During the Lunar New Year, it is a common tradition happening to give the gift of a bright, beautiful red packet, known as hongbao, to your friends and family. But not just any old envelope, these are usually filled with money and symbolize good wishes and luck for the new year ahead.
The essence of red packet printing isn’t the cash held inside; it’s actually the envelope itself. After all, the red color symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese and other East Asian cultures. Here are a few facts you should know about the red packet.
Gift to Loved Ones
While the tradition centers on children, red envelopes are often given to friends, family, colleagues, and many other relatives. Not to mention, different amounts of money are customary for each relation. For example, parents and grandparents get the most, but employees and even casual acquaintances can expect a red packet in Singapore.
If this is not enough, there are rules and customs to red envelope-giving. For instance, only clean, crisp notes should be put into a hongbao. In the lead-up to New Year’s there are often long queues at banks as people try to exchange their old and crumpled bills.
Traditionally, children would kneel to receive an their hongbao from older family members, and this is still practiced in some areas of China. Red envelopes are always given and received with both hands, and should never be opened in the presence of the present-giver. Worth remembering if you ever receive a red envelope.
Widely Practiced
It is worth mentioning the sheer fact that this tradition has crossed cultural and religious boundaries, and green envelope-giving has even become a practice during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr across Southeast Asia. Not to mention it is widely practiced by the Chinese and Southeast Asian diaspora across the world, with large-scale celebrations in London and New York. Red envelopes have gone global!
Even though red packet printing is most commonly associated with New Year, it also turns up as part of many other occasions as a way of sharing good luck and blessings, like births and weddings. But it is important to note that color matters: white envelopes will often be exchanged at funerals.
All in all, be sure to take advantage of a leading red packet printing service to get your gift right in almost no time.