CNY rules, OK?

The first day of Chinese New Year has a number of no-nos. Sweeping the floors,  cutting hair, breaking plates, wearing of black colour clothes and voicing vulgarities – to name a few.

There are other things to bear in mind.

“Don’t buy shoes during Chinese New Year”

Frankly speaking, I never heard of this rule until my colleagues told me about it. It is bad luck, especially if you are in business. Well, the Cantonese believe that the word ‘shoe’ is a homonym for ‘rough’ and lifestyle blogger Sesame, agrees. The question is: what happens if your shoe malfunctions during Chinese New Year?

“Only wear red colour clothes and underwear!” 

Red is an auspicious colour to don during this time of the year. While the colour itself is synonymous with happiness, there is no need to drape yourself completely in red. In fact, a tinge of red on your shirt, blouse or skirt is good enough!

Besides, you cannot paint town red during the first day of the Chinese New Year holidays because most shops are closed until the third or fourth day.

“Come with partner, come what may” 

It is said that if you do not have a boy or girlfriend during Chinese New Year, chances are you will remain single throughout the rest of the year. And if you do not want your next-of-kin to be asking you the question “Where’s your significant other?” rent a boy or girlfriend. Try the above-board escort services. Rent a suave dude from Vogue Palace, a ladies’-only bar, to pose as your romantic partners. It will set you back $300 onwards for a full day. As for the men, escort agencies like Singapore Model Escorts have a harem of beautiful ladies up for grabs during the festive period. Cost: $1,600 onwards. Be prepared to answer the most awkward of questions: “When’s your big day?”

“Lucky food?”

It is the time to gorge on all the good luck festive goodies like bak kwa, pineapple tarts and yu sheng (fish salad toss). Although there is no scientific evidence to prove that such foods are beneficial to your luck, just do it to keep the festive spirits up. You might just hit the Toto grand draw prize.