
Now, I’ve fact-checked this with my parents, friends, and even Google to make sure that this was accurate. Basically, we never cut our hair on the day of Lunar New Year because it’s like us cutting away our good luck and prosperity for the new year. Apparently, the Chinese character for hair is also the first character for the word “prosper,” but sadly, I wouldn’t know because I can’t read or write in Chinese!
#2: Never wash your hair on the day of Lunar New Year.
Same as cutting your hair on the day of Lunar New Year, washing your hair is like washing away your good luck and prosperity for the new year. Instead, my family and I wait until midnight to do it. A little gross, but better safe than sorry, right?
#3: Never eat porridge on the day of Lunar New Year.
As delicious and comforting as porridge can be, we never eat porridge on the day of Lunar New Year because it’s generally eaten by poor people in the old days. Instead, we eat a full-course meal of roasted pork, chicken, veggies, joong (pork-stuffed glutinous rice), fish, and nian go (sweet glutinous rice cake). My dad told me a story as he was making me joong for breakfast, explaining that instead of eating porridge like he usually did when he was back in China on Lunar New Year, he would stay up and help his mom make her batches of her delicious lo bak go (turnip cake) for breakfast.
#4: After the Lunar New Year is over, take a pomelo-leaf water shower.
Some families don’t do this, but mine does. Basically, we boil pomelo, a citrus fruit, in water and we’ll let it cool. Once we finish our shower, we will pour the warm pomelo-leaf water over our heads to wash away bad luck and dirt for the new year. I’ve always looked forward to this because I just love the citrusy smell, but I’m sure some people would disagree!
#5: Don’t throw away any trash or sweep on Lunar New Year.
Same reason as cutting or washing your hair, throwing out trash is like throwing out all the good luck, and sweeping is like sweeping all the good luck away. Instead, my family and I make sure to do all the deep cleaning days before Lunar New Year.
#6: Always accept Lai Sees from adults and thank them by wishing them good health or good year.
Surprisingly, declining Lai See from adults can be seen as an act of disrespect. It’s just traditional and respectful to accept the Lai See in a grateful manner and say a few Chinese words to show appreciation.
#7: Never wear white or black on Lunar New Year.
White and black are associated with “death” and “funeral,” which we obviously don’t want at the start of the year. Instead, we should wear red or gold, which are associated with luck. My family doesn’t actually do this, but we do decorate our house in red and gold.
I could honestly go on and on about all these traditions. There are so many that I don’t even know about myself, which is pretty disappointing. However, I’m super grateful to be a part of this fascinating and beautiful culture. I don’t know how well I could preserve these traditions as an Asian American myself, but hopefully I’ll find a way and pass these onto future generations!