Why Do the Chinese Put Money in Red Envelopes for the Chinese New Year?

Red wards away evil spirits and encourages happiness and good luck.

Chinese New Year---also known as the Spring Festival---is the most important holiday on the Chinese calendar. Festivities last for 15 days and include many different kinds of celebrating and traditions. One of the most visible and well-known traditions is the giving of red packets with money.

History

Nobody knows how Chinese New Year began, but it is at least 3,000 years old. One legend tells of a monster that came once a year and ate animals and children. Villagers tried putting food outside of their houses to persuade the monster not to eat livestock and people, but noticed that the monster only backed off when it saw a child wearing red. The story goes on to say that the villagers then celebrated every year with lots of red to keep the monster away.

Giving

Married couples give red packets with money to unmarried adults and children. The packets represent luck, happiness and prosperity in the New Year for the receiver. Well-wishers give out red packets at other occasions as well, such as weddings or births. The packets are sometimes called "ya sui qian," which means "the money used to suppress the evil spirit."

Red

Red is the most important color in Chinese culture. It wards away evil spirits and encourages happiness and luck. During New Year festivities, in addition to giving red envelopes with money, people put up red lanterns and red cut-outs in and outside of houses and other buildings.

Money

There are traditions regarding how to give money in red packets. The number 8 is a lucky number, so 8, 88 and 888 are common amounts to find in an envelope, as is any other number ending in 8. On happy occasions (such as the New Year festivities) the number given should be even, whereas uneven numbers are associated with unhappy occasions, such as funerals.

Other Traditions

A myriad of traditions exist around the New Years festivities. The New Year represents a fresh start---all debts are paid, everything is cleaned and people reaffirm their friendships and family ties. On New Years Eve, people clean their houses and decorate with red and lanterns, and then prepare a feast with their families. The morning of New Years, everyone wishes their family members well, and gift-giving (of the red envelopes or small sweets and toys) takes place. Firecrackers, fireworks and parades take place in the following days.

References

• Red Packet
• Chinese New Years
• Red: China's Color of Fire and Celebration