Chinese New Year “Lucky Money”
I was at the bank the other day and ahead of me in the queue to deposit money were two kids with their mother. Each of the kids held a children’s passbook (recognisable by the colourful cover) and I found myself thinking they must be depositing their Chinese New Year ang pow (red packets containing money, also called lai see, meaning “lucky money”). Having been the recipient of many an ang pow when I was young, I know how excited these two kids must be feeling – not just to have money to put into their own savings accounts but money from Chinese New Year! In my case, I remember giving all my ang pow to my mother for safe-keeping.
It’s nice to be a child during any festivity anywhere in the world. Presents during Christmas, ang pow during Chinese New Year, and new clothes, too! But it’s not so nice to be an adult, and especially a married adult, even more so, a childless married adult.
Chinese New Year “lucky money” is given by older married adults to both children and younger single adults. However, it’s not so “lucky” for childless couples as it means there’s only money going out, without none coming back in. For those with children, they can look forward to some money coming back in the ang pow their children receive. Most children are allowed to keep their ang pow money, with the older ones using, and maybe losing, it in “friendly” gambling sessions (Chinese New Year would not be Chinese New Year without such “festivities”). Some parents would try to make sure this does not happen, either by having their children hand over the money for safe-keeping (what my mother did with our ang pow money) or getting them to put the money into savings accounts (like the two kids I saw at the bank the other day).
Even though Chinese New Year “lucky money” may not be so lucky for childless married adults, some enjoy giving it, especially to the single adults, and even the ones older than themselves, as this is a sign that they are all “grown up” with the right to give ang pow – a right reserved only for married people. But these days, it’s no longer just married people who give ang pow during Chinese New Year. It’s also given by single adults as a sign of respect to the elders in their family. It was what my brother and I (both still single) gave our uncles and aunts this Chinese New Year.
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