5 Chinese New Year Taboos

It’s our favourite time of the year once more, with one of our favourite topics of the season!

Chinese New Year is a time of celebration, and Chinese folk all around the world welcome the new year with joy. It’s a time to pray for fortune and happiness, and to reunite with family once more.

At the same time, like most of us know by now, there are certain taboos that people tend to avoid during this festive season. They adhere to certain rules, and encourage their family members to avoid violating these ancient taboos.

Let’s take a look at five popular taboos!

No Sweeping Allowed

One of the most common taboos! Chinese families should not sweep the floor or even take out the garbage on this day. Sweeping the floor equates to sweeping away the good luck in the household. Likewise, taking out the trash symbolises discarding fortune and prosperity.

Additionally, families should also avoid pouring water outside the house. Flowing water symbolises the movement of money, and if you pour it away, it means your money is flowing away! Some people even believe that touching cleaning supplies on the first day of Chinese New Year is a bad omen. 

So enjoy the first day of Chinese New Year, for it’s the only time you’ll get to skip out on chores! Work together to clean before the festive season, or after.

No Unlucky Words

Avoid speaking unlucky or negative words aloud during the entire duration of Chinese New Year. These include words related to death, sickness, poverty and other bad things. If needed, replace your words carefully – say that ‘someone has left’ instead of ‘someone died’.

For the elders, it’s also good to avoid scolding children! Some people believe that if you scold a child during Chinese New Year, the child will be doomed to be scolded throughout the entire year. Practise gentle, but firm parenting during this festive season for a prosperous year ahead.

Avoid Porridge for Breakfast

You should avoid eating porridge on the first morning of Chinese New Year. In the past, poor people could only afford porridge or congee, and people should avoid starting the year with ‘poor’ people’s food. 

In some regions, Chinese people will only consume vegetarian breakfasts on the first day of Chinese New Year. This meant that they were in good health and did not require extra meat. It’s also a popular belief that meat should not be eaten during the first day out of respect for the gods.

Avoid Washing Your Hair

This is another extremely popular taboo that people avoid. You should avoid washing your hair on Chinese New Year, as hair and wealth have the same pronunciation in Mandarin – this would mean washing your wealth away! Wash it the night before instead.

Another related taboo is avoiding haircuts! People should not have hair cuts during the first lunar month, as it represents death for their mother’s brother. Therefore, make your hair salon appointments early!

Married Daughters Should Not Go Home

As daunting as it sounds, it’s true!

Married daughters should avoid visiting their parents’ house on Chinese New Year’s day. This is believed to bring bad luck to her parents and cause economic hardship. This is due to the age-old tradition of daughters being viewed as outsiders after they get married off. Traditionally, they should instead visit on the second day!

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If you’re planning on reuniting with your family this upcoming Chinese New Year, bring along a CNY gift set as a gesture of goodwill! We’re here to help make it an easy experience with our Chinese New Year hampers. They make the perfect gift for visiting family and friends.

Shop our upcoming CNY hampers in 2023 at FlowernBalloon today! We offer the best CNY gifts in Singapore, with free delivery services on the same day for orders made before 3PM. From prosperous gift sets to Chinese New Year fruit hampers, we have them all!