In a typical Chinese family, there are many Chinese New Year taboos and superstitions that you might have heard of before. Growing up in one, I have also heard of taboos and superstitions such as avoid sweeping the floor on the first day of Chinese New Year. Doing so may cause all the good fortune and luck for the New Year to be swept away. Getting a haircut is also forbidden as it may seem like your fortune is washed away and there will only be slim opportunities of prosperity for the whole year.
Therefore, what can we consider to be of good luck for Chinese New Year then? During this festive season, red is used a lot as it symbolizes a color which portrays plenty of good luck, longevity, happiness and vitality in the Chinese culture.
As for food, here is list of food which are deemed to be unlucky and should be avoided during the reunion dinner and Chinese New Year.
The most common food that you should not eat on Chinese New Year is chicken as it is considered to be of bad luck since the birds scratch backwards. It implies that you are focusing on the past and needs to scrape by for a living.
Lobsters, too are considered as one of the unlucky food to have during Chinese New Year. This is because they swim backwards which indicates that there may likely be problems in the coming year.
White foods such as eggs, tofu and white cheeses have an unlucky color that signifies death. As such, all white foods are avoided during this occasion.
As for breakfast, the Chinese do not have porridge during this time as it symbolizes poverty.
Keep in mind that as one of the Chinese superstitions, longevity noodles signifies long life, therefore, they must not be cut. Cutting the noodles is believed to shorten the life span.
One must also avoid taking medicine or else you may be burdened with illnesses throughout the whole year.
Lastly, do not totally eat everything that is served or you will end up with nothing much for the year. Always have some food leftover so that there will be abundance for you and your family.