Of all Chinese holidays, nothing compares to the celebration of the Lunar New Year. Also known as Spring Festival or more commonly referred to as Chinese New Year, it’s the most traditional, significant and longest of all Hong Kong public holidays. Traditionally, the CNY holiday starts on the first day of the first month of the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day. You heard me, 15 days! In fact, many of the factories I work with in China give their employees one month off, starting 15 days before the 1st day of the lunar year and ending on the 15th day. CNY is celebrated in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Singapore and Malaysia. I have been told Singapore and Malaysia celebrate CNY like no other, which is ironic as they only get two days off, where the other countries get at least 4 days off. As for Hong Kong city’s decorations, CNY comes second only to Christmas. BTW- Hongkongese know how to celebrate Christmas! As soon as the Christmas trees and garlands are pulled down, up go the red lanterns and cherry trees.
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| The lobby to my apartment building |
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| Orange Bushes (replicates the look to gold coins growing on trees) |
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| CNY decoration street stand in Central |
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| Outside of my apartment building |
I think is goes without saying that many Asians are
extremely superstitious. But, I was
surprised to learn how much a roll it plays in the CNY’s celebrations and
traditions. For example, I knew the color
red represents life, wealth and energy, but the color red is also believed to
ward off bad spirits. Many believe hundreds
of years ago there was a fearless man-eating beast, known as Nian, which
brought terror to every New Years Eve.
It is believed Nian is scared of loud noises, such as banging drums, and
the color red. I remember one evening
while living in Causeway Bay, there was this awful sound coming from the street
outside. I went to the balcony to find a
huge red dragon dancing to the sound of loud drummers at a new store opening
ceremony. The drumming was absolutely
horrific- ear piercing! I couldn’t
believe anyone found that tolerable, much less enjoyable, but it drew quite the
crowd. I now understand no one was actually
enjoying the dancing dragon or loud drums- it’s just a ritual practiced in hope
to ward off bad spirits.
On the eve of CNY, families gather at home and celebrate
with a home cooked meal, known as Chuxi (meaning “Eve of the Passing Year”). The meal normally consists of "Lucky" foods like noodles which represent long life and springs rolls symbolize wealth. Some foods are considered lucky for the the way the Chinese word sounds. For example, lettuce sounds like rising fortune, so it is common to serve lucky foods in lettuce wraps. Tangerine and orange sounds similar to luck and wealth. Some foods are popular for their symbolic value. The fish served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizes a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
Most Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year, but only Hong
Kong, Macau, Taiwan and China partake in the tradition of the red packets, also
called red envelopes. Typically on the
first day of the new year, children will greet their parents and grandparents
with wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year. Afterwards the children receive cash in red
envelopes. I know- 15 day celebration
and money?!?!
Here are the rules
- Don’t get married or employee staff!
- If you are married, couples give packets to unmarried members of the family, and to unmarried coworkers and friends. FINALLY a holiday for single people!!
- If you have employees or manage people that report directly to you, it is expected that you provide red packets to each person.
As for the money inside the red packets-
- No coin, only cash!
- The total enclosed should NOT be a number including 4, like 40 or 400. Why you might ask? The pronunciation of 4 is almost the same pronunciation as death, which makes the #4 bad luck.
- The total should be a multiple of 8 (8 is a symbol of wealth and good fortune). So try and give 80, 800, or 880… all are good luck numbers.
- For people you do not have a close relationship with, a $20 dollar bill is acceptable.
Last year was my first year to experience this tradition and
I have to say I scored! I found it very beneficial
to keep my office door open and just sit back and watch the red envelopes flow
in. I made around $4,000 (HKD). And because I’m not married, I only had to
give to my staff and people that do things for me, like my house keeper, doormen,
dry cleaners, hair dresser, my Starbucks barrister, etc. Last CNY I was invited to a wedding and
received a red envelop inside the innovation.
I was like, “you’re giving me cash to buy your wedding gift??” However, when I arrived at the wedding I got
the impression I was expected to also provide a packet to the Bride. So, basically the whole red packet tradition is
a lot of re-gifting.
As for how to present the packets you should only be holding the one red packet for that one
person. Present with both hands holding
the tips of each corner (same presentation as handing someone your business
card). As the recipient takes the
packet, also using both hands, both you and the receipt say “Gong Hei Fat Choi”. Never make the mistake of simply saying thank
you. The whole red packet thing is a
little intimating the first time (knowing it isn’t an equal exchange of packets-
meaning just because I receive one from someone does not mean I should
reciprocate the gift), but it also provide good energy in the office and around
the city. People become nicer, knowing
it may increase their packet amount, but giving and receiving any amount is
fun.
