Washing laundry over the holiday can also mean washing good luck down the drain with the wash water. For similar reasons, many cultures believe washing your hair on New Year's is also bad luck, so you may want to skip washing anything on the holiday to be safe.
Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year. The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosper. This means washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away and dramatically reduces chances of prosperity in the year ahead.
This is an odd one. According to folklore, if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'll be “washing for the dead” or washing a loved one away -- meaning someone in your household will die in the coming year. Get your laundry washed, dried, folded and put away by New Year's Eve.
According to the ancient myth, washing your clothing on these days could lead to 'washing a loved one away' and could also bring about bad fortune, as doing laundry or the dishes around the New Year will wash away all your good luck.
DON'T wash or cut your hair
If you wash your hair, it means that you're washing your own fortune away for the coming 364 days. To make things more interesting, some even avoid washing clothes on the first and second day, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of the Water God.
“On the first two days of the New Year, we do not wash our hair as it will wash away the good luck. In the first 15 days, we can wash our hair once with pomelo leaves, then washing hair becomes normal again. We just have to avoid days 1,2,7, and 15,” Debbie explains.
One common tradition is cleaning your house thoroughly on or before New Year's Eve. Out with the old, in with the new they say. Most people believe in the idea that cleaning your house before the first day of the New Year ensures that you don't carry in your old, somewhat soiled, life into the New Year.
No washing or cutting your hair
It is believed that if you wash your hair on New Year's day, you'd also be washing away all your luck. It's somewhat similar to if you cut your hair, you'd be cutting your life shorter!
It's said that you shouldn't eat winged fowl (read: birds like turkey or chicken), bottom feeders (like shrimp or catfish), or any seafood that swims backward or side to side (like lobster or crab).
It's also suggested you should not eat certain things on New Year's Eve, in order to prevent bad luck for the year ahead, such as lobster and chicken. Since lobsters can move backwards, eating them before the stroke of midnight may cause setbacks. For chickens, the idea is similar as they can scratch backwards.
You could be washing your luck away…at least according to a Korean superstition that says you shouldn't bathe or shower on New Year's day.
The superstition of putting money outside on New Year's Eve may have originated in Scotland, but the exact source is unknown. Leaving money out on New Year's Eve is said to keep money coming into the house all year. And that's something we can all hope for.
Don't Eat Lobster, Crab or Chicken - Lobsters walk backwards; crabs walk sideways; and because chickens have wings, your good luck could “fly away.”
If you put your clothes on the washing line at night it is said to attract burglars to your home.
Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread, and Ham | Photo by Meredith. Even folks who aren't from the Southern United States go all in on eating black-eyed peas and leafy greens for good luck on New Year's Day. Add a slice of cornbread, and you've got "peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold."
Originating in the 19th century, the New Year's meal typically consists of black eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread. Each of the foods has a symbolic meaning for the new year. The black eyed peas have a different meaning for some people.
It is believed eating these foods on New Year's Day will bring good luck and prosperity for the remainder of the year. Greens – (collards, mustard or turnip greens, cabbage, etc.) symbolize the green of “dollar bills,” and will ensure you have a financially prosperous New Year.
Bring in the New Year by performing a cleansing ritual. White Sage is the perfect herb to deter any negative energy and evil spirits from gathering around you + your space. If you have been plagued by exceptionally bad luck and a gloomy spirit this year, you may want to consider bringing the new year with fresh energy.
Can you dry clothes on new years day? No you cannot dry clothes on new years day, if you are superstitious. According to superstition you will be drying clothes for the rest of the year. Probably best to wait till the 2nd of January for drying your clothes.