New year
Thursday, November 27th, 2008We went to a Chinese furniture factory to find out more about the luck of chinese furniture, said a Chinese furniture specialist.
noodles in your oriental furniture bowl, said the Chinese furniture worker should be left uncut, as a sign of long life. Plants and flowers also play a significant role in symbolizing rebirth and new growth. A home is thought to be lucky if a plant blooms on New Year’s Day, as this foretells the start of a prosperous year.
Another Chinese oriental furniture superstition, said the Chinese furniture worker is that the entire house should be cleaned before New Year’s Day. On New Year’s Eve, all brooms, brushes, dusters, dust pans and other cleaning equipment are put away in the oriental furniture. Sweeping or dusting should not be done on New Year’s Day for fear that good fortune will be swept away into the oriental furniture, which if you think about it does make some sense. After New Year’s Day, the floors may be swept. Beginning at the door, the dust and rubbish are swept to the middle of the parlor, then placed in the corners and not taken or thrown out until the fifth day. At no time should the rubbish in the corners be trampled upon. In sweeping, there is a superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep one of the family members away. Also, to sweep the dust and dirt out of your house by the front entrance is to sweep away the good fortune of oriental furniture; it must always be swept inwards and then carried out, then no harm will follow. All dirt and rubbish must be taken out the back door.
All debts had to be paid by this time, said the Chinese furniture worker. Nothing should be lent on this day, as anyone who does so will be lending all the year probably to buy oriental furniture.
Everyone should refrain from using foul language and bad or unlucky words said the Chinese furniture worker. Negative terms and the word “four”, sounding like the word for death, are not to be uttered. Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo. References to the past year are also avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.
If you cry on New Year’s Day, said the Chinese furniture worker you will cry all through the year on your oriental furniture. Therefore, children are tolerated and are not spanked, even though they are mischievous.
On New Year’s Day, said the Chinese furniture worker we are not supposed to wash our oriental furniture because it would mean we would have washed away good luck for the New Year. Red clothing is preferred during this festive occasion. Red is considered a bright, happy color, sure to bring the wearer a sunny and bright future. It is believed that appearance and attitude during New Year’s sets the tone for the rest of the year. Children and unmarried friends, as well as close relatives are given little red envelopes with crisp one dollar bills inserted, for good oriental furniture said the Chinese furniture worker.
