While we know this holiday as Chinese New Year, in China it is usually referred to as Spring Festival, because it traditionally marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. This is the most important holiday in China, with around 4,000 years of history. It represents the beginning of a new lunar year and on this day people gather with their family and friends to celebrate.
The holiday is followed by various customs, decorations, food and celebration, but in this article we will focus on the superstitions and taboos, since there are plenty of them when it comes to the Spring Festival.
First of all, the origins of the festivals are based on a legend that an ancient monster called Nian used to appear in villages at the end of every year, attacking people and livestock. Finally, the people found out the monster had three weaknesses: it was scared of loud noises and hated sunlight and the color red. Therefore, the ancient Chinese set off firecrackers to scare the monster away, built bonfires to light the night so it resembles daylight, and put up as much red items as possible. The word nian eventually became the word for “year” and thus the customs for celebrating the end of the year came into being.
When it comes to the superstitious beliefs related to this holiday, there are plenty of them. People are not to wash hair on that day, because it means they are washing away wealth – and the words for washing hair and washing away wealth sound the same in Chinese. The same goes for sweeping the home, because it is believed that you will sweep the good luck away. Taking medicines on this day means that you will be sick all year. Breaking objects is also considered misfortune, because it means that you will be apart from your family all year round. Crying is also forbidden, because it incurs misfortune. Lending and borrowing is also to be avoided, because it is considered to incur financial loss, and in order not to be poor all year – you should also avoid eating porridge. Using scissors is also undesirable, because it is believed to cause quarrels with the close people, and this is why giving scissors and other sharp objects as gifts is to be avoided as well.
When it comes to gifts, there are some more of them to be strongly avoided. Umbrellas, mirrors and pears are believed to cause separation from friends and loved ones. There are some gifts related to death, such as clocks, hats and chrysanthemums, which should also not be given. Giving a gift of shoes means you send the evil to people, and hats symbolize either death of a family member or a satire of a man whose wife cheated on him – so they are to be avoided as well.
Spring Festival is truly an amazing experience, but if you are to visit a Chinese family during this period- make sure to know the beliefs, mind your behavior and of course – choose the right gifts.
