Happy New Year! May good blessings happen for you!
In Mandarin, people say, Xin Nian Kau Le, Gong Xi Fa Cai! Or in Cantonese, it's Sun Nin Fak Lok, Gung Hei Faht Choi!
Chinese New Year is Wednesday, Jan. 29, and this year is the year of the snake. This weekend, many people will be stocking up on all their decorations, getting ready for the celebrations and spending time with family.
NBC Bay Area's Marcus Washington visited San Francisco's Chinatown to see what some of the cultural traditions are all about – simple things we can all do.
Cynthia Huie, owner of On Waverly in Chinatown, took NBC Bay Area on a tour of Chinatown to learn about some of the simple traditions.
"It's a time of reflection, renewal, also gratitude," Huie said. "It's a year that's really going to be marked by being a creative year, a year of resilience, a year of abundance."
Artist Terry Luk shared his calligraphy work. He's been sharing his artwork in the community for more than 70 years. His art are popular decorations commonly hung outside of a home or near a door for good luck.
"You're ushering in luck and also taking the good luck out with you when you're leaving," Huie said.
One of the most popular traditions is the giving and receiving of red envelopes because there is money inside. People may have different ideas about how much to put inside, but each red envelope carries the hope for wealth.
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"When we were kids, we would get so excited to, of course, wish our elders a Happy New Year. But we'd always do it with our hands kind of open waiting for that red envelope," Huie said.
Married couples give the red envelopes. If you're single, you'll receive red envelopes.
Fruits and flowers are popular decoration items to buy for one's home ahead of the Lunar New Year. Citrus fruits, like oranges, kumquats and pomelos, are symbols of happiness, prosperity and good fortune. Blossoming flowers are a symbol of a start to a new chapter.
Lastly, in tradition, people clean their homes and get haircuts before the new year. The idea behind it is to de-clutter and get rid of bad things or sicknesses from the past. Cleaning allows for good things to enter into the home. Haircuts and new clothes are signs for a fresh start and new look. People are welcoming good fortune into the new year.
Lunar New Year celebrations happen over the next month. For a list of what's happening around the Bay Area, click here.