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EveryParampara

Hongbao

A red envelope containing money, given at New Year and weddings.

A pattern drawn for this page, not a picture of Hongbao.

Also: red envelope, lai see, ang pao

Hongbao, meaning red packet, is an envelope containing money, given for Lunar New Year, weddings, birthdays and other celebrations in Chinese communities. Married adults give them to children and unmarried juniors, and employers to staff, with the amount in even numbers, avoiding four, which sounds like death. The money is new and the envelope is handed over with both hands. Red is the colour of luck and wards off evil. In recent years, digital hongbao sent through phone apps have become popular, and billions are sent every New Year's Eve. The same custom exists as lai see in Cantonese, ang pao in Hokkien and li xi in Vietnamese.

Region: East Asia

See also

Li xiQipaoFeng shui

Find traditions that mention Hongbao

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