by — 03 Feb 2019 08:00
“Don’t wash your hair on New Year’s day, or you’ll wash away all your good luck! Don’t cut your nails. Don’t sweep the floor.” We’ve heard it all, and in the interest of keeping grandma happy, we’ll listen. But – that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to get around the dreaded CNY superstitions! Here’s what we’ve learnt.
Vacuum, not sweep
Drag out the vacuum cleaner if you’ve got a mess to clean up! Not only will your floors be clean and ready for welcoming guests, you’ll also be able to play at pretending to chase away New Year monsters with the vacuum’s loud rumbling. A win-win situation for all.
Use dry shampoo
There’s unfortunately no real way to get salon-fresh hair without washing it, so this is a bit of a pickle if you want to look leggy and fabulous for all your judgy and non-judgy relatives. Our advice: wash it at the stroke of midnight and supplement that with dry shampoo before heading out to do your visiting.
Treat yourself
Stay up late on New Year’s eve with your family! Make sure your rice jar is filled, as is your wallet, crack open a bottle of wine, and usher in the new year in style. The logic is this: If you start your new year rich and happy, you’ll end it the same way. Who are we to argue?
Do your laundry ahead of time
If you absolutely must wear your favourite jacket on Chinese New Year, wash it ahead of time. Not only will it give you more lounging time come D-Day, you’ll also be able to proudly tell grandma that you’re refusing to do laundry so as to retain your wealth.
Skip the oatmeal
A poor breakfast makes for a poor start to the year, so combat this by choosing something different! We recommend pancakes, waffles, or something sweet.
