Breaking Chinese New Year Traditions | What Happens?

The Chinese New Year isn't just fireworks and red envelopes. It's 5,000 years of symbolism, and if you ignore the wrong tradition, you might accidentally sweep away your own luck. Some of these rules sound harmless until you understand what they really mean. China's 5,000-year civilization has produced a rich tapestry of customs and taboos. During the Spring Festival, attracting good luck is paramount. Many rules are observed to ward off misfortune and start off the year on the right foot. Some apply only on New Year's Day. Others last until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. And while many of these traditions have softened over time, they still carry a deep symbolic meaning. Here are 10 widely known things people avoid during the Chinese New Year, and the ideas behind them. Avoid saying taboo words. During the New Year period, people avoid negative or unlucky words such as break, run out, death, ghost, kill, sick, hurt, lose, or poor. The belief is simple. Language shapes reality. Speaking ill omens could invite bad luck. So conversations shift towards blessings, prosperity, health, and abundance. Even jokes about being broke are usually avoided. It's not about superstitions. It's about starting the year focused on positivity. I'm going to touch on number two, sweeping and dumping. Cleaning the house or throwing away garbage on New Year's Day is usually avoided because it's believed to sweep away the good fortune that just arrived. Most families clean way before Chinese New Year's Eve. Once midnight passes, brooms are put away. Traditionally, running water symbolizes money flowing away. Also, pouring water outside on the first day of Chinese New Year is also avoided. From a Western perspective, clean start makes sense. But Chinese symbolism? You don't remove what just came in. Number three, cutting hair. Haircuts are generally postponed, especially on New Year's Day. Hair is traditionally associated with prosperity and vitality. Cutting too early is seen as cutting off good fortune. Historically, many people delayed their first haircut until the second lunar month. Whether taken literally or symbolically, it reinforces a theme. Protect what brings growth. Let's touch on number four, breaking objects. Breaking dishes, bowls, mirrors, or other household items is seen as an ill omen, symbolizing broken relationships or fractured prosperity. If something does break, tradition says gather the fragments together, wrap them in a red towel or paper, and discard them on the fifth day after Chinese New Year. People often say su su ping an, meaning peace and safety, every year. It's actually a clever word play. The word for year sounds like the word for broken. So the phrase transforms the symbolism into something positive. Even accidents are given cultural meanings. All right, let's touch on number five, taking medicine. In some regions, people avoid taking medicine, seeing doctors, going to the hospital until after the Lantern Festival. Similarly, sometimes visiting an ill person in the hospital is avoided until after the Lantern Festival. Today, people prioritize health first, but you'll still see families respecting this old custom. It reflects a desire to start the year strong. So just check out some of these old buildings here in Shanghai. These are all historical buildings. Most of these buildings are old banking buildings from over a hundred years ago, but they're still in great condition. Every building up and down this road are all historical buildings that are preserved by Shanghai. Now I'm getting a little bit of a flavor of Chinese New Year. Just check this out. But it is calm, it is orderly, and everybody's having a good time. Everybody's moving around smoothly. It is packed, there's no doubt about it, but not seeing any trouble. There's no troublemakers. There's a million people here, but it is peaceful. I mean, just look at the crowd. Look at the massive crowd here going across the street over to the Riverwalk. We got the officer here helping out, but just look at the flow of people here. This is incredible, the flow of people. Okay, now we got everybody stopping. So it's organized. There's so many people that the officers have to help out with the crowd control. Now they're all coming towards me. This is incredible. I gotta, oh look at this. I'm going upstream, so I'm standing there. Everybody's coming towards me, so they're shifting people to the other side of the road to get them to cross. Everybody wants to go to the river, but this is incredible. Look at this. This is a sea of people. So this is my first experience in the crowds of Chinese New Year. This is incredible, but it's wonderful. Everybody's moving peacefully, smoothly, orderly. So I have some family here somewhere. It's easy to get lost in this crowd, believe me. Look at this. Few people? I would say so. If you see a little girl wearing a pink jacket, let me know. Got people waving. Believe it or not, I have my family here somewhere with me, and sure, looking for a little girl in a pink jacket. Here we go. Getting the car out of the way. Here go the people. So everybody's walking across to over there to where the river is. Look at that. That's a sea of people. I think I know where the 500 million people are in China. They're all here. Okay, I see my family. Okay, here come a pack of people again. Now they're all coming towards me again. This is incredible. I didn't think I was going to be part of something like this. Back over here, it seems this street has the most people flowing. So here it's a little more calm. Again, I lost the family again. Well, we have each other's phones. I know where they're staying. We're in the same hotel. The nice thing, if you do get disconnected from your family or friends in China, you don't have to worry about safety because they're safe. You just