These two colours are associated with mourning so it’s best to avoid wearing any black or white clothes during the New Year period but this is especially important on the first day of CNY itself.

It’s somewhat frowned upon to wash clothes during the first two days of Chinese New Year as these are considered to be the Water God’s birthday. So, if you wash clothes during these two days, the god will be offended.

Crying brings bad luck so try to avoid scolding your children on the first day of Chinese New Year (yes, even if they’re being naughty!) as it is believed that it could trigger a series of misfortunes.

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If there’s one word that shouldn’t be said during Chinese New Year, it is “die”. The Chinese believe that whatever is said in the beginning of the year will linger so be careful what you say during this time.

Unless it’s an absolute emergency, a visit to the hospital during this period should be avoided as it’s believed to bring illness or bad luck to the visitor for the rest of the year.

Women should not do any needlework, like sewing or knitting, during the New Year as it apparently leads to unnecessary arguments with family members and neighbours.

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Lending money to people is a major no-no during the New Year as it symbolises a loss of wealth. Additionally, if you have any personal debts, make sure to settle them before New Year’s day.

Take extra care around fragile items during this period. It’s said that breaking a bowl, plate, glass, vase or mirror on CNY is especially frowned upon as it results in a loss of money or a split in family relations.

Avoid eating rice porridge or meat on the morning of Chinese New Year. Why? Superstitious folks believe that only poor people have porridge for breakfast, so they don’t want to start the year “poor” as this is a bad omen.

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Using scissors is an omen for possible quarrels with others. For extra peace of mind, it is said that sharp tools shouldn’t be use at all during the first lunar month.

The Chinese word for shoes is hai, which sounds similar to the word for “rough” or the sound of a dejectecd sign, so buying shoes suggests you’ll have a rough, bumpy year ahead.

While a big spring clean should be done prior to the holidays, on New Year’s Day itself sweeping or taking out the trash is considered a huge no-no as it represents sweeping away one’s fortunes.

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Killing anything during this auspicious time period should be avoided at all costs as blood is considered an ill omen and could be a precursor to other misfortunes like injuries.

“Head” is synonymous to “beginning” in Chinese, and it is a common custom to not wash your hair in the first three days of Chinese New Year so you don’t derail a good start to the year.

When doling out ang bao remember that even numbers, except four, are better than odd. It is best if the amount starts or ends in eight, such as $8 or $80, as it reportedly boosts your luck.

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