Everyone hopes that the Lunar New Year will be a lucky year for them, and Chinese people follow many traditions to boost their fortunes. Read on to learn more about some of them, and how to improve your fortune in the Year of the Dragon, which begins on February 10.
1. 5 ways to improve your luck in the Year of the Dragon 2024
There are 60 deities in Chinese astrology – one for each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (which correspond to Jupiter's approximately 12-year orbital cycle) along with the five elements of Chinese astrology (metal, wood, earth, fire, and water).
These gods rule one by one over a 60-year cycle. The current ruling god is known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, or Tai suifor that year.
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What will your Chinese zodiac sign be like in the Year of the Dragon?
What will your Chinese zodiac sign be like in the Year of the Dragon?
A birth sign that conflicts with that year Tai sui Indicates potential adversity. For the Year of the Dragon, these are the Dragon itself, the Dog, the Rabbit, and the Ox. Fortunately, according to tradition, there are ways to appease the Grand Duke of Jupiter. Read the full story
2. Lucky Foods for Lunar New Year: Everything you need to know
In Chinese New Year, tangerines symbolize wealth because they are the color of gold. Photo: Felix Wong
Chinese people are practical food lovers. The dishes and ingredients served during Chinese New Year are meant to bring wealth, health, and happiness in the coming year (along with some for the kids, too) — but they're also delicious.
From tangerines, oranges and kumquats to sweets, Lunar New Year desserts and whole chickens are served – including the head and feet – and we delve into why certain foods are considered lucky. Read the full story
3. Fat Choy: The “lucky” Chinese New Year food that turned the Earth into a desert
Black moss, or hair moss, is a staple in Chinese New Year meals because its Cantonese name, fat choy, sounds like “get rich.” Image: Shutterstock
Among the foods commonly associated with Chinese New Year are whole fish or chicken, plump shrimp, glutinous rice cakes, turnip cake and – perhaps the least attractive of them all, clumps of braised hairweed, usually placed on a plate of cooked lettuce. And dried oysters.
so what Grill the fat? It is a terrestrial cyanobacterium that grows on the ground in dry regions of China such as Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang, but overharvesting has led to desertification, deforestation and accelerated erosion in these areas. Read the full story
4. What to wear for Chinese New Year?
Cheongsam, or qipao, is a popular choice for women to wear for Chinese New Year. Image: Shutterstock
You can't go wrong with a fresh set of red or gold clothes to celebrate Chinese New Year.
The key word here is new. In Chinese culture, buying and wearing new clothes to welcome the Lunar New Year symbolizes a new beginning. New clothes represent a clean slate and help bring a lot of good luck in the coming year. Read the full story
5. Why should you wear your lucky red underwear for Lunar New Year?
Red underwear is considered an auspicious accessory during the Lunar New Year. Photo: Getty Images/iStockPhoto
In Chinese culture, red, black and white are considered the three main “primary” colors.
Red – the most popular color – symbolizes life and its many positive aspects. Therefore, it is often associated with liveliness and happiness, as well as wealth, luck and success, writes author Louisa Tam.
Red underwear is often worn during the Lunar New Year and is considered an auspicious accessory everyone The Chinese people – men and women, young and old – are making great efforts to maximize their fortunes and wealth. Read Louisa's column in full
6. Is Rihanna proof that children in the Year of the Dragon are luckier than others?
(From left) Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rihanna were all born in the Year of the Dragon. Photos: Getty Images, Associated Press, Instagram/@badgalriri
It is believed that the Year of the Dragon is a very suitable year to have children.
There are more births registered in Hong Kong and China in the Year of the Dragon than in any other year in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese calendar.
Celebrities Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rihanna were all “dragon children.” Read the full story
7. Five Chinese Lunar New Year traditions we rarely adhere to – like not cleaning
Sweeping the floor traditionally signifies clearing away good luck and fortune coming in the new year. Image: Shutterstock
While many around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year with different traditions, these traditions include giving in Chinese communities No look Paper envelopes filled with “lucky money” and snacking on watermelon seeds to represent a bountiful harvest – another popular custom that we have largely abandoned in modern times. Read the full story
