Burning money & haircuts: Preparing for Chinese New Year (2024)

Chinese New Year may be all about food and fireworks to onlookers but preparations involve a lot more than meets the eye.

Kamay Kan, 27, lives in north London and has been telling Newsbeat about all the work that goes into making sure the new year gets off to a good start.

"I feel like the traditions are something that's quite important to keep," she says. "A lot of people just simplify it and have a meal together - my mum's the person I know who does the most."

A model and piano teacher, she still lives with her mum, dad, and younger sister in Hackney, and this week has been filled with getting ready for the Year of the Rooster, which begins on Saturday 28 January.

The fake money and paper with gold bars printed on them are bought to burn, the idea being that these riches pass over to the afterlife and are received by ancestors.

"The more you burn", says Kamay, "the more fortune that goes to your ancestors in the afterlife".

And if the ancestors are happy, they'll send some good luck your way for the new year.

The evening meal on new year's eve is a key part of celebrations for her family.

When the table is laid with food, this is when the "money" burning happens (in the garden, thanks to the smoke alarm), so that respects are paid to family who are no longer around. This ritual is known as "Bain San" in Cantonese.

"When mum's doing that, and letting the money burn, we're meant to leave the room - otherwise the ancestors wouldn't come," says Kamay, who was born in Guangdong, where her mum's family are from, but moved to Britain aged one.

"It's like serving a meal to the ancestors."

Generally families cook whatever they can afford - "to show you're giving the best to the ancestors".

Within this north London family, the tradition is a whole chicken, pork and fruit. In Cantonese, the word "chicken" sounds like "luck".

But in China, dumplings are a generally served as New Year food, as it's something families can make together.

If you're single, and Chinese, this is your lucky day: anyone married is supposed to give you a red envelope full of money.

Chinese shops stock up on these paper envelopes, or "Lai See" (or Si) in Cantonese, in the run up to the new year, and any festive visits to relatives or family friends are accompanied by handouts.

Kamay has a boyfriend: "But I get them because I'm not married." Lucky Kamay.

Before anything gets underway tonight, Kamay will be sent off to the bathroom by her mum.

"We always have a big shower to dust off all of the bad luck from the previous year," says Kamay.

"The idea is not to bring any bad fortune from the previous year into the new one."

This goes for the house as well, but dried kafir lime leaves (like those pictured in the photo at the top of the page) are traditionally used, instead of a duster or a cloth.

It's important to do this beforehand, says Kamay: "During new year's day you're not meant to be sweeping, otherwise you'll clean away your future good luck."

Getting your hair cut before the big day is similarly seen as a way of getting rid of any remnants of the previous year.

Kamay had hers cut a few days ago in preparation. "It was just a random London salon. A Chinese salon would probably charge more, because they know people need to get it done," she says.

Chinese people living in Western countries are pretty happy that this year's New Year's Day falls on a Saturday, as they get the day off and can spend it with friends and family, picking up Lai See and eating some good food.

But for Kamay's dad, it's never quite the same: "My dad is quite an old gentleman from China - he misses a lot of the Chinese ways and culture," says Kamay. "He always says 'if we were in China, we would be doing this or that'.

"He always thinks that here it's very simple."

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