Do's and Don'ts of Chinese New Year
Chinese characters usually have one or more meanings and some of them are particularly loved by Chinese people, especilly in New Year's Day. Here is the top 10 lucky symbols of Chinese New Year's Day.
Fu - Blessing, Good Fortune, Good Luck
Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used in Chinese New Year. It is often posted upside down on the front door of a house or an apartment. The upside down fu means good luck, happiness, and prosperity came since the character for upsite down in Chinese sounds the same as the character for came.
Lu - Prosperity
Shou - Longevity
Xi - Happiness
Cai - wealth, money
He - harmonious
Ai - love, affection
Mei - beautiful, pretty
Ji - lucky, auspicious, propitious
De - virtue, moral
To insure the arrival of luck and wealth in the new year, several taboos must also be heeded.
Floors may not be swept and garbage may not be disposed for fear of casting riches out the door; cussing and quarreling is to be avoided at all costs; and anyone who breaks a dish on this day must quickly say "Peace for all time," to avoid incurring misfortune. Do not use knives or scissors on New Year's Day as this may cut off fortune. Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words. Negative terms and the word "four", which sounds like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning. And it is considered unlucky to greet anyone in their bedroom so that is why everyone, even the sick, should get dressed and sit in the living room.
More superstitious
Shooting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the New Year. On the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, every door in the house, and even windows, have to be open to allow the old year to go out. The first person one meets and the first words heard are significant as to what the fortunes would be for the entire year. It is a lucky sign to see or hear songbirds or red-colored birds or swallows. The cleaning and arrangement of one's living environment improves household sanitation and symbolizes a new beginning; the worship of ancestors and deities reflects the Chinese emphasis on filial piety and family ethics, and serves as an expression of gratitude; sitting around the hearth symbolizes unity and the value of spending important occasions together with family.
http://china.citw2008.com/html/2006/1103/946.shtml
