Chinese New Year superstitions are customs meant to start the year on a lucky footing. On the first day, people traditionally avoid sweeping, washing their hair, using knives or scissors and saying unlucky words. Most rest on one idea: what happens on the first day sets the tone for the year. They are folk traditions, and families keep as many or as few as they like.
In 2027 the first day of the new year is Saturday, February 6.
What is the idea behind the taboos?
Two kinds of reasoning run through nearly all of them.
The first day is a preview of the year. If you are rushed, sad or quarrelsome on New Year's Day, the belief goes, the year will follow suit. So the day is kept calm, cheerful and free of chores.
Words have weight. Chinese is rich in words that sound alike, and a thing whose name sounds like bad luck is treated as a carrier of it. The same logic, in reverse, explains the lucky foods and decorations of the season.
What do people traditionally avoid on the first day?
The list below follows the one compiled by the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh, with additions from Columbia University's Asia for Educators.
| Traditionally avoided | The reasoning |
|---|---|
| Sweeping and taking out the trash | You would be sweeping your good fortune away |
| Washing hair, bathing, doing laundry | The first two days are the birthday of the Water God, and using water is disrespectful |
| Knives, scissors and needles | Sharp tools can draw blood, which is unlucky; kitchen work and sewing are set aside |
| Eating porridge | It was the food of poor households |
| Waking someone or hurrying them out of bed | They would be rushed all year |
| An afternoon nap | It suggests a lazy year ahead |
What is avoided throughout the holiday?
Some customs apply for the whole season, not only the first day.
- Unlucky words. Talk of death, illness, loss or bankruptcy is avoided. So is the number four, si, which sounds like the word for death.
- Breaking dishes or glass. A broken bowl is a bad sign at the start of the year.
- Scolding children and crying. A year that starts with tears is expected to continue that way, so children get an easy ride.
- Demanding repayment of a debt. Debts were traditionally settled before the new year, and pressing someone for money during the holiday is bad form.
- Getting a haircut. In one widespread saying, a haircut during the new year period brings bad luck to your uncle.
- Going to bed early on New Year's Eve. Staying up sees the old year out safely.
Two customs concern money gifts. Red envelopes should not contain an amount with a four in it, and even amounts are preferred to odd ones. Details are in red envelope etiquette.
What are the "do's"?
For every don't there is a matching do, and these are the more visible half of the tradition.
- Clean before the day. The house is cleaned thoroughly in the days before the new year, to clear out the old and welcome the new.
- Fill the rice jar. A full jar on New Year's Eve stands for not going hungry in the year ahead.
- Leave some fish. Part of the New Year's Eve fish is saved for the next day, because "fish" sounds like "abundance" and the surplus should carry over.
- Wear something new, and something red. Red is the color of good luck and is believed to ward off evil. See what to wear for Chinese New Year.
- Say kind things. Greet people with good wishes and keep conversation cheerful.
- Make noise at midnight. Fireworks and firecrackers are set off, where allowed, to drive bad luck away.
When do things go back to normal?
The strictest customs cover the first day or two. By the fifth day, sweeping and taking out the trash are not just permitted but encouraged: the dust that has gathered is treated as a symbol of poverty, and clearing it out drives poverty from the house. Shops and markets reopen the same day. In 2027 the fifth day is Wednesday, February 10.
Is your own zodiac year unlucky?
According to one well-known belief, yes. The year that matches your birth sign is traditionally seen as a hurdle to get over, not a lucky year. The usual precaution is to wear something red, traditionally red underwear, through the year. People born in earlier Goat years, such as 1979, 1991, 2003 and 2015, meet their zodiac year in 2027.
Like the rest of this list, it is a folk belief. Plenty of people buy the red socks with a smile and think no more about it.
Do you need to follow these as a guest?
No. These are family customs, kept with varying degrees of seriousness, and nobody expects a visitor to know them. Still, a little awareness is a courtesy. If you are visiting a home during the holiday:
- Keep the conversation light, and steer clear of illness, death and money troubles.
- Do not offer to sweep up or take out the trash on the first day, however helpful it seems.
- Avoid gifts that come in fours, and skip clocks and sharp objects. The full list is in our guide to Chinese New Year gifts.
And if you forget every one of these, a warm "happy new year" covers it. To see how the taboos fit into the celebrations, read Chinese New Year traditions. For the dates and meaning of the year ahead, see Year of the Goat 2027.