Happy Chinese New Year, my friend!
If you need to start over when it comes to any new year intentions, (Resolutions, for me, seem to be more negative, in nature, while intentions seem to be what I want to bring in for the new year.) you can give yourself another fresh start at the Chinese New Year, which starts Tuesday, February 5th.
It's the Year of the Pig, which is a huge year for MONEY!
Apparently, Pigs have a beautiful personality and are blessed with good fortune in life.
Is this why there are piggy banks?
I mean, pigs ARE really cute with chubby faces and big ears, which, according to older Chinese people, are symbols of good fortune. I always heard that if you had big ears, it means, you're going to make a lot of money in your life! And, if you have small ears, well, you're SOL in that department.
On a side note, Chinese grandmothers are notorious for taking the face of your significant other in their hands and silently studying their features. This is very confusing if your significant other is NOT Chinese. After staring into your significant other's eyes...nose...mouth...forehead...then turn their head from side to side and look at their ears...maybe even feel the shape of their heads...she will turn to you, in Chinese, and tell you if she approves or not.
"He has a very big head and large ears. He is very smart and will make a lot of money," she says in Chinese, smiling and nodding her head, in approval.
But, I digress.
Chinese New Year includes a lot of traditions to help bring in money. But first, all Chinese holidays involve food, and there are very specific foods to eat during Chinese New Year to bring in wealth, health and happiness! One of the must-eat foods include dumplings, which word in Chinese means "an exchange between the old and the new," and it's a symbol of wealth because the dumpling looks like a money pouch.
See? Little pouches of money. Well, really they're probably filled with shrimp, veggies or pork (hopefully they're not in the year of the pig!)
Another must-have dish, for abundance, is fish. Usually, it's a whole entire fish like the one below...
The reason for the fish? Because the Chinese word for fish is "yú," which sounds like the word for "more" or "extra." There's a Chinese saying during the New Year, where you say "Each year, may you have more or extra..." (usually referring to an abundance of food and/or money). It's important to not just have enough food, but to have extra. So, the whole fish guarantees that everyone will have enough to eat and then you will have leftovers, as well! Apparently, a whole fish also means a happy and whole family, and in some parts of China, they add red peppers to spice up the fish, which means you're adding spice to your business, to keep it fiery or thriving!
Another delicious dish that represents prosperity or wealth are rice cakes. Some make rice cakes savory and treat them almost like rice or noodles. Others make a sweet rice cake, filled with red beans, dates, sweet potato, yams, or some exotic fruits. My Taiwanese grandmother likes to slice and fry them with a little egg and flour. The Chinese word for rice cakes, sounds like you're saying "high" or "tall," so if you eat these at the new year, you're saying that each year, your life (and business) will get higher and taller, or more and more successful each year.
Another Chinese New Year tradition that's tied to money is the handing out of red envelopes to children. These red envelopes all contain cash, and the cash has to be brand spankin' new! Usually a few weeks before the New Year, people line up at banks to receive crisp, new bills. And yes! Sometimes, a generous (and Crazy, Rich!) relative could give you $300 in your envelope! Some kids can really rake in some serious dough during this time of the year. However, most people give about $20 USD, or if they're really superstitious (kinda an oxymoron in Chinese culture), they'll give money based on 6's (the number, in Chinese, sounds like the word for flow) or 8's (the number sounds like the word for fortune).
Don'ts for Chinese New Year (related to $$$):
Now, there are a few don't's for Chinese New Year, and some of it makes some sense, like #1:
- Don't talk about negative things! This is also a law of attracting thing...what you focus on expands, so why focus on the negative?
- Don't cut or wash your hair, or you could be cutting or washing away your fortune and luck!
- Don't clean the house on New Year's Day, or you could be sweeping away that luck & fortune!
- Try not to break a glass or any ceramics during the New Year, or it could break your connection to wealth or fortune.
- Don't shower on New Year's Day, or you could wash away your luck and fortune.
- Don't borrow any money, or you could be borrowing money for the rest of the year! (I don't recommend borrowing money anyway, and I'll write about why later.)
Finally, since you've hopefully been bringing in money all year, this is also the time to spend some money on new clothes! Red and gold are good colors to wear for the New Year's Eve dinner. Happy New Year! In Mandarin, it's 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè). In both Mandarin and Cantonese, it's good to also say "Gong Shi Fa Tsay" or "Gong Hay Fat Choy," which translates to, Congratulations! Fortune! Prosperity!
I'm wishing you good fortune, prosperity and abundance (more than enough) this year! If you want to know how to bring in more money and abundance, sign up below to subscribe. Each week, I'll send you new Money Motivation content. If this is the year, you'd like to get out of debt, stop worrying about money and find financial freedom, let's talk! During this new year month and because it's also my birthday month, I'm giving YOU a free 1-hour financial coaching session to make sure you get on the right track. Sign up by clicking here.
With Gratitude (and wishing you all happiness, health and wealth this new year),
