Lunar New Year 2023 Outfits Do’s and Don’t s
Year of the Rabbit Outfit Etiquettes
The Lunar New Year is an important occasion to celebrate in many Asian cultures. It represents the new year and the beginning of new opportunities, wealth, fortune and prosperities. However, for those that are unfamiliar to the celebrations, there might be some confusion when it comes to the proper etiquettes. Today we will be guiding you through the do’s and don'ts of Lunar New Year outfits, as well as some bonus etiquettes that you can learn and start off with! In light of representing our Asian culture, we also want to encourage shopping with other Asian owned business and stores to support the community for the Lunar New Year in 2023!
The Do's of Lunar New Year Clothes
Lunar New Year Red Clothes
If there is one takeaway from this entire post that you absolutely need to remember, it’s this one. At the end of the day, the celebration of Lunar New Year revolves around the theme of luck and fortune. In Chinese culture, the color red is said to symbolize luck and represent strength and prosperity. It’s therefore absolutely crucial to wear red during the Lunar New Year. This is especially true for those that represent that particular year’s zodiac sign. For example, if it is the year of the rabbit, wearing red is encouraged beyond just the first day of the Lunar New Year to bring luck and fortune to them all year round.
For a cozy Lunar New Year in, try our Red Velvet Zip-Back Sweater. This all-red hoodie is soft to the touch, perfectly oversized and extremely comfortable to wear. The rich wine-red color is the perfect choice to start the Lunar New Year celebrations right.
For something a little edgier amongst celebrating Lunar New Year with friends, try opting for our Shiso Waist Buckle Bustier. This crop top comes in the same rich red-wine color that would be perfect for the Lunar New Year. It’s a little more geared towards the streetwear style which would make it the perfect balance for celebrating the start of the year with friends. Learn how to style streetwear outfits for the new year and the right accessory over on our post about the Top 6 Ways to Style Streetwear Outfits.
For a playful Lunar New Year outfit, try opting for our Goji Plaid Skort. This red-wine colored skort has a plaid overlay detail over a pair of regular red shorts. It’s high-waisted in design and has a buckle detailing by the waist to help with adjustability. It’s feminine, unique and a great piece to try for your New Year outfit.
Lunar New Year Gold Clothes
If red isn’t really your jam, you’re in luck (pun intended) because gold is also a perfectly acceptable color to wear for your Lunar New Year outfit. Gold is seen as a symbol of luxury and is associated with wealth, similar to the way red was seem as luck and prosperity, these both go hand in hand in what you strive to have starting the Lunar New Year.
For a cute Lunar New Year outfit idea that incorporates a bit of gold into your look, try opting for clothes that have more of a beige tone that emulates the color of gold. For example, this Yuzu Pin Skort is a great piece to wear for the coming new year!
The Don'ts of Lunar New Year Clothes
Avoid Black or White Clothes
Similar to how red and gold are given meaning for the Lunar New Year, shades such as white or black also have certain connotations. It is highly recommended to avoid these colors because they are associated with colors you wear to a funeral. Due to the associations with death, these colors are said to bring bad luck for the New Year if they were incorporated into your outfit during that day. It’s important to make sure you avoid these colors!
Do Not Wear Damaged Clothes
As with most points on this list, damaged clothes, intentional or not, also have bad connotations associated with it. It is said that they will bring about bad luck if worn on the new year. This is a sign to not wear your ripped jeans despite it being completely new and in style.
No-Go for Purchasing New Shoes
In the Cantonese language, the word for shoe sounds like a sigh and is a homophone for the Chinese character “rough”. To add to that, in Mandarin, the word for shoe also sounds like the equivalent of the word “evil”. Due to these associations, new shoes purchases are encouraged to be held off until after the new year or bought prior to it.
Bonus Do’s and Don'ts
- Do give red pockets if you are married
- Do eat foods like noodles as the length of long noodles symbolize longevity and long life.
- Do give Mandarin Oranges, as the word for Mandarin Oranges in Cantonese is a homophone for gold and luck, which represents sharing good fortune.
- Do not speak about death during the Lunar New Year as it will bring about negativity and misfortune if the Lunar New Year is started off on the wrong idea or foot.
- Do not wash your hair during the new year, as the word hair is a homophone for “getting rich”. Washing your hair is assumed to imply one washing away their fortune for the year.
- Do not clean your house during the holiday, as it should be done prior. You need to be sure to get rid of last year’s bad luck and fortune and start the Lunar New Year with a fresh base.
Did you learn anything about the etiquettes of Lunar New Year? How will you be incorporating these old traditions into your celebrations? To check out our full collection of red clothes we offer for the Lunar New Year, don’t forget to peek at our latest arrivals as they come! Don’t feel pressured to be able to buy clothes outside your budget though due to associations of wealth and fortune for the New Year! Remember that there’s always a way for cheaper clothes to look expensive and it’s the effort and how you carry yourself in it at the end of the day!.
