Chinese people are known to be a superstitious bunch. And if you were to look up the list of things you should avoid doing on the first day of the Chinese New Year, it’ll take you a while to get to the end.
Don’t cut your hair, don’t take out the rubbish, don’t use knife or scissors are just some of the many CNY no-nos.
According to a Xiaohongshu user, here’s a something you should do instead.
The post was titled: “If you do this on the first day of CNY, you’ll be prosperous for the entire year!!” and it encourages everyone to wash their hands with salt for five minutes in the morning.
Apparently, by washing your hands with salt, you’re “chasing away” negative emotions and bad luck. That, in turn, will bring you good fortune and prosperity.
There are detailed instructions on how you should cleanse your hands too.
The post reads: “When you wake up, scoop one spoonful of salt, place it in your palms and rub them together, generating heat. While rubbing your hands together, repeat this thought in your heart: “Bad luck stay away from me.” You will feel yourself getting ‘cleaner’.”
Slowly wash your hands with a small stream of water after that “you’ll experience 2025 differently”.
A quick search on the internet shows that salt is often used in fengshui and across other cultures, and is believed to be able to repel negativity and draw auspicious energy.
Some really spiritual people also practice a salt and cinnamon hand washing ritual to cleanse and purify.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to believe such superstitions, but at least this one doesn’t take up too much time or money?
Photos: 南南/ Xiaohongshu, Unsplash/ Olivia Claire