Is It Bad Luck To Do Laundry On CNY? We are often driven by belief systems, rituals, customs, and practices. They have flowed over the years and have moved from one generation to another. There are taboos, mythos, and belief systems that are part and parcel of any culture.
Not many of us may be aware that laundry washing during the Chinese New Year is considered to be a bad sign and therefore in many homes washing of homes during this festival is avoided. Let us try to know more about – “Is it bad luck to do laundry on CNY?” over the next few lines.
When Does Chinese New Year Occur?
The Chinese New Year comes on different dates for those who follow the conventional calendar from January to December. In 2021 the New Year will be celebrated by the Chinese on February 12. The starting date of the Chinese New Year is February 12 but as per convention and practice, the entire New Year in China is a long-drawn and big affair.
There are 16 such Myths
It would be pertinent to mention here that there are around 16 myths surrounding the Chinese New Year. It may not be possible to list down each one of them and therefore we will be talking about some common beliefs. One such belief is about not washing laundry or clothes during the entire New Year beginning.
The belief centers around the reasons that washing of clothes on the Chinese New Year could lead to prosperity and good luck and good health also being washed away.
In fact, in many parts of China, they follow the practice of not washing clothes or doing laundry during the first two days of the Chinese New Year. Along with this many men and women also do not wash hair on these two days because this also could seemingly bring them bad luck.
Laundry washing is not done on the first and second day because these two days are considered auspicious. They are also celebrated as the birthdays of Shuishen or the water god. In the same way, many men and women refrain from washing hair. Hair in Chinese is pronounced as Fa.
Fa actually means to become wealthy and therefore if a person washes hair during the first two days of the Chinese New Year, he or she will also be washing away good luck. Similarly doing laundry during these two days is considered to be a disrespect to the water god and it could bring bad luck and make the persons stay away from property.
There are other beliefs too
Here are a few such beliefs that are worth mentioning.
- Needlework, use of scissors and knives should not be used during the Chinese New Year. This is because it could lead to accidents and could harm a person physically. If a person gets injured using the above things during the Chinese New Year, he or she will bring bad luck to them for the entire year.
- · Children should not cry during the Chinese New Year. When a child cries during the Chinese New Year, it means bad luck for the entire family. Hence, you could see many people trying all they can to prevent children from crying on this auspicious day.
Is It Bad Luck To Do Laundry On CNY? – Conclusion
It is quite obvious Chinese New Year is fascinating and has many good things to offer. It is a part of the Chinese culture and culture is always associated with myths and belief systems.