Chinese New Year red packets: everything you need to know about giving and receiving lai see, from who and when to how much
about 3 months ago (02/09/2024)
Chinese New Year red packets: everything you need to know about giving and receiving lai see, from who and when to how much | South China Morning Post Advertisement Advertisement Chinese culture + FOLLOW Get more with my NEWS A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you Learn more The Lunar New Year tradition of giving red packets (lai see in Cantonese) dates back centuries, and was originally meant to ward off evil spirits. Photo: Shutterstock Images Lifestyle Arts & Culture Explainer | Chinese New Year red packets: everything you need to know about giving and receiving lai see, from who and when to how much The Chinese New Year tradition of giving red packets containing money dates back some 2,000 years and was originally meant to ward off evil spirits We offer a guide to giving lai see: who gives red packets and to whom, how much money to give different people, and when to give out lai see Chinese culture + FOLLOW Mabel Lui + FOLLOW Published: 7:15pm, 9 Feb, 2024 Why you can trust SCMP Giving and receiving lai see – also known as red packets, hong bao in Mandarin and ang pow in Singapore and Malaysia – is a Chinese New Year tradition that has been around for millennia. Said to date as far back as China’s Han dynasty (206BC to AD220), the giving of money-filled ornate red packets is intended to ward off evil spirits.