Taboo

Here are some things which, according to Chinese folklore, you should not do on New Year’s Day.

• Since everyone is in a festive mood during Spring Festival, people shouldn’t argue and parents shouldn’t scold or punish their children. Otherwise, you will have many more arguments during the New Year.

• Women shouldn’t use a knife or shears in the kitchen, because it indicates anger, resulting in the cutting off of good luck.

• Breaking a dish plate, bowel or cup means bad financial luck will follow.

• A married woman needs to visit her mother’s home, otherwise her mother’s family will grow poorer.

• To sweep the floor or dump the trash on New Year’s Day will also sweep away the wealth and luck from the home.

• Don’t take a noonday nap, otherwise family members will be lazy all year long.

• If you wash your hair on New Year’s Day, you will wash your good luck away.

• Don’t wear black or white while visiting friends, because black and white are funeral colors in China.

• People shouldn’t visit a friend’s house if the friend has had a family member pass away recently.

• Don’t eat rice porridge for morning breakfast, otherwise you won’t get rich (in past times, only poor people ate rice porridge).

• Don’t eat meat at morning breakfast, because many of the gods are vegetarians and arrive at New Year’s Day festival in the morning.

• Don’t wake a person in the morning by calling their name, otherwise that person will need another person’s push all year long.

• Don’t take any unnecessary medicine; otherwise you will become unhealthy in the New Year.

• Don’t wash clothes, because New Year’s Day is the birthday of the god of Water.

• If someone owes you money, do not ask for the money back on this day. Otherwise, you will have to request money from that person all year long.

It’s odd.  For a country that is technically communist, everything about Chinese culture has to do with one of three things:  health, luck, and money (or fortune).  Basically, at their essence, they’re all capitalist whores like me.

Same same in Japan--pretty much. I am going to print your list and ask some Japanese if they share these beliefs. Some they do for example


• Women shouldn’t use a knife or shears in the kitchen, because it indicates anger, resulting in the cutting off of good luck.(Not sure about the anger part but the cutting of good luck--yep)

• Don’t wear black or white while visiting friends, because black and white are funeral colors in China.

• People shouldn’t visit a friend’s house if the friend has had a family member pass away recently.( It is also taboo to send the traditional new year greeting cards to families that have had a death the previous year---those families send out a death notification card to remind you NOT to send a new year card.)

Again I am fascinated by the common thoughts between the countries. Although it should come as no surprise since Japan borrowed so many things from China and China is much older. Still, it is very interesting.

Another cultural question for you. In Japan we often say that a man only needs one suit--a black one. You can wear it to a funeral with a black tie. And wear it to a wedding with a white tie. And so it goes. If you see a man wearing a black suit with a white tie you can be sure he went to a wedding. Black tie--funeral. I only own one suit and it is black! Got the black tie too, but I just cant wear the white tie--way too geeky for my tastes. ( Don’t need a suit for my business as I am the boss and make the rules.) .

How about China?

Also, there are a few clothing chain stores that only sell black funeral clothes. They cater to women--black clothes, bags and white pearls.

Keep up the posts.

cheers
mashu

“• Breaking a dish plate, bowel or cup means bad financial luck will follow.”

Sorry I’m not skilled in the html of it all, but I can definately see how breaking a bowel would not bode well for the new year.

A married woman needs to visit her mother’s home, otherwise her mother’s family will grow poorer

OK - this is just your typical MIL trying to keep tabs on everyone and ruin their life.  Fuck ‘em…

Asian mothers are totally fucking insane…

I as about to jump on the “bowel” thing to. I would think this wouldn’t cause financial ruin in a socialized medical system.