Gong Hei Fatt Choi

Vampire said:

All hail to the Golden Pig!

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"Congratulations and be prosperous"...
Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财;
Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財; pinyin: Gōngxǐ fācái;
Hokkien Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi);
Cantonese: Gung hei fat choi;
Hakka: Kung hei fat choi,
.....which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous". Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy new year", its usage dates back several centuries. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, although in practical terms it may also involve surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as ideas of capitalism and consumerism became more significant in Chinese societies around the world.

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Other countries. The Vietnamese also celebrate their New Year, or Tết, on the same day as the Chinese calendar, with a 4-day public holiday. However, because of the time difference between Hanoi and Beijing (China), Tết may differ from the Chinese calendar by a day every 22nd or 23rd year. Korea now follows the Gregorian calendar for business and academic purposes, but the lunar new year is still marked with a three-day holiday, compared to a single day of holiday on January 1st. The Japanese now celebrate their New Year (shōgatsu) on 1 January, with the first three days being holidays.

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...History. In 104 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established month 1 as the beginning of the year, where it remains.....

Myths. According to legend, in ancient China, the nián , a man-eating beast from the mountains, could silently infiltrate houses to prey on humans. The people later learned that the nian was sensitive to loud noises and the color red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the color red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guò nián , which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passing of the nian beast.

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Bad Luck...Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck. The word "shoes" is a homophone for the word for "rough" in Cantonese.
Buying a pair of pants is considered bad luck. The word "pants" is a homophone for the word for "bitter" in Cantonese. (Although some perceive it to be positive as the word 'pants' in Cantonese could be a homophone for the word for "wealth".)
A hair-cut is considered bad luck. The word "hair" is a homophone for the word for "prosperity". Thus "cutting hair" could be perceived as "cutting away your prosperity" in Cantonese.
Sweeping the floor is considered bad luck, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year; in the same way that having a bath will wash away the good fortune.
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious as well.
Buying books is bad luck because the word for "book" is a homonym to the word "lose".

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