How to get lucky in the Year of the Dragon: money, colours, clothing, food
Everyone hopes Lunar New Year ushers in a lucky year for them, and Chinese people follow a lot of traditions to boost their luck. Read on to find out about some of them, and how to improve your fortune in the Year of the Dragon, which starts on February 10.
1. 5 ways to improve your luck in the Year of the Dragon 2024
There are 60 deities in Chinese astrology – one for each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (which correspond to Jupiter’s roughly 12-year orbital cycle) combined with the five elements of Chinese astrology (metal, wood, earth, fire and water).
These deities reign one by one over a 60-year cycle. The current reigning deity is known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, or tai sui, for that year.
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How will your Chinese zodiac fare in the Year of the Dragon?
How will your Chinese zodiac fare in the Year of the Dragon?
A birth sign clashing with that year’s tai sui signifies potential adversity. For the Year of the Dragon, those are the Dragon itself, Dog, Rabbit and Ox. Fortunately, according to tradition, there are ways to appease the Grand Duke of Jupiter. Read the full story
2. Lunar New Year lucky foods: everything you need to know
At Chinese New Year, tangerines stand for wealth because they are the colour of gold. Photo: Felix Wong
Chinese people are practical food lovers. The dishes and ingredients served over Chinese New Year are meant to bring wealth, health and happiness in the coming year (along with some babies, too) – but they’re also delicious.
From tangerines, oranges and kumquats to confectionery, Lunar New Year puddings and chicken served whole – head and feet included – we delve into why certain foods are considered lucky. Read the full story
3. Fat choy: ‘lucky’ Chinese New Year food that’s turned land into desert
Black moss or hair moss is a staple of Chinese New Year meals because its Cantonese name, fat choy, sounds like “get rich”. Photo: Shutterstock
Among the foods typically associated with Chinese New Year are whole fish or chicken, plump prawns, sticky-rice cakes, turnip cake – and, perhaps the least attractive of them all, clumps of braised hair moss, usually nestled on a plate of cooked lettuce and dried oysters.
So what is fat choy? It is a terrestrial cyanobacterium found growing on the ground in dry areas of China such as Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai and Xinjiang, but overharvesting has led to desertification, deforestation and accelerated erosion in these areas. Read the full story
4. What to wear for Chinese New Year?
A cheongsam, or qipao, is a popular choice for women to wear at Chinese New Year. Photo: Shutterstock
You can’t go wrong with a new set of clothes that are red or gold in colour for Chinese New Year.
The key word here is new. In Chinese culture, buying and wearing new clothes to welcome the Lunar New Year symbolises a fresh start. New clothes are representative of a clean slate and help usher in plenty of good fortune in the coming year. Read the full story
5. Why you should wear your lucky red underwear for Lunar New Year
Red underwear is considered an auspicious accessory during Lunar New Year. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
In Chinese culture, red, black and white are considered the three main “essential” colours.
Red – the most popular – symbolises life and its many positive aspects. Therefore, it is often associated with the vitality of life and happiness, as well as wealth, luck and success, columnist Luisa Tam writes.
Red underwear is often worn during Lunar New Year and it is considered an auspicious accessory that all Chinese people – men and women, young and old – put on to maximise their luck and fortune. Read Luisa’s column in full
6. Is Rihanna proof that Year of the Dragon babies are luckier than others?
(From left) Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Jnr and Rihanna were all born in the Year of the Dragon. Photos: Getty Images, AP, Instagram/@badgalriri
The Year of the Dragon is thought to be a very favourable year in which to have children.
There are more births recorded in Hong Kong and China in the Year of the Dragon than in any other year in the 12-year Chinese calendrical cycle.
Celebrities Bruce Lee, Martin Luther King, Jnr and Rihanna were all “dragon babies”. Read the full story
7. Five Chinese Lunar New Year traditions we rarely observe – like not cleaning
Sweeping the floor traditionally signified the removal of the new year’s incoming good luck and wealth. Photo: Shutterstock
While many around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year with various traditions – in Chinese societies these include giving lai see paper envelopes filled with “lucky money” and snacking on melon seeds to represent a bountiful harvest – there are other folk customs that we have largely abandoned in modern times. Read the full story
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