When do I open my Lunar New Year red packets? The luckiest time to do so, and why
There is a particular day considered the best and most auspicious on which to open your red packets. Try to resist the temptation until then
The 15th day of the first lunar month falls on February 12 this year. In Chinese culture, not only is the day known as the Lantern Festival or Chinese Valentine’s Day, it is also the day to, finally, open the red packets you received over the Lunar New Year – if you have not done so already.
According to Chinese tradition, opening these red envelopes, or hong bao, before the new year officially ends on its 15th day – tempting as it may be – may ruin a perfect cycle of celebration, as symbolised by the first full moon of the new year.
However, the best and most auspicious time to open your red packets in the Year of the Snake is actually on February 15, or on the 18th day of the new lunar year, according to Hong Kong fortune-tellers.
That day, a Saturday, is said to be a particularly good day for managing finances, as it is when the wealth luck booster is at its most potent, especially between 1pm and 3pm, and between 7pm and 9pm.