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<h2>1. The legend of 福 (fú)</h2>
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<p>The character itself means blessing, good fortune, and happiness. But have you ever wondered why the Chinese character 福 (fú) is stuck upside down during Chinese New Year celebrations? </p>
<p>Well, <b>it was an honest mistake</b>, according to legends. </p>
<p>The founder of the Ming dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, once ordered every household to decorate their homes by pasting the character 福 (fú) on their doors. Families were illiterate, and <b>one family stuck it upside down without realising it.</b></p>
<p>On New Year&#8217;s Day, the emperor sent troops to inspect whether the villagers had obeyed his mandate. Soldiers found the illiterate family&#8217;s poster and reported it to the emperor. Furious, the emperor ordered the family to be executed.</p>
<p>But the emperor&#8217;s kind and merciful wife, Empress Ma, came to the family&#8217;s defence and told the emperor, &#8220;That family knew you were coming today, so they deliberately turned the label upside down. <b>Doesn&#8217;t this mean that blessings have arrived (福到, fúdào)?</b>&#8220;</p>
<p>The Chinese characters for &#8220;arrive&#8221; (到, dào) and &#8220;upside down&#8221; (倒, dào) sound similar. </p>
<p>The emperor found the explanation sensible and decided to spare the family. Thus, a tragedy was averted. Since then, people began putting up decorations with the character 福 upside down, hoping to attract<b>&nbsp;prosperity and to honour Empress Ma.</b></p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://duchinese.net/lessons/074-upside-down-happiness-character" rel="noopener">Du Chinese</a></small>
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<h2>2. Nian: the beast that started Chinese New Year</h2>
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<p><p>We probably wouldn&#8217;t have a lively, red Chinese New Year if it weren&#8217;t for this terrifying mythical beast called Nian (年).</p>
<p>Nian had the body of a lion and the head of an ox, and the monster would terrorise villages on the eve of the New Year, devouring livestock and killing people. A god, disguised as a wise old man, visited the village and taught the people how to drive away Nian.</p>
<p>He told them that <b>the monster was afraid of the colour red and loud noises.</b> So, the villagers protected their homes by dressing up in red clothes, putting up red decorations on their doors, and setting off firecrackers to scare away Nian. <b>This proved successful, and Nian never appeared again.</b></p>
<p>That&#8217;s why we have sleepless nights on New Year&#8217;s Eve, and also why we have the saying <i>guò nián</i>&nbsp;(过年). The character 过 can mean &#8220;cross&#8221; or &#8220;pass&#8221;, while the monster&#8217;s name and the word for &#8220;year&#8221; are written the same way in Mandarin. So, the saying means &#8220;to celebrate the New Year&#8221;, but it also sounds like &#8220;overcoming Nian&#8221;.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/Nian.htm" rel="noopener">nationsonline.org</a></small>
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<h2>3. The origin of ang pows</h2>
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<p><p>Receiving ang pows is one of the best parts of the Chinese New Year celebrations (don&#8217;t lie, it&#8217;s literally free money). But its <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-history-of-ang-pow-and-why-its-given-out-for-chinese-new-year">origin</a>&nbsp;stems from <b>an attempt t</b><b>o scare away an evil spirit</b>.</p>
<p>It was said that this evil spirit, named Sui, was known to appear every Chinese New Year&#8217;s Eve to pat the heads of sleeping children three times. The children would wake up the next morning with a terrible fever, or sometimes, they wouldn&#8217;t wake up at all.</p>
<p>A worried couple prayed to their god to protect their newborn child. Hearing their prayers, the god sent eight fairies to help the family. To trick the demon, the fairies transformed themselves into eight coins,﻿ which were then wrapped in red paper and placed under the infant&#8217;s pillow.</p>
<p>When Sui came, <strong>beams of golden light burst out from the red paper and scared Sui away</strong>.</p>
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<p>From then on, parents started giving children money wrapped in red paper on Chinese New Year&#8217;s Eve. <strong>Over time, ang pows ceased to become protectors from evil spirits and became a symbol of well wishes and blessings for children.</strong></p>
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<h2>4. The Chinese [zodiac] (https://says.com/my/stories/tagged/zodiac) cycle</h2>
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<p><p>Every Chinese New Year, stores sell decorative items featuring different zodiac animals for that year. But where do all these animals come from?</p>
