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Family

10+ Lunar New Year Gifts That Are Absolute No-No’s

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10+ Lunar New Year Gifts That Are Absolute No-No’s

Beware! Even the most generous gifts can be tainted if you show bad etiquette when giving an offering during the Lunar New Year.

by Natalya Molok  /   January 23, 2019

Celebrating the Lunar New Year with friends can be great, but, when in such a multicultural society like Singapore’s, it can be really easy to give the wrong gifts when visiting loved ones. Avoid this by taking a look at this list, and making sure that you don’t make an embarrassing faux pas:

READ MORE:
Here Are Some Fresh Ideas On How You Can Wear Red For Chinese New Year
Where To Find Stylish And Non-Traditional CNY Decor In Singapore
How To Make Your Own Dumplings At Home To Ring In A Prosperous New Year

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/family/10-lunar-new-year-gifts-absolute-no-nos/
10+ Lunar New Year Gifts That Are Absolute No-No's
Pears
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The word pear (梨 Li) sound like leaving in Chinese, which has the same meaning as separation. Giving pears mean you could be separated in future.

Photo: Pixabay
Cut flowers
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Cut flowers are generally present during funerals, so do not give them during the Lunar New Year! This is especially so for yellow Chrysanthemums and any white flowers, which represent death.

Photo:
Sharp objects
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Sharp things like knives and scissors symbolise the breaking of a relationship. Giving other sharp objects will cause the receiver to feel threatened too.

Photo: Pixabay
Dolls
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If the family you are visiting have kids, don’t be tempted to bring the dolls. Some people believe that these dolls attract evil spirits and disturb the family harmony.

Photo: Pixabay
Shoes
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The older generation believes that giving shoes is akin sending the receiver away. This is because shoe (鞋 xie) in chinese sounds similar to the word evil.

Photo: Pixabay
Candles
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For many Asians, candles are mostly used during prayers’ time. Thus, giving candles as a gift is seen as inauspicious.

Photo: Pixabay
Clocks
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Giving a friend a clock as a present should be avoided because it sounds like Song Zhong in Chinese, which means funeral ritual or being present at the bedside when a person is about to pass away.

Photo: Pixabay
Wind chimes
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Since wind chimes attracts the sound of wind, it is believed that they could attract unfavourable Yin energy (from chilly wind) into the house.

Photo: Pixabay
Wallet
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If you give someone wallet as a gift, it is likely that you bring bad luck to your wealth fortune and will face financial difficulties like being unable to recover your debts.

Photo: Pixabay
Pillows
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There as a Chinese saying that goes Gao Zhen Wu You, which roughly translates as “worry-free when your pillows are high up”. Giving pillows symbolise getting less of a life without worries, i.e. bringing trouble into your life.

Photo: Pixabay
Black & White items
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Black and white objects have a strong association to funerals in Asia so items in these colours should be avoided at all costs. Try buying things that in red instead, which has a positive and festive meaning during CNY.

Photo: Pixabay
Handkerchief
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People generally give handkerchiefs at the end of a funeral, and are a symbol of saying goodbye forever. Giving someone this item could be a sign that you want to sever ties with them.

Photo: Pixabay
Umbrella
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If you’re thinking of gifting a pretty umbrella to a close friend then think again. This is because the Chinese word for umbrella (伞 sǎn) sounds like the word for breaking up (散 sàn).

Photo: Pixabay
Mirror
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Mirrors are a no-no because not only do they break easily (bringing bad luck to the receiver), they are also believed to attract ghosts to the house.

Photo: 123RF
Anything with the number 4
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The Chinese word for the number four sounds like the word for death (死 sǐ). So anything to do with this numeral should be avoided like the plague. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Photo: Pixabay
  • TAGS:
  • chinese new year
  • CNY 2020
  • Culture
  • friends
  • gifts
  • Lunar New Year
  • Relatives
  • superstitions
  • taboo
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