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Red envelopes - Ang Pow, laisee, lai see, red packets, hung bao or Hung-Bao “I was angered, for I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet”. There will be further 2012 updates on our Feng Shui blog and Facebook so bookmark them now below…
Are you really prepared for 2012?
Ang Pow red envelopes have many different names but are commonly referred to as “Ang Pow” “red packets” “lai see” “laisee” “hung bao” or “hung-bao”. These envelopes are perceived as extremely auspicious when given as a gift and are seen as even more auspicious when they contain money. The main use of red envelopes is for Chinese New Year, birthdays, weddings or any other important event where you would give money or a written message.
The bright, colourful image on the front of an Ang Pow is designed to represent blessings and good wishes of long life, success and good health to the receiver of the envelope. Artists have found new ways to improve the message of good tidings over the years by using images with auspicious meanings such as carps swimming amongst flowering lotus, the fabled creatures of dragon and phoenix, chinese zodiac animals relevant for the year the envelopes will be used, peonies in full bloom, the three immortals, golden pineapples, Buddha’s and children. All of these designs have very eye-catching designs and we have given and received some stunning Ang Pows over the years from and to friends, clients and family. As a company, we handpick every design that we order as the quality and presentation is very important. Over the years, these packets have become commercialised and we have found many custom made envelopes containing negative images from company logos embedded in the image at the front of the envelope; although harmless, this can have the opposite effect to a traditional Ang Pow. These are sent free with every order we send out to clients as our thank you and blessing of good luck to our clients; the Ang Pows that we send contain Chinese i-ching coins for extra luck. Whenever you give money on a festive or auspicious occasion, you should never use a white envelope to put money in as a gift as you will face the bitterness of the receiver. Money that is received when it is a gloomy occasion such as a funeral when somebody receives a gift of money to help cover funeral costs; this is called “Pak Kum” which is when money for the family of the departed is donated. So if you ever come across a Chinese client, think twice before giving them their fee in a white envelope as this could offend them although this is less likely in our western countries nowadays.
The story of Ang Pow red envelopes.
The amount that should be given in an Ang Pow all depends on your situation. If you are giving red envelopes to children for the Chinese New Year, age will be an important factor. The usual practice is that as you get older, you usually tend to receive a bit more each year. For a 5 year old child, £2 GBP (about $4 USD) will be fine. The amount contained has to be in even numbers. Even numbers are considered auspicious and odd numbers are seen as denoting loneliness. For example: Two pounds, eight pounds, ten pounds or twenty pounds are all auspicious amounts. I used to get extremely excited as a young child as I would earn myself a small fortune when I was younger! It is a regular occurrence for us to supply red envelopes to people all over the world for weddings; if you attend a Chinese or even a western wedding and decide to make a gift of money, you should place it inside a red envelope for good luck. The amount that you give should be relevant to your financial situation and you should not put in more than you can afford as this can be considered as showing off. It is also very similar with birthdays although the red packets will usually contain less money as birthdays are not considered as important as weddings.
Giving red packets to employees before the New Year is also very common. This can be either a gift or a bonus. It is also believed that when you present them with your gift, their good fortunes will come back to your company. When are Ang Pows given?
Red envelopes can be given at any time of the year and do not just have to be given on a special occasion. Red envelopes are considered very auspicious and can be given at any time; it is recommended that you use some of the money to try and pay some debt off if you have any. You should always leave a small even amount of money inside the red envelope and place it in your purse, handbag or wallet.
Birthdays: Feng Shui: Feng Shui enthusiasts believe that a red envelope containing a gold i-ching coin can bring good luck to the holder when it is placed in their purse, wallet, accounts books or handbag. Red envelopes can also be used as wish list holders; you write all of your life dreams and aspirations on a piece of red paper and place it inside the envelope and sit back and wait. Some Feng Shui practitioners even insist on being paid with their cash fee inside a red envelope, this is not something that I adhere to though, although it is a lovely thought when I do receive it.
School activities:
You should click here first to download the printer friendly version otherwise you will be printing all our banners and wasting your valuable ink cartridge. Print this onto a sheet of white or red paper, Cut out the red envelope and fold it along the dotted lines as shown below.
Now fold over flap A and apply some glue along its right edge. Fold over flap B and press it firmly onto the glued edge of flap A. Apply a little glue to flap D and press it firmly onto flap B & A. The Lunar Chinese New Year Day is very different from the Solar (Hsia) New Year Day (January 24th 2012). The Lunar Calendar plans the days of the month according to the cycle of the moon whereas the solar year is governed by the sun. Although the Chinese solar year starts on a different date from the western year, the theory whereby the year is calculated on how long it takes the earth to go round the sun is the same. The lunar cycle lasts approximately 29.5 days and in order that the start of the Lunar New Year is not too far removed from the Solar New Year, the Chinese insert an extra month, this being called an intercalary month, once every few years. This is why Chinese New Year Day falls on a different date in each of the two calendars. Whilst the solar (Hsia) calendar starts the New Year at the beginning of Spring, which falls normally between the 4th and 5th of February, the lunar (yueh) calendar marks the New Year on the second New moon after the winter solstice. In 2012, Lunar Chinese New Year also called the ‘Spring Festival’, falls on 23rd January 2012 which is the New Year that is celebrated by all ethnic Chinese. The solar New Year (24th January 2012) is not celebrated at all and only used for Feng Shui placement.
Colour version
Black and white version
Visit the pages below for further details on 2012 Chinese New Year etc. Chinese New Year 2012 ** How to make your own Ang Pow **Chinese Talismans for 2012 ** Chinese animal predictions for 2012 ** Flying star Xuan Kong 2012 ** Salt Water cure information** Avoid the fury of the Grand Duke, three killing 2012** Chinese New Year world time converter 2012** 2012 Cures and enhancers kits ** How to take a compass reading ** How to determine your facing direction ** Feng Shui software ** Feng Shui resource ** 2012 Tong Shu Almanac Software ** Feng Shui Blog ** Chinese culture **
Are you really prepared for 2012?
© Michael Hanna - Feng Shui Store 2012 The below copyright information does not apply to anyone who wants to copy our content or send to a friend or even store on your computer for their own personal use and development. Please feel free to copy and paste or share with as many people you like. The below is intended for the many people who steal our content and claim it to be their own work. We are more than happy to share our content; all you need to do is give us credit for our hard work and a link back to our website. Contact michael@fengshuiweb.co.uk for more details.
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Feng Shui Store is a trading name of Feng Shui Ltd. Registered Office: Viking House, Swallowdale Lane, Hemel Hempstead,
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