got to catch up with them and hopefully track them down. They'll find me. Got everybody sitting on the stairs over here checking out the view. It is a beautiful view. Now, am I going to have to backtrack to find them? There's a massive crowd where the light is. I think they're still there. When you get in the middle of it over there and you're kind of like swimming upstream. I mean, I was walking. Everybody was moving towards me. I've never been in a situation like that before. It was incredible. It was a fun experience. Okay, found my son. Number six. Quarreling or arguing. This is a good segue because I might be in trouble. Arguments are considered especially unlucky to start the new year. The first days are believed to set the emotional tone for months ahead. Families must try and keep harmony, avoid conflict, and speak gently even if tension exists. It's a reminder of something that modern culture sometimes forgets. How we begin often shapes what follows. Let's just check out some of these buildings here. Again, these are just kind of old bank buildings. This is Agriculture Bank of China. But just look at it. It's beautiful up there. Just the architecture, the designs. And let me see this over here. I just love this brick. Just amazing. There's a long line here for something. Food must be good here. But I want to get over here and see if I can touch this wall here. Oh, it's roped off. Oh, this is a got all these beautiful buildings. Then you got a state-of-the-art modern race car in there. But again, these buildings, they just go on and on and on. Turn the corner here. Oh, just look at this. I really wish I had a tour guide. Okay, this is what I wanted to touch. I actually want to feel this concrete here if I could. Oh yeah, this is solid stone. This has some age to it. Beautiful. Let me just pan up here. Just look at the design, the architecture on these beautiful old buildings. Look at this old bronze door. Well, if you notice, it's a little more calm where I'm at. Not many people. So a little bit ago, I was across the way, and on this side of the river, it's much more peaceful. Now, I know over there you got all the historical buildings, a lot of history. Those buildings that are all lit up are beautiful. But over here, it's not too bad either. You've got some nice modern skyscrapers. And then, of course, over here you have the tower. I'm a people person. I love people. But the crowds, a little too much for me. Look at this. I mean, this is open. This is peaceful. I'm not the only one. These people don't like it too crowded either. But what a view. Let's see if I can zoom here. This camera doesn't zoom too well. But look at this. What a lovely night on the river here in Shanghai. All right, we're up to number seven on the list already. Eating porridge. Eating porridge for breakfast on New Year's Day is traditionally frowned upon. Historically, porridge is associated with poverty and hardship. And eating it on the first day could symbolize scarcity. So instead, families choose dumplings, rice cakes, more festive type foods. These type of festive dishes represent wealth and unity. The first meal is always intentional. Number eight, repaying debt. Debts should be settled before the new year begins. Entering a new year owing money is believed to invite ongoing financial imbalance. So leading up to the festival, people try to clear debts, loans, and obligations. It's about entering the new year clean, financially and symbolically. Just what a beautiful night. Everybody's out together just having a good old time, taking pictures, talking to each other, looking at the buildings, the boats across the way. And then of course, we have the year of the horse here. And she's sitting down having a good time taking pictures. Everybody. I don't think there's one person without a camera in their hand. What I love is just complete safety here. The harmonious lifestyle of the Chinese. You can just see it out in force during the Chinese New Year. Just the stability of the harmony. It's seen nowhere I've ever been where I've traveled just here in China. If there's a calmer lifestyle where the people live together in unity and harmony, let me know. I'd like to visit this building. I haven't seen this yet. Just another amazing architecture. Let me get back down here on the river walk. It's a beautiful night. And where I am, it is just not packed with people. The tide has went down again. I was out here walking around earlier today and this water was all the way up. So it really drops here significantly. I mean, I was down there a ways, but the water was all the way up to pretty much the top of the wall. So low tide here. I'm going to hit on number nine, wearing clothes, white and black. Wearing white and black are traditionally linked with mourning in the Chinese culture. During the Chinese New Year, people like to wear bright colors, especially red. This symbolizes joy, good fortune, and protection. Wearing new clothing represents renewal. Ragged and dirty clothing suggests poverty and are avoided. Even color carries cultural weight. Last but not least, number 10, throwing away leftovers. Discarding leftovers from New Year's feast is considered wasteful and unlucky. Leftovers symbolize abundance and proof that the family has more than enough. Keeping them and eating them throughout the festival reinforces the idea of continued prosperity. Scarcity thinking is avoided. Abundance is preserved. These customs are rooted in symbolism, regional variation, and centuries of shared belief. Today, many are followed more as cultural ritual than strict rule, but they reflect something deeper. Harmony, prosperity, and starting the year with intention. Whether you believe in luck or not, there is something powerful about the beginning of the year that focuses on abundance instead of fear. This is Chris signing off from China. I'll see you in the next one.