How to Make Chinese Good Luck Charms
Red is a potent lucky color in China, symbolizing joy. Two popular Chinese good luck charms based around the color are the Red Envelope and Spring Festival Couplets. The Red Envelope is based on the legend of Ang Pow, a young man who slew a dragon; grateful villagers gathered together money and tokens of thanks and handed them to the hero in a red envelope. Spring Festival couplets are simple rectangles of Chinese calligraphy written in scented ink and hung on front doors to ensure good fortune for the coming year.
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Instructions
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The Red Envelope
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Cut out a square of red paper. Lay it in front of you on a table, corners pointing north, south, east and west.
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Fold in the left and right hand side corners so they slightly overlap in the center. Stick together with a dab of glue.
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Fold up the bottom corner to so that its tip is in the center of the two side pieces. Glue it to the other two sides, forming the basic envelope.
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Insert a coin into the envelope. Fold down the top corner of the envelope and seal with glue.
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Using ink and a brush, draw the Chinese symbols relevant to the good luck you want to attract on the outside of the envelope. Four to six symbols make a lucky combination.
Spring Festival Couplets
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Choose a couplet or compose your own using the theme of good luck. Ensure that each couplet has the same number of words and sentence structure and is on the same theme.
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Leave a two inch gap at the top of a rectangle of red paper. Write the chosen couplet on the paper using ink and a brush. Use an ordinary paintbrush or a specialized Chinese calligraphy brush.Traditionally, scented ink is used for writing spring couplets but ordinary black ink or paint can be used as a substitute. Paint down the paper, the first line on the right, the second on the left.
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Fold the top of the paper over a half inch wide rod, just a little longer than the width of the paper. Glue the folded paper and leave to dry.
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Tie a piece of red cord to either end of the rod. Hang the completed charm over the door.
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