A rest day for floor sweeping

While I was sweeping floor today and thing when is the best time that I can have good excuse not to sweep floor, oh that comes into my mine – the first day of Chinese New Year.

Not only it is a taboo to sweep floor on that day and there are many more. The followings are some things that CANNOT be done on the first day of the Chinese New Year. This is just some personal sharing and it has been practiced in my family since generations ago.

1. CANNOT Sweep floor - In Chinese culture, people normally believe that there will have lots of prosperous from the first day of the new year and thus sweeping floor on the first day would indicate sweep away all the prosperous for the coming year.
2. CANNOT say Un-auspicious words – Most of people will believe that a good start of the year must have good things happen on the very first day of the Chinese New Year. That is the reason people must say good things, good wishes instead so that hope is a good new beginning of the year.
3. CANNOT break glasses – If anyone has accidentally break the glasses, the person must immediately say some auspicious words. “Broken” thing is not a good sign for the coming year.
4. CANNOT wash hair – I am not so sure the real meaning behind this, but hair is something to do with good luck and prosperity. Thus, wash hair would probably indicates wash away all the good luck and prosperity too, so just stand for a day and wash it on the next day.
5. CANNOT scold people  - Most people should have enjoy the first day of the Chinese New Year in a very happy and re-union together and scolding someone would probably just spoilt the mood a atmosphere and make the people around feel not happy. So, avoid it and for those who are hot-tempered, please control.
6. CANNOT wear black color shirt - Most of the Chinese especially the elderly will consider red as auspicious color and black as a taboo. “Black” indicate bad luck and normally “black” is the color for sad event like the wake. Contrary, “Red” is consider as auspicious color that will bring good luck and in most of the happy event, people will use “Red” color like wedding, baby full month, birthday and etc.