Chinese New Year Red Envelope Etiquette
The custom of giving red envelopes during the Chinese Spring Festival is an important tradition, embodying the Chinese people's affection, friendship, and blessings.
Red envelopes originated from the ancient Chinese custom of giving lucky money, symbolizing warding off evil and praying for peace. Over time, red envelopes have gradually become a way to express blessings and convey joy.
Why are red envelopes distributed?
Giving "red envelopes" is a New Year's custom in Asia. Chinese people love red because it symbolizes vitality, joy, and good fortune. Giving red envelopes to underage younger relatives (according to Chinese culture, married people are considered adults, and in many places, they are considered adults only after starting work) is a way of conveying blessings and good fortune to them.
In Chinese folklore, it is believed that giving children lucky money during the Lunar New Year is a way to bribe evil spirits or the monster "Nian" and turn misfortune into good fortune. The money in the red envelopes is mainly meant to make the children happy, similar to the purpose of giving children candy on Halloween in the West.
Points to note when sending red envelopes
- Avoid using numbers containing "4" (such as 44, 444), as "4" is considered unlucky in China because it sounds like "death" in Chinese.
- The amount should be an even number (such as 2, 8, 10), which aligns with the Chinese traditional belief that "good things come in pairs." Prefer the numbers 6 and 8.
- When giving red envelopes to children of the same generation, the amounts should be consistent to avoid embarrassment for both the children and parents.
- Do not open the red envelope given by someone in front of them and express your gratitude.
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