Happy Dragon Chinese New Year 2012

Happy Dragon Chinese New Year 2012

Having bad farewell to Christmas, I bet all of us (who are Chinese or have Chinese friends) are now in the happy mood of welcoming the coming of Chinese New Year. Yes, as the Chinese proverb goes, “a whole year’s plan starts in spring” (一年之计在于春).

The dawn of spring heralds the start of a fresh beginning, a whole new year of dreams and aspirations. Since the Spring Festival (春节) is widely regarded as one of the most important in the Chinese calendar, let’s talk about colours to wear during the festive season. For those of you who read my earlier blog post dwelling a little on the psychology of coloursthis is a further elaboration of some pertinent colours to wear and avoid.

 

We all know that colours play an important role in our lives. Not only should we wear colours that complement our skintone, certain colours which we wear too have a specific psychological effect on both us the wearer as well as the people around us.

For Chinese New Year, one of the best colours to wear is red. Red is the colour of blood. The blood in our bodies gives us life. In the same vein, red as a colour symbolizes vitality and warmth. 

As the coming of spring also marks the end of the harsh winter cold, it’s the perfect time for us to start planting our crops and making our resolutions. Red is the colour that propels us forward, makes us bold and dynamic and gets us to take action. You certainly do not want to be planning and strategizing in autumn (as that’s when we are harvesting the fruits of our labour). Instead, you do all of it in spring. 

Besides red having all these positive connotations, we also believe red is the colour of prosperity. We want our bank accounts to be healthy, our rice cookers at home to be full, our investments to be smooth and our businesses to propser.

Most ladies will not hesitate to wear red for the Chinese New Year. But if you are a guy and you are a little in awe of the bright red colour, then take a leaf from my example and choose to wear pink instead.

Unknown to many, pink is the colour of universal love. As we know, pink is the combination of red and white. While I’ve already shared the qualities of red, let’s see what the colour white symbolizes.

Besides many who believe white symbolizes purity and cleanliness, to me specifically, white also signifies starting on a fresh slate. It’s as if we have spring-cleaned everything, weeding all the negative energies, leaving us with a pure, pristine white canvas to draw and visualize. Whatever colours you wish to paint, it’s really up to you as you own that canvas and are responsible for the actions…and ultimately results. That was why I chose to wear pink this year as I combined the best of both the colours red and white.

Quite obviously, the colour to avoid at all cost is black. It’s perfectly alright to wear black on other days and come across with a sense of mystery. But during Chinese New Year, wear black and I bet you will get a heavy scolding by your elders. Wearing black during Chinese New Year is akin to partying with gloom, death and all things negative. It’s like a doomsday scenario. And it’s definitely not what we want at the start of a new year. Instead, we want to be reinvigorated, reenergized and revitalized. We want to start the New Year on a positive note.

So remember, wear red or pink this Chinese New Year. Here’s wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Gong Xi!

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