Segment 49 – Chinese New Year 2016 – You’ve Been Invited

What if you were suddenly invited to celebrate the holiday with a Chinese friend?

The Year of the Monkey is upon us - the 9th animal in the Chinese 12 animal zodiac cycle. People born in the Year of the Monkey are said to be quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous...

You’d think that if you were born in this year, then this would be your year to shine. Unfortunately, it is believed to be one of the most unlucky years in the Chinese calendar for people born under the zodiac of the Monkey.  Apart from that, many Chinese people will generally welcome the Chinese New Year with family and loved ones, with delightful feasts and wishes for prosperity and luck in the upcoming year.

Unless you are part of the Chinese culture, or live in a Chinese populous area, you might not be so familiar with some of the cultural aspects of celebrating Chinese New Year.  

Before you head over to celebrate, consider some of these Chinese New Year's Day beliefs [Segment 30 – Happy Chinese New Year! - Are you part Chinese?]

1.  Washing & Sweeping – don’t sweep or wash away the good luck of the Chinese New Year! The Chinese believe that with the Chinese New Year comes new fortune, good fortune. So if you sweep or vacuum your house, or wash the laundry, or even wash your hair on that first day or two of the Chinese New Year, you might wash all that new good fortune away. Interestingly, in Chinese, the word "hair" (发) has the same pronunciation and character as 'fa' in facai (发财), which means "to become wealthy."

Remember that old wives tale that the house needs to be clean on New Year day, no trash, no dirty laundry, no mess? Well, I grew up with this ingrained in my head; the thing is that everything must be done the days before the Chinese New Year period. Same idea, get rid of the old bad stuff to make room for the new good stuff, but it all better be done before the Chinese New Year arrives. 

2.  Plenty of Rice in the Pantry, but don’t eat it for breakfast – Make sure that there is plenty of rice. Rice is a staple in Asia, it represents life and nourishment, so don’t let the rice container go empty – that’s an omen for the Chinese New Year.  Also, don’t eat rice porridge for breakfast, as that is seen as a “poor” way to start the Chinese New Year, a proper feast is the key to prosperity.

I've always been warned by my mother to never let the rice run out, else "you’ll be broke"; I’ve always heeded that warning – why tempt fate?

3.   Red Clothing - Wearing old torn clothing brings bad luck! Don’t wear white or black clothing as these colors are traditionally associated with death in China. Instead wear new RED clothing. Red is one of the luckiest colors in the Chinese culture, representing prosperity, loyalty, success, and happiness. Red is believed to drive away bad luck and evil spirits.  However, the red garment should be bought and given by a spouse, family member, or friend, to really be affective.

In addition to wearing red, you can also wear jade accessories to ward off bad luck, like pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets.  Time to break out that lucky jade pendent you received as a souvenir from Chinatown!

4.  Red Packets & Money– All debts must be paid before the Chinese New Year. Give a red envelop with money. The significance of the red packets is the red paper, not just the money inside. Wrapping money in red packets is hoped to bring happiness and blessing to the receivers. Those who receive a red packet are said to be blessed with another year of protection and peace.

Why start the Chinese New Year off with debt if you can avoid it? Pay those bills and save the debt collection for later.  In Buddhist cultures, many people like to give donations to temples in honor of their ancestors or someone special.

5.  Gift Giving – In Chinese tradition, gift giving etiquette is important, especially on Chinese New Year day.  There are many symbolic meanings with gifts, but when it comes to Chinese New Year, best to err on the safe side. 

• Don’t give sharp objects – it implies that you want to end/break/cut your relationship. 
• Avoid gifts in sets or multiples of four, as four is considered an unlucky number. In Chinese, the number four (四 sì /srr) sounds similar to the word for death (死 sǐ).  
• Shoes are also a bad idea because the word for "shoes" (鞋 xié /syeah) sounds exactly like a word for bad luck or evil (邪 xié). Avoid giving shoes at all costs!
• No clocks or watches as a gift. In Chinese, the expression “giving a clock” (送钟 sòng zhōng /song jong) sounds exactly like the Chinese expression for “attending a funeral ritual” (送终 sòng zhōng). 
• Avoid giving cut flowers on Chinese New Year, especially yellow Chrysanthemums and any white flowers, which represent death. 
• Mirrors are a bad idea for gifts, as they are believed to attract bad ghosts. Plus mirrors are easily broken, and breaking things is a bad omen.

Do you get the point? Anything that is associated with endings or broken or sadness or death, should be avoided at all costs during the Chinese New Year.

What to say on Chinese New Year day:

1.  Happy New Year!   新年好 / 新年好 (Xīnnián hǎo) - [sshin-nyen haoww / sen-nin haow]

2.  Happiness and prosperity!  恭喜发财 / 恭喜發財 (Gōngxǐ fācái) - [gong-sshee faa-tseye / Kunghei fatchoy /gong-hey faa-chwhy]

3.  A steady rise to high places! Wishing great success!   步步高升 / 步步高陞 (Bùbù gāoshēng) - [boo-boo gaoww-shnng / boh-boh goh-sshin] 

What to do?  The traditional Chinese New Year resolution is to reconcile, forget all grudges, and wish peace and happiness to all.  Wear red; give red envelops with money; stay up late ringing in the new year by launching firecrackers to ward away any bad spirits!  Let the house go, and enjoy the festivities – you will have all year to clean!

Gong Xi Fa Chai ! Gong Hay Fat Choy !

恭禧发财  恭禧发财

… Stay tuned for the next Segment of HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life Series, where we’ll continue … 

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This article was written by Rachanee Thevenet, Co-Founder of HT Localization.  Rachanee is an Asian-American expat living in Spain with her family.  She loves all things international including food, art, literature, culture, languages and people.  She has years of professional product marketing expertise and global expansion experience.

HT Localization, LLC. is a worldwide translation & localization agency providing a full range of professional language translation services, including social media localization, marketing translations, website translations, software localization, eLearning materials, documentation translations, etc.  With locations in the US, Spain, France, Zambia & Thailand, and coverage across all languages and most industries, HT Localization is well positioned to provide around the globe services for all translation needs.  

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