<p>Legend has it that the Jade Emperor organised a race to determine the order of the Chinese zodiac. The <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/rat-full-zodiac-reading-2024">rat</a>, clever and resourceful, won by hitching a ride on the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/ox-full-zodiac-reading-2024">ox</a>&#8216;s back. And so, the rat and the ox hold the first and second place in the zodiac cycle, respectively.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/pig-full-zodiac-reading-2024">pig</a> came last. They are different variations as to why he finished last in the race. Some legends say it was because he was lazy and overslept, while others say he had stopped for a snack.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a39194473/chinese-zodiac-compatibility/" rel="noopener">Christine Giordano/Women&#8217;s Health</a></small>
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<h2>5. The red underwear tradition</h2>
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<p><p>Speaking of zodiac cycles, it is believed that you are more prone to catching the attention of malicious spirits during your zodiac animal year (<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/dragon-full-zodiac-reading-2024">Dragon babies</a>, beware!).</p>
<p>Similar to the story of Nian, there&#8217;s a way you can safeguard yourself. And that&#8217;s by wearing as much red as possible, particularly your underwear.</p>
<p>It may sound like a foolish superstition, but according to a 2023 <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/19/opinions/lunar-new-year-traditions-red-underwear-hua-ctrp/index.html">CNN</a> article, Google searches for &#8220;red underwear Chinese New Year&#8221; typically rise in the weeks leading up to the holiday.﻿</p>
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<h2>6. The story of the Lantern Festival</h2>
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<p>The Chinese Lantern Festival takes places on the fifteenth day of Chinese New Year, marking the end of the festive celebration. During the occasion, people light thousands of paper lanterns and release them into the night sky. However, the festival&#8217;s origin isn&#8217;t quite as beautiful as a sky full of lanterns.</p>
<p>Supposedly, the <b>Jade Emperor&#8217;s favourite crane was killed by some villagers</b>, so he wanted to take revenge by burning down their village on the 15th day of the first lunar month. When his daughter heard about her father&#8217;s plan, she felt sorry for the hapless villagers and secretly warned them about what was going to happen.</p>
<p>To save themselves, the villagers decided to trick the Jade Emperor into thinking their village was already on fire. They did this by hanging red lanterns, setting off firecrackers, and lighting fires throughout the village. <b>From the heavens, it appeared as though the Earth was on fire</b>, so the Jade Emperor didn&#8217;t carry out his plan.﻿</p>
<p>Afterwards, residents continued to light firecrackers and hang red lanterns every year to commemorate the event. </p>
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<h2>Ever wondered why specific snacks are enjoyed during Chinese New Year? We covered it here:</h2>
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<p>A little tidbit about these CNY tidbits.</p>
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<h2>Check out more [#CNY2024] (https://says.com/my/stories/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&#038;q=cny+2024) stories on SAYS:</h2>
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<p>If you haven&#8217;t bought yours yet.</p>
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<p>New year, new opportunities&#8230; for wealth!</p>
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<p>I&#8217;m still unlucky regardless of whether I actually do these things.</p>
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<p>The day physical ang pows are no more is the day I&#8217;ll riot.</p>
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6 Folklores & Legends That Shape How We Spend Our Chinese New Year

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<h2>1. Stay up late for our parents&#8217; sake</h2>
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<p><p>There&#8217;s this tradition among the Chinese that you should stay up to welcome the new Lunar New Year.</p>
<p>It comes from this phrase &#8220;守岁&#8221; (shŏu suì). When translated to English, 守 means &#8220;to watch&#8221;, while 岁 means &#8220;year&#8221; or &#8220;age&#8221;. The belief is that the later you stay awake, the longer your parents will live.</p>
<p>Nowadays, people simply stay up if they want to, and not solely for their parents&#8217; sake. But it&#8217;s not as if you can go to bed early on the eve of the New Year anyway. Not with those firecrackers. :p</p>
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<h2>2. Abstain from washing your hair on the first day of Chinese New Year</h2>
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<p><p>Growing up, you&#8217;ve probably been told to leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year.</p>
<p>That means no shampooing or cutting it off. If your hair&#8217;s itchy or oily, you would have to tough it out at least until after the first day.</p>
