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Chinese Red Envelope Rules

Happy Chinese New Year, folks! It’s that point of 12 months again, while pink envelopes – additionally called 红包 (hongbao), ‘pink packets’ or even ‘fortunate cash’ – preserving a financial price are given to and obtained via way of means of buddies and families.
Hongbao, of course, aren’t simply restrained to Spring Festival. They may be talented at weddings, graduations, birthday events (in particular the ones for kids or senior citizens), after the start of a infant or as a piece bonus.
Here we provide an explanation for the legend at the back of the pink packets, who receives them, giving/receiving etiquette and WeChat hongbao.

The Legend Behind Giving Red Envelopes

As you in all likelihood understand, China truely loves the colour pink. It’s a colour that represents good fortune, happiness and excellent energy. In China, a pink envelope is historically known as 压岁钱 (ya sui qian), which means ‘suppressing Sui (or ghost) cash.’
According to the myth, a monster named Sui got here round so that you can damage kids at the night time of New Year’s Eve. It become stated that the kids have been so afraid of the demon that they couldn’t even cry or yelp. Instead, they might come down with a horrible fever that sooner or later caused intellectual instability.
To save you Sui from coming to damage the kids, mother and father might mild candles and pray withinside the nighttime. These prayers have been very sincere, so the gods granted them 8 guards that have been disguised as cash to shield them. People then commenced to string 8 cash alongside pink strings and area them below the kids’s pillows. Soon, it have become an annual tradition. Sui become warded off via way of means of those shielding symbols and sooner or later stopped scaring kids altogether.
So why are the envelopes known as 压岁钱 (ya sui qian)? The person 岁 (sui) in reality has the precise identical pronunciation as 祟 (sui), the monster’s name. These cash have been known as 压岁钱 (ya sui qian), meaning ‘fortunate cash to thrust back evil spirits.’ As generations passed, cash have been changed with notes and the thread become sooner or later changed with an envelope.
The amount of cash inner isn’t absolutely what's important, aleven though. The actual importance is determined withinside the cherry-pink paper that the envelopes are made of, which offers all of the excellent vibes.
So sending pink packets suggests which you need to byskip off excellent good fortune, happiness and your benefits to others. When you're receiving a pink envelope, ensure that the giver isn't gift whilst you open it, otherwise, it is able to be visible as impolite.

Who Receives Red Envelopes and How Much Should You Give?

If you've got got commenced to make an profits, nicely then now could be it slow to begin giving out hongbao. A standard rule is that the extra profits you earn, the extra price must be introduced to the envelopes.

Married? Well, then you’re in good fortune in a few places, as there's no want with the intention to deliver pink envelopes, consistent with customs. In fact, at your wedding, you must assume to get hold of plenty of hongbao from guests. Your mother and father and grandparents can even in all likelihood nevertheless maintain providing you with those packets to expose their love and benefits. Again, fortunate you! (However, in different regions, you're intended to begin giving out hongbao the primary Spring Festival after your marriage).
What approximately kids? According to an vintage tradition, cash must receive to children who begin to make their personal cash. For your personal kids, you must present everywhere from RMB100 to anything quantity your coronary heart desires. And for nephews, nieces and kids of your buddies and colleagues, RMB50-2 hundred is taken into consideration the ideal quantity. Greetings of happiness and excellent fitness can go with the packets.
The aged must get hold of cash from their children as a signal of gratefulness for the whole thing they've done. This quantity must variety from RMB300-2,000.
Don’t overlook approximately your colleagues! At this time of 12 months, laoban (bosses) like to offer out pink envelopes to personnel at some stage in the operating days earlier than and after the holiday. These must variety everywhere from RMB50-500. Sometimes offices can even maintain contests for the risk to win distinct values of hongbao.
Finally, for unique activities like weddings, birthday events and graduations, assume to offer everywhere from RMB200-1,000, aleven though that parent differs among towns and provinces. If you are uncertain how a whole lot to offer, keep in mind gifting an excellent range and continually keep away from the range four (extra on that below). For an aged person’s birthday, RMB200-500 is taken into consideration the ideal quantity.
The 411 on Hongbao Giving and Receiving Etiquette
Some chinese red envelope rules on giving and receiving hongbao.

Giving
1. Never deliver wrinkled, vintage, or grimy bills.
You need to ensure they're crisp and clean, however get those notes in advance, there may be lengthy line-ups for invoice exchanges main as much as the Chinese New Year holiday.
2. No cash.
Avoid placing cash withinside the envelopes. Bills, bills, bills!
3. Avoid giving unfortunate quantities of cash.
Anything that begins offevolved with a four (i.e. RMB40 or RMB400) is a no-no, as it’s taken into consideration a image of death. Even numbers also are favored over odd, except the range four, of course. If you need to proportion more excellent good fortune, deliver denominations that begin with an 8, for example, RMB800. Check right here for extra on suitable quantities.
4. Always be organized to offer out envelopes at any given time.
Put collectively your envelopes in advance, simply if you meet humans you understand randomly, and ensure you've got got sufficient to cowl the entire span of the holiday. You in no way understand while you may run into a person you understand (and they could have children), so you’ll continually need to be organized. But the quantity right here doesn’t ought to be something hectic, and something from RMB10-50 must suffice. Keep as much as RMB100 if you’re feeling more generous.
5. Carefully mark your envelopes to maintain song of who receives what.
Put distinct quantities in otherwise designed envelopes, so you understand which of them you're giving out. Otherwise, you can discover your self by chance swapping the RMB100 one for the RMB1,000 one... awkward!
Receiving
1. Use arms to get hold of your envelope.
In many Asian countries, arms to get hold of some thing suggests right manners.
2. Don’t open the hongbao in the front of the gifter.
Ensure which you don’t open the envelope in the front of the individual that gave it to you. As we cited earlier, that is very impolite.
3. Be thankful.
When you get hold of this sort of pink guys, explicit thank you and want your pal or member of the family a glad New Year (or every other greeting applicable to the occasion). You can surely say, ‘Zhu ni xin nian kuai le’ (祝你新年快乐), which means ‘Wishing you a glad new 12 months!’ Check out a few famous greetings right here. If you need to get fancy, there are different ones extra precise to the Year of the Rat.

Chinese Red Envelope rules for WeChat Red Packets: Hongbao Gifting Made Easy and Simple
If you need to be snappy and don’t have numerous time in your arms, there’s a first-rate manner with the intention to ship virtual hongbao over WeChat. You can ship it to character customers or in organization chats, upload a pleasing message or get innovative with a hongbao-themed selfie!

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