Red envelope

Hong Bao (Chinese红包/红包, Pinyin Hongbao, Red Envelope ', Cantonese利 是,利市,利 事lei6 si6, Hokkien Ang Pow; Vietnamese lì xi) are red envelopes in which monetary gifts to Chinese festivals such as Chinese New Year or be handed over to the Chinese wedding.

Red is in the Chinese culture, the color of happiness. Ornate decorations here are often in yellow or gold. The amount of money handed over is often chosen according to Chinese numerology to achieve happiness -bringing figures (see Chinese numbers).

Originally, these were made ​​by hand, the purchasable envelopes are however now being produced mainly by machine.

New Year

For Chinese New Year ( Spring Festival ), this adhesive envelopes are used primarily for monetary gifts to children ( "non- adults" ), known as Yasui qián (Chinese压岁钱/压岁钱). In Chinese culture, only married persons are considered an adult, so that such gifts are generally given to unmarried persons.

The so-called lion dance and the lion will symbolically handed over by gifts of money, in the Hong Bao, mollified.

Wedding

In Chinese weddings, the red envelope belongs firmly to the ceremony so. The groom has to fight for her at the door to his future wife the way. Among other things, this is done by gifts of money, wrapped in the red envelope, which should agree the assembled family graciously.