Chinese New Year taboos 年俗禁忌 (niánsú jìnjì) are the customs about words, objects and actions that families avoid in the first days of the lunar year, so that the year opens gently and without loss. The best known are: do not sweep the floor on the first days, do not wash your hair on Day 1, keep scissors and knives away, do not break things, do not argue or say unlucky words, do not lend money, and do not give clocks, shoes or pears as gifts. Families keep different subsets of these, and in 2027 the festival opens on Saturday, 6 February.
I am asked about these customs more than almost any other part of the festival, usually by someone who has just been told off by an aunt. My answer is always the same. Most taboos are not warnings about spirits. They are a compact way of saying “begin the year with care, kindness and a little restraint”, and each has a reason you can understand. This guide gives the reasoning behind the main ones, notes where Hokkien and Cantonese habits differ, and ends with a list of what to do instead. For the dates, see my Chinese New Year 2027 guide.
Why These Taboos Exist, and How I Treat Them
Almost every taboo falls into one of three families. The first is homophones 諧音 (xiéyīn): a word sounds like something unlucky, so the object or action is avoided. The second is symbolic logic: sweeping removes, cutting severs, so you avoid doing either on the day you want luck to arrive and stay. The third is social wisdom: do not quarrel, do not nag, do not leave debts, because a household that starts the year in conflict tends to stay there.
I treat taboos as customs, not laws. A rule kept with resentment does nothing for the home, while a courteous gesture kept for the sake of an elderly parent is already good feng shui 風水 (fēngshuǐ), because it keeps the household at ease. If you forget a rule, you have not ruined your year. Calmly carry on, and say something kind.
Also be honest about variation. Chinese families in Malaysia come from several dialect groups, and the same custom may be strict in one household and unknown in the next. Nobody keeps all of them, and I have met very few people who could agree on a complete list.
Cleaning and Rubbish: Do Not Sweep the Luck Out
The most widely known taboo is sweeping. The thorough cleaning 掃除 (sǎochú) is traditionally done before New Year’s Eve, so that the old year’s dust leaves with the old year. Once the festival begins, many families avoid sweeping, mopping and taking out rubbish, because the logic runs that you might sweep the fresh fortune out of the door along with the dust.
How long this lasts differs. Some families stop sweeping only for Day 1. Others keep to Day 3, which fits with the “red mouth” day discussed below. In many families the restriction ends on Day 5, called 破五 (pò wǔ), “breaking the fifth”, when the taboos are considered lifted and rubbish may be taken out. Where a household must clean in between, the common compromise is to sweep gently from the doorway inward toward the centre of the room and keep the rubbish in the house until the restriction ends.
Practically, this is also sensible. If you finish a proper clean by the eve, there is little to sweep on Day 1 anyway. My CNY decoration feng shui guide covers the pre-festival clean in order.
Hair, Washing and Sharp Objects
Hair. The Chinese character for hair and the one for prosper look identical in simplified writing, 发, although they are read fà and fā in Mandarin. In Cantonese both are pronounced faat, as in Gong Hei Fat Choy. So washing your hair on Day 1 is said to wash prosperity away. Many families simply wash their hair on the eve and skip it on Day 1, and some extend this to Day 2 or Day 3. Some families also avoid washing clothes on Day 1, for the same reason of washing something away.
Scissors and knives. Cutting is a symbol of severing: cutting ties, cutting off income, cutting short. Many families put scissors and knives away on Day 1, avoid sewing and cut up the festive food in advance. Cooks usually prepare everything on the eve for this reason, and it has the side benefit of letting the person who cooked all week have a rest.
Haircuts. Cutting hair is avoided in many households throughout the first lunar month, partly because of the same “hair equals prosperity” pun and partly because of an old saying that a haircut in the first month brings harm to a maternal uncle. I would treat this last one as folklore with an uncertain origin, and I do not know any family that holds to it strictly. Simply book the haircut before the eve.
Words, Broken Things, Tears and Quarrels
The first words you speak in the year are traditionally treated as the seed of what follows. In practice this means avoiding anything that names loss.
- Avoid the word for death 死 (sǐ) and the number four 四 (sì), which sounds almost the same.
