Chinese culture is rich in customs, traditions and superstitions. In this section you will find brief descriptions of a selection of traditional customs in certain areas of life. Though a lot of Chinese today (including the majority of Chinese-Filipinos or Chinoys) have embraced modern beliefs or those of their new home countries, most Chinese are still rooted in ancient customs and traditions still upheld to this day in China.

Predictions of the Chinese Almanac still have some influence. There is always a particularly lucky day to choose for getting married, opening a new business, making a special purchase or for some other event in their lives.

Many Chinese sank into absurdity, rushing to wed before the coming of the Rooster Year, a “widow’s year” made by an ancient superstition arising from a calendar quirk. Because of the vagaries of the Chinese lunar calendar, this Rooster Year does not contain the traditional Start of Spring. For many here, that means the Chinese year is a bad one in which to marry.

It is true that Chinese New Year is a high time for practicing Chinese superstitions. The Chinese New Year comes at the end of January or beginning of February. The Chinese calendar is based on the moon so the New Year comes at different times.

Regardless of the year you were born, there are certain customs that many Chinese adhere to during the New Year. Shooting off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve is the Chinese way of sending out the old year and welcoming in the new. On the stroke of midnight, every door and window in the house has to be opened to allow the old year to go out. Many people also abstain from eating meat on the first day of the New Year because it is believed that this will ensure a long and happy life. Some may eat a whole fish, that represents togetherness and abundance, or a chicken with its head and feet intact, which symbolizes prosperity. Any noodles in your bowl should be left uncut, as a sign of long life. Plants and flowers also play a significant role in symbolizing rebirth and new growth. A home is thought to be lucky if a plant blooms on New Year’s Day, as this foretells the start of a prosperous year.

New Year is the time to honor one’s ancestors and to share a feast with family and friends. We prepare for the New Year by cleaning the house. We put away sharp things like scissors and knives so that nothing will cut the luck of the New Year. New Year’s wishes are written on long scrolls and hung in homes or stores. Children get money in red envelopes which signify good luck and happiness for the upcoming year.

Celebrations include noisy parades and firecrackers. Dancers dressed up like big dragon lead the parade. Like red envelopes, the dragon is a symbol of good luck for the new year. One of the most important parts of the parade is the Dragon Dance. The dance is performed by two people who operate a huge paper-mache’ dragon head and twelve others who hold the long train which makes up the dragon’s back and tail. They dance through the streets, swaying back and forth, accompanied by gongs and drums.

Chinese traditions on the celebration of All Soul’s Day have some similarities like those of the Catholics. Floral offerings, fruits, and other foodstuff are being offered to the souls, believing that they (souls) too share in that simple feast. Two sticks of Chinese “incense”, instead of candles, are lighted for the souls while three are said to be offered to God. Material possessions, in the form of paper-made “playhouse”, “car” and “kim” (Chinese money) are made available to the dead person’s tomb intending prosperity for the departed souls.

It would not be an idle boast to say that Chinese cuisine is one of the greatest in the world. Nor would it be an exaggeration to say that few other cultures are as food-orientated as Chinese culture. During China’s biggest national festival, food plays a role as important as the traditions and customs that we have just discussed. 

For those most superstitious, the Almanac should be consulted to find the best time to do important things. The Almanac would tell you that if the day is a good day or bad day to have a funeral, sweep the graves of ancestors, worship the dead or move an ancestor’s grave; start construction, move into a new house, visit friends or even travel north; get a haircut or cultivate plants and so on. The fact: if you follow ALL the “traditions”, you will get nowhere!

Here is a list of 40 classic Chinese superstitions:

When having a baby
*If you’re pregnant, use of glue will cause a difficult birth.
*If you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.
*You should never praise a newborn baby because it will invite evil spirits and ghosts.
*A concave navel means a prosperous life.
*A baby with more than one hair crown will be mischievous and disobedient.
*A baby with wide and thick ears will live prosperously.

Before you get married
*Wedding clothes should be red, yellow and/or white.
*Wearing black, blue or gray will bring bad luck to the marriage.
*Couples with the same surname cannot marry; even if they are not related, they still belong to the same ancestry.
*A boy, preferably born a Dragon, must roll over the newlywed’s matrimonial bed to ensure good luck and a baby boy.
*Never marry someone who is older or younger by 3 or 6 years.

Good Feng Shui
*The number of steps in a staircase should be even-numbered.
*It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.
*It is bad luck if your door or gate directly faces a road.
*Don’t build your house facing the north.
*The master’s bedroom should not be situated right above the garage.
*The dining area should not be under a second-floor toilet.

Going to funerals
*An improper funeral will bring ill fortune and disaster.
*Statues of deities must be covered with red cloth of paper.
*Mirrors must be hidden; a person who sees the reflection of the coffin will have a death in his/her family.
*White cloth must be hung across the doorway of the house.
*The deceased’s children and grandchildren should not cut their hair for 49 days.
*After leaving a wake, do not go straight home lest the ghost of the dead follows you.

Lucky and unlucky colors
*Red is the color of blood or life and will bring happiness, wealth, fame, and good luck.
*Black is the color of feces and is associated with evil, disaster and bad fortune.
*White is the color of mother’s milk. It symbolizes moderation, purity, honesty and life and balances red and black.

Lucky and unlucky numbers
*The luckiest number is eight because its Chinese word also means “prosper”.
*The unluckiest number is four as it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
*Seven can also signify death.
*The number one means loneliness.
*The number “9″ is good, because nine in Cantonese sounds like the word “sufficient”.

About time
*Clipping toenails or fingernails at night is bad luck; the person will be visited by a ghost.
*If a dog howls continuously at night, this means death.
*Hearing a crow cawing between 3 and 7 am means the hearer will receive gifts; hearing a crow caw between 7 and 11am means rain and wind; and between 11am and 1pm means quarrels.
*If a man’s ears burn between 11pm and 1pm, there will be harmony between him and his wife; if they burn between 1 and 3 in the afternoon, a guest will soon arrive.

Things you should never do
*Beating a person with a broom will rain bad luck upon that person for years.
*Wearing a moustache is considered bad luck.
*Never point at the moon or your ears might get chopped off.
*Don’t sweep the floor on New Year’s Day lest you sweep away the good fortune.
*Don’t keep a pet turtle or it will slow down your business.

While many Chinese people today may not believe in these dos and don’ts, these superstitions (by the name of “traditions” and “customs”) are still practiced. Traditions are changing, but not vanishing. The entertaining function of these traditions will remain and even be strengthened. However, they will appear in newer forms.
 
 

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