<p>In Mandarin, &#8216;hair&#8217; is 发 (fǎ), which sounds like &#8216;get rich&#8217; (发财/fācái). It&#8217;s considered a <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-reasons-behind-some-of-the-cny-taboos-you-ve-followed-since-childhood" title="Link: https://says.com/my/lifestyle/the-reasons-behind-some-of-the-cny-taboos-you-ve-followed-since-childhood">taboo</a> to wash your hair during the New Year, as it&#8217;s believed that you would risk washing away the accumulated wealth and good fortune.</p>
<p>However, this practice is becoming less common among the younger generation who aren&#8217;t superstitious. Besides, spending the New Year with an itchy scalp sounds like a total nightmare.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-wrapping-her-hair-with-bath-towel-8154373/" rel="noopener">Ron Lach/Pexels</a></small>
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<h2>3. Avoiding meat on the first day of Chinese New Year</h2>
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<p>For many Chinese individuals, especially those following Buddhist or Taoist traditions, abstaining from meat is aligned with religious beliefs.</p>
<p>Many believers follow a vegetarian diet, especially on the first day of Chinese New Year out of respect for the Buddhist gods who are believed to be against the killing of animals.</p>
<p>But this practice is most common among the older generations. Some aren&#8217;t too strict about this tradition these days, as some parents don&#8217;t expect their children or grandchildren to follow them.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/people-eating-on-brown-wooden-table-VXuByzObT5s" rel="noopener">Galen Crout/Unsplash</a></small>
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<h2>4. Throwing [Mandarin oranges] (https://says.com/my/lifestyle/reason-why-mandarin-oranges-symbol-chinese-new-year) into the river on the 15th day</h2>
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<p>The practice of tossing oranges into rivers, lakes, or seas on the 15th day of Chinese New Year is rooted in the belief that the act will usher in good fortune for the thrower, as the fruit is believed to symbolise wealth and prosperity.</p>
<p>The 15th day is also known as <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://says.com/my/lifestyle/did-you-know-the-chinese-has-not-one-but-two-valentine-s-days">Chap Goh Mei</a>, or Chinese Valentine&#8217;s Day. On this night, unmarried ladies would throw oranges with their personal details scribbled on it into lakes and rivers, in hopes that a potential partner would scoop them&nbsp;up and make contact.</p>
<p>But this custom isn&#8217;t too popular these days because well, one thing, water pollution, but also it would probably have been more effective during a time with no social media. With modern dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, it is now easier (just slightly) to meet and find potential partners.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/fresh-fruits-in-a-bowl-6691707/" rel="noopener">RDNE Stock project/Pexels</a></small>
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<h2>5. Flying lanterns on the 15th day of Chinese New Year</h2>
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<p>People typically write personal messages and wishes on the lanterns, and by releasing them, the lanterns were said to carry the writer&#8217;s hopes and dreams, letting them soar into the night sky,</p>
<p>In some Chinese communities, the flying lantern tradition is also a way to pay homage to ancestors. It is believed that the lanterns act as a bridge between our world and the spiritual world, carrying well-wishes and prayers to departed loved ones.</p>
<p>As beautiful and picturesque as they are, these sky lanterns are undoubtedly <a href="https://says.com/my/news/chinese-sky-lanterns-illegally-set-off-in-germany-kills-over-30-animals-in-zoo-enclosure">a fire hazard</a>. Even if the lanterns work correctly and drift back to land once their flame has been extinguished, they still cause huge amounts of environmental litter and <a href="https://says.com/my/news/pdrm-officer-step-kongming-lanterns-on-mid-autumn-festival-sibu">pollution</a>.</p>
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<p>                <small class="img-credit">Image via <a target="_blank" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/group-of-people-gathering-for-a-paper-lantern-festival-aNoW1UZnXEo" rel="noopener">Jenny Le/Unsplash</a></small>
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<h2>Chinese New Years traditions have changed and evolved over the years:</h2>
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<p>The day physical ang pows are no more is the day I&#8217;ll riot.</p>
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<h2>Here are more need-to-knows about Chinese New Year:</h2>
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<p>In ancient China, ang pows are believed to ward off evil demons!</p>
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<p>Huat ah!</p>
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<p>If you don&#8217;t know any other greeting besides &#8216;Gong Xi Fa Chai&#8217;, it&#8217;s time you learn some new ones!</p>
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<p>Pai Ti Kong (拜天公) is celebrated on the ninth day of Chinese New Year.</p>
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5 Chinese New Year Customs That Aren't As Common Anymore & Why