Good and Bad luck during Chinese New Year

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Here is a fun excerpt on what’s good and what’s bad during CNY I got from wikipedia. (And my own 2 cents worth in the brackets)

GOOD LUCK
* Opening windows and doors are considered to bring in the good luck of the New Year.
(it is also an entrance for thieves if not monitored closely!)

* Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to “scare away” ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the New Year.
(on a present modern day it is so easy to leave the lights on without any worry. During the good ol‘ days when oil lamp was used, instead of scaring away ghosts, the lamp might torch the whole house down when accidentally knocked over!)

* Sweets are eaten to ensure the consumer a “sweet” year.
(and also to increase your likelihood of getting diabetes or losing a tooth or two… )

* It is important to have the house completely clean from top to bottom before New Year’s Day for good luck in the coming year.
(take note that you MUST have the house clean from TOP to BOTTOM and not the other way round as it will forfeit your good luck for the year. wat da?)

* Wearing a new pair of slippers that is bought before the New Year because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
(this I like! I’ll get a pair of big, gigantic slippers to step on you people who have nothing better to do in your life than to gossip on others! STEP ON YOU, you sonna na *$%^#!)

* The night before the New Year, bathe yourself in pomelo leaves, as some believe it will bring you good health for the rest of the New Year.
(for those of you who substitute the pomelo leaves with a shower spa of pomelo oil, let me tell you something…. THAT doesn’t COUNT! go get yourself an original pomelo! go to IPOH!)

PINK IS THE COLOR THIS YEAR, GO GET YOURSELF A PINK OUTFIT AND A PINK PANTHER TO TAG ALONG.

BAD LUCK
* Buying a pair of shoes during New Year is considered bad luck amongst some Chinese. The word “shoes” is a homophone for the word for “rough” in Cantonese.
(if by any chance you lost your shoes on New Year’s day, don’t take chances. Go bare-footed! And if you accidentally step on chicken sh*t, that’s good luck! :p)

* Getting a haircut in the first lunar month puts a curse on maternal uncles. Therefore, people get a haircut before the New Year’s Eve.
(now I know why hair dressers increase their rates the month before CNY – to cover their losses during the month of CNY)

* Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one’s own luck. Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the New Year.
(just don’t wash your hair-lah, how hard can that be? if you can’t stand the smell or the itchiness, go bald for the New Year! for the sweeping part, lock the broom in your storage room to avoid accidentally sweeping over… must remember, it is FORBIDDEN.. means… CANNOT DO NO MATTER WHAT!)

* Buying books is bad luck because the word for “book” is a homonym to the word “lose”
(I have nothing to comment on this one. Who the heck is so free to go buy books on New Year’s day?!)

* Avoid clothes in black or white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
(Unless you are born a zebra, you’ll have no trouble following this rule!)

And I personally believe that it is ALWAYS bad luck to light a fire cracker in your mouth!