- Avoid talk of illness, poverty, ghosts, bad luck and debt.
- Avoid telling people they look tired or unwell. Say what is true and kind.
- Avoid scolding children. Many parents promise not to, and children are asked not to cry on Day 1.
If something breaks, which in a busy house around the reunion dinner it will, the custom is to say 碎碎平安 (suì suì píng’ān), “peace year after year”. The word for shattered, 碎, sounds like the word for year, 歲 (suì), so a clumsy moment is turned into a blessing. I love this one, because it asks you to respond to an accident with humour.
Arguments follow the same principle. A household that begins the year shouting is thought to carry that tone forward. If a quarrel does start, I suggest you step into another room for five minutes rather than answer. That is the real taboo, and it is a good rule all year.
Money, Debts and Medicine
Debts. Clear debts before the eve if you can. The idea is that you should not carry an obligation into the new year, and the festival is a natural deadline. If it is not possible to pay in full, at least speak to the person and settle on a plan before the eve, so that nothing awkward is left hanging at the reunion dinner.
Borrowing and lending. Many families avoid lending or borrowing money on the first days of the festival, because the first transaction is considered an omen for the year. Lending is thought to send money out, borrowing to signal need. Giving angpao is the exception, because it is a gift that is expected and a mark of generosity. My angpao guide explains amounts and etiquette.
Medicine. Traditionally some families avoid taking medicine on Day 1, because it is thought to invite sickness into the year, and avoid talking about illness for the same reason. I want to be careful here. Nobody should skip needed medication or delay care because of a custom. If you are unwell or on regular medication, take it as prescribed and see a doctor when you need to. The custom is about not dwelling on sickness, not about refusing treatment.
Food and Sleep on the First Day
Porridge. Congee 粥 (zhōu) is traditionally the food of everyday or poor households, so some families avoid eating it on Day 1 in case it hints at a thin year. A rich and varied table is preferred, and the reunion dinner supplies most of it.
Vegetarian on Day 1. Many Buddhist families, and some others, eat vegetarian food on Day 1, and some keep to it for several days. The reasoning is to avoid taking life at the start of the year, and to begin with a clean, merit-making act. Other families do the opposite and treat meat and fish as part of the festive abundance. Both are long-standing practices.
Fish. At the reunion dinner many families deliberately leave some fish uneaten, because 魚 (yú) sounds like 餘 (yú), “surplus”. The leftovers carry the surplus from one year into the next. Cooks often simply reheat it the next day.
Sleeping in the day. Some elders say that sleeping during the daytime on Day 1 sets a lazy pattern for the year. After staying up for the eve, 守歲 (shǒusuì), this is a lot to ask, and I believe a short rest is no great offence. The underlying idea is only that Day 1 is for greeting and visiting, not for hiding in bed.
Clothing and Gifts to Avoid
For clothing, red and other bright colours are favoured, and plain black or all-white is traditionally avoided because both are linked with mourning. I give the full picture, with colours that suit the Goat year, in my guide on what to wear for Chinese New Year 2027.
For gifts, the objections are almost all about sound.
| Gift | Why it is avoided |
|---|---|
| Clock 鐘 (zhōng) | 送鐘 (sòng zhōng) sounds like 送終 (sòngzhōng), attending someone’s final moments |
| Pears 梨 (lí) | Sounds like 離 (lí), parting or separation |
| Shoes 鞋 | In Cantonese, sounds like a sigh; in Mandarin, close to 邪 (xié), “evil” |
| Umbrella 傘 (sǎn) | Sounds like 散 (sàn), scattering or breaking apart |
| Handkerchief | Linked with funerals, tears and farewells |
| Knives or scissors | Symbolise cutting ties |
| Sets of four | 四 (sì) sounds like 死 (sǐ), death |
| Green hat | ”Wearing a green hat” is an idiom for a cheated husband |
Good alternatives are mandarin oranges in pairs, tins of biscuits and cookies, tea, and sweet items. I explain the pairing custom in my mandarin orange guide. If you are visiting a family you do not know well, a box of festive sweets is nearly always safe.
