Giving Red Envelopes Chinese New Year

Unlike a western greeting card red envelopes given at chinese new year are typically left unsigned.

Giving red envelopes chinese new year.

As the legend goes a demon known as sui terrorized children while they slept on new year s eve. Hong bao 红包 packets literally red envelope are the traditional gifts that adults give children during the chinese new year holiday period. For birthdays or weddings a short message typically a four character expression and signature is optional. If you are giving a red envelope there are a few points to remember.

It is a chinese new year gift with money stuffed into red paper to kids. Red envelopes also called red packets lucky money or hongbao in chinese are a popular monetary gift given on some important occasions or festivals in china and some other asian countries especially widely seen during the chinese new year spring festival. The custom of giving red envelopes originates in some of the oldest stories of chinese new year. Chinese new year is a red envelope season.

In practice children can even mean unmarried young adults. Unlike a western greeting card red envelopes given at chinese new year are typically left unsigned. The general idea is that adults with income give children with no income hong bao during chinese new year. Every lunar new year it s a tradition in chinese and other southeast asian societies to gift a red packet or envelope called hóngbāo in mandarin filled with a monetary gift.

Cash enclosed by red paper or red envelope is affectionately given to more young individuals by the elders. But red envelopes are not limited to chinese new year. In northern and southern china red envelopes are typically given by the elders to the younger under 25 30 in most of the three northeastern provinces regardless of marital status. For birthdaysor weddings a short message typically a four character expression and signature are optional.

Here are the most common scenarios for giving red envelopes during chinese new year. It is common to give a red envelope during some special occasions such as a wedding graduation the birth of a baby or a senior person s birthday. Red envelopes are known as hongbao in mandarin and lai see in cantonese. From parents to their children it s traditional to leave a red envelope with two tangerines leaves on of course by a child s bedside on new year s eve.