Red envelope - Citizendia

Red envelope

Assorted examples of contemporary red envelopes
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese:	紅包
Simplified Chinese:	红包
Literal meaning:	red package

alternative Chinese name
Chinese:	利是 or 利事
Literal meaning:	profitable deed

Vietnamese name
Vietnamese:	lì xì

In Chinese society, a red envelope or red packet (Known as Hong Bao in Mandarin, Ang Pao in Hokkien and Lai See in Cantonese) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions. Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam) The Culture of China (traditional Chinese 中國文化 simplified Chinese 中国文化 is home to one of the world's oldest and most complex Civilizations covering a history

1 Usage
2 Origin
3 Other customs
4 See also

Usage

Red envelopes are mainly presented at social and family gatherings such as Chinese weddings or on holidays such as the Chinese New Year. Chinese marriage ( is a ceremonial ritual within Chinese societies that involve a marriage established by pre-arrangement between families. Chinese New Year is the most important of the Traditional Chinese holidays. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. Color in Chinese culture refers to the various Colors that are considered auspicious (吉利 or inauspicious (不利

The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, for instance 88, 168 are both lucky numbers, as odd numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. At weddings, the amount offered is usually intended to cover the cost of the attendees as well as a goodwill to the newly weds.

During Chinese New Year, mainly in South China, red envelopes (in the north, just money without any cover) are typically given to the unmarried by the married, regardless of age. Traditionally, the red envelope is not supposed to be opened until Chinese New Year is over; otherwise, bad luck would befall you for the whole year.

Origin

There are no clear literary sources from which to trace the origin of the red envelope tradition. In China, during the Qing Dynasty, the elderly would thread coins with a red string. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China The money was called yāsuì qián (traditional Chinese: 壓歲錢压岁钱), meaning "money warding off evil spirits", and was believed to protect the elderly from sickness and death. The yāsuì qián was replaced by red envelopes when printing presses became more common after the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Red envelopes are also referred to as yāsuì qián.

Other customs

Similar customs also exist in other countries in Asia. In Vietnam, red envelopes are called lì xì, similar to the Cantonese pronunciation "lai see". Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially In Thailand, they are known as ang pow (the pronunciation of the Chinese characters for "red envelope" in the Hokkien/Fukien dialect) or tae ea among the Chinese-Thai. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj The Thai Chinese are an Overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. In Myanmar (Burma), the Burmese Chinese refer to them as an-pao (Burmese: အန္‌ပောက္‌္‌). Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of Overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma (Myanmar The Burmese language (မြန်မာဘာသာ myà̃mà bàθà MLCTS: myanma bhasa) is the official Language of Burma.

In Japan, a monetary gift called otoshidama is given to children by their relatives during the New Year period. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year Before 1873 the date of the was based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar and celebrated at The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year Before 1873 the date of the was based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar and celebrated at However, white envelopes are used instead, with the name of the receiver written on its obverse. In the Philippines where a large number of chinese Filipino population lives exchange An-poa and put Money inside, and some exchange it with rice cakes especially in the Chinese New Year.

Contents

Usage

Origin

Other customs

See also