Day 3: Chi Kou, the “Red Mouth” Day
The third day of the new year, Monday, 8 February 2027, is known as 赤口 (chìkǒu), literally “red mouth”. Folk belief says it is a day on which quarrels flare easily, because tempers and tongues run hot. It comes from a traditional divination system used to classify days, and many families treat it as a day to avoid visiting and stay home quietly. Some go to temples instead, and some offer a prayer to ease disputes.
In recent years I have noticed that many families in Malaysia simply use Day 3 as a rest day between the intense first two. Even if you do not hold to the superstition, it is a sensible pause. You will probably have visited a great many people by then.
How Customs Differ Between Communities
I want to avoid giving you a tidy chart that pretends every community behaves the same. A few differences I can speak to with reasonable confidence:
- Cantonese families are often strict about the 發 and 髮 wordplay, so the hair and “luck” taboos are prominent. Day 2 is commonly the day of 開年 (kāi nián), the “opening of the year”, with a meal and prayers for the household or business.
- Hokkien families often put their weight on prayers to heaven, especially the Jade Emperor’s birthday on Day 9. The midnight prayer on the night between Day 8 and Day 9 carries more ceremony than many of the household taboos.
- Hakka, Teochew, Hainanese and other communities have their own customs, which I do not want to describe in detail from second-hand knowledge. Ask the eldest person in your family, since they are usually the best source.
Intermarriage, moving cities and personal belief have blurred these lines, and families often blend several traditions. When in doubt, follow the rule of the household you are visiting.
What to Do: A Positive List
Taboos are only half the story. The other half is a set of things that are encouraged, and I prefer to start from this list:
- Finish cleaning, repairing and decluttering before the eve.
- Pay debts and settle small disagreements before the reunion dinner.
- Keep the lights on at the entrance and in the main rooms on the eve.
- Wear something red or bright on Day 1, and greet elders first.
- Offer incense or a short prayer to ancestors and household deities, according to your family’s practice.
- Prepare angpao in advance, with crisp notes, and give them cheerfully.
- Say auspicious greetings: Gong Hei Fat Choy 恭喜發財 (gōngxǐ fācái), and wishes for good health and harmony.
- Eat the traditional foods, including nian gao, as explained in my nian gao guide.
- Be generous in conversation. A kind remark is the cheapest piece of good fortune available.
Common Questions
Is it really bad luck to wash your hair on Chinese New Year? It is a folk belief rather than a fact. The pun is that washing hair 洗髮 sounds like washing away prosperity 洗發. Many families avoid it on Day 1 only, and it is easy to do on the eve.
Can I sweep or clean on Chinese New Year Day 1? Traditionally no, and many families wait until Day 3 or Day 5. If you need to clear something away, keep it gentle and sweep inward. If a custom clashes with practical needs, such as an elderly relative or a spill, do what is necessary and do not worry.
What should I do if I break something during Chinese New Year? Say 碎碎平安 (suì suì píng’ān) with a smile and clear it up. The saying turns the accident into a wish for peace year after year.
Are these taboos the same in every Chinese family? No. Families keep different subsets, and communities differ. Some elders are strict, others relaxed. I recommend following the practice of the household you are in, and letting go of the rest.
Do I have to avoid visiting on Day 3? Only if your family follows the Chi Kou tradition. Many do, and many do not. If your relatives avoid visits on that day, it is polite to follow their lead.
Key Takeaways
- Most CNY taboos rest on three ideas: unlucky homophones, symbolic logic (sweeping removes, cutting severs) and plain social wisdom about avoiding conflict.
- Finish cleaning, haircuts, debts and cooking preparation before the eve on Friday, 5 February 2027, so Day 1 can be calm.
- Avoid sweeping, washing hair, scissors and sharp talk on the first days. Many families keep this for Day 1 only, others for three to five days.
- Skip gifts that sound unlucky: clocks, pears, shoes, umbrellas, handkerchiefs and sets of four. Choose oranges, sweets or tea.
- Day 3, Monday, 8 February 2027, is Chi Kou, the “red mouth” day, when many families stay home and avoid visits.
- Custom varies by community and by household. Follow the elders of the house you are in, and remember that kindness and good intention matter more than any single rule.
If you would like help preparing your home and choosing auspicious timings for the Goat year, book a house Feng Shui consultation with me.
