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Celebrating Lunar New Year: Tips, Traditions, and Choosing Auspicious Colours from Your Palette

Friday, January 17, 2025

Primary Blog/Celebrating Lunar New Year: Tips, Traditions, and Choosing Auspicious Colours from Your Palette

One of the most beautiful aspects of living in a multicultural city like Singapore is the opportunity to partake in various cultural celebrations. As January comes to a close, excitement builds for the Lunar New Year, a festival that marks the beginning of the Chinese calendar. This vibrant celebration is filled with rituals, traditions, and customs meant to invite prosperity, joy, and abundance into the year ahead.

Drawing inspiration from Feng Shui Master Clarice Chan’s advice (ExPat Living Magazine, Singapore), I’ve compiled a guide to navigating the Lunar New Year traditions, complete with tips on how to incorporate your personal colour analysis palette to ensure you’re dressed auspiciously and stylishly for the occasion.

General Dos and Don’ts During Lunar New Year

  • Say "Gong Xi Fa Cai": When greeting friends, colleagues, and family, this traditional phrase wishes them prosperity and wealth in the coming year. It’s a simple yet meaningful way to spread positivity.
  • Encourage Positivity: Refrain from using negative expressions or gossiping about others. Lunar New Year is a time to focus on joy and abundance.
  • Prepare Food Ahead of Time: All sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, should be put away before New Year’s Day to avoid metaphorically "cutting" luck or severing ties with loved ones.

Don’ts:

  • Avoid Washing Hair on the First Day: Hair, or “fa” in Mandarin, shares the same sound as the word for prosperity. Washing your hair on the first day of the Lunar New Year is believed to wash away wealth and luck.
  • Hong Baos (Ang Pows): Married individuals give red envelopes filled with crisp new banknotes in even amounts to unmarried adults and children. Avoid odd numbers or using old, wrinkled bills.
  • Gift Giving: Gifts are not commonly exchanged during this season, but Mandarin oranges are mandatory when visiting hosts. These oranges symbolize abundance and good luck.
  • Be Mindful of Colours: Avoid wearing black or white during the celebrations, as these colours are traditionally associated with mourning. Instead, opt for bright colours, especially red and gold, which symbolize good fortune and happiness.
  • Avoid Washing Clothes: Similarly, refrain from doing laundry to preserve your fortune.

Traditional Preparations for Chinese New Year

Preparation is key to ensuring a prosperous and harmonious Lunar New Year. Here’s how you can get ready:

  • New Red Packets: Fresh, unused red packets symbolize new beginnings and wealth.
  • New Clothes and Shoes: Wearing new clothes signifies a fresh start and is believed to attract good luck.
  • Fresh Flowers: Plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and pussy willows symbolize happiness, prosperity, and good fortune.
  • Candy Trays: Circular candy trays symbolize unity and togetherness. Fill them with an assortment of sweet treats to share.
  • Mandarin Oranges: Stock up on these fruits to exchange with friends and family during visits.
  • Fill Red Packets with New Banknotes: Ensure the notes are crisp and even in number.Use 

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Common Activities for Lunar New Year

Before the New Year begins, many families embark on rituals to invite positive energy and abundance:

  • Thorough Cleaning: Cleaning the house clears away bad luck from the previous year. Declutter and make space for new opportunities. Be sure to finish cleaning before New Year’s Day to avoid sweeping away luck.
  • Mend Relationships: Resolve any disputes with family, friends, or colleagues to begin the year on harmonious terms.
  • Settle Debts: Pay off as many debts as possible to start the year with a clean financial slate.
  • New Brooms and Brushes: Old cleaning tools are associated with bad luck; invest in new ones to usher in good fortune.

Dressing for Lunar New Year: Aligning Traditions with Your Colour Analysis Palette

While tradition emphasizes wearing bright, auspicious colours like red and gold, not all shades suit every individual’s colouring. Here’s how you can honour the spirit of the occasion while staying true to your personal colour palette:

  • Red: As a symbol of good fortune, red is the go-to colour for Lunar New Year. If you’re a Spring or Winter type, embrace vibrant, clear reds like scarlet or cherry. Summers can opt for softer shades like watermelon or dusty rose, while Autumns shine in rich, warm reds like brick or rust.
  • Patterns and Textures: Add interest to your outfit with auspicious motifs like florals, dragons, or phoenixes, keeping the design aligned with your style and palette.
  • Accessories: If bold colours aren’t your preference for clothing, incorporate them through accessories like scarves, jewelry, or shoes.
  • Bright Colours: Spring and Summer palettes can incorporate pastels and floral-inspired shades like peach, lavender, or mint. Winter types can embrace jewel tones, while Autumns may lean into earthy, warm hues such as terracotta or mustard.
  • Gold: Gold signifies wealth and prosperity. If gold isn’t in your palette, consider wearing a soft, warm yellow or champagne hue that flatters your undertones.

Creating Harmony Through Colour and Style

Wearing colours that align with both tradition and your personal palette enhances not just your appearance but also your confidence and energy. Lunar New Year is about abundance and harmony, and wearing colours that feel right for you ensures you carry that energy into the celebration.

As you prepare to celebrate the Lunar New Year, take a moment to appreciate the rich traditions and cultural wisdom that make this festival so special. From choosing the perfect outfit in your palette to exchanging Mandarin oranges with loved ones, every gesture holds meaning. Let’s embrace this time to reset, reconnect, and welcome the year with open hearts and vibrant spirits.

Whether you’re a longtime participant or a curious observer, the Lunar New Year offers an opportunity to reflect on abundance, prosperity, and harmony—a beautiful reminder to celebrate life in all its colours.

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