2016 is the Chinese Year of the Monkey. During the Chinese New Year festival, we recommend the following traditions for a prosperous year:
- Clean the house thoroughly on Sunday, New Year’s Eve. A clean home means sweeping away any misfortunes to make room for a fresh, ordered start to the New Year.
- Look out if you’re a monkey. According to Chinese philosophy, those born with the same zodiac sign as the year’s designated animal are going to have a particularly difficult year. Those born in the Year of the Monkey – 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 2004 – are urged to lie low.
- Decorate your home with red lanterns.
- Come together as a family, travelling home to relatives, especially for a reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve.
- Wear new and red clothes. Red symbolises prosperity, so monkeys are advised to wear red (underwear included) to up their good fortune quotients.
- Give red envelopes with money inside to children.
- Settle debts by New Year. This is especially an important rule for companies to pay off suppliers and even more employees before the New Year festival starts.
We wish you a Happy Year 2016!
The team of Fan, Chan & Dr. Neumann Business Advisory in Shanghai