Li xi: where the word comes from, what the red envelope means, and why the amount is not the point
Li xi is the Vietnamese New Year custom of giving lucky money in red envelopes. This article explains the origin of the term and its true meaning.
Results for "lucky money"
Vietnamese Lunar New Year Customs and the Meaning Behind Each Ritual
Vietnamese Lunar New Year customs: the Kitchen Gods send-off, New Year's Eve rites, first-footing, and lucky money, with the meaning behind each.
Does carrying a lucky charm make us perform better: a famous experiment and its failed replications
A 2010 study reported that lucky charms improved performance, but larger replications found no such effect. What does this say about the evidence?
How do lì xì and mừng tuổi differ between the North, Huế and the South of Vietnam?
Mừng tuổi and lì xì are one Tết custom with two names: the northern term, the southern Cantonese loanword, and practices recorded in Huế and the old South.
Why Prices So Often End in 8: How Sellers Use Lucky Numbers in Pricing
Prices ending in 8, 88 or 168 may attract buyers. Research on superstition and price clustering shows lucky numbers can work as a pricing tool.
Expression Number 8: Detailed Meaning
Discover the detailed meaning of Expression Number 8 in Numerology: ambition, power, material success, and the lesson of balance.
New Year gift-giving among the Tày and Nùng and lì xì among the Hoa: what is distinctive?
New Year gift-giving among the Tày and Nùng of Cao Bằng and Hà Giang and lì xì in a Hoa family in Chợ Lớn: who gives to whom, with what, and when.
Five Elements in Practice: Choosing Lucky Colors for Your Destiny
Discover how to apply the Five Elements theory to choose interior colors and clothing that match your destiny, balancing energy and supporting life.
What do the customs of buying salt and carrying water at the start of the year mean?
Buying salt and carrying water at Tết are luck-seeking customs: lucky salt on the first morning in the north, hired carriers bringing water like money.
First-footing for the 2027 Year of the Goat: how to choose an age, and why every household ends up with a different list
For Lunar New Year 2027, there is no single correct first-footer list. Compare the trine and six-harmony groups, the host's age and the guest's character.
The Origin and Meaning Behind the Name "Tết Nguyên Đán"
The name "Tết Nguyên Đán" comes from "Tiết," a marker in the agricultural calendar, and "Nguyên Đán," meaning the first morning of the new year.
From the 1st to the 7th day of Tet, what does each day mean in Vietnam? Customs and significance
Vietnamese Tet customs from day 1 to 7: first-footing, New Year greetings, votive paper burning and khai hạ, with their meanings and regional differences.
Garden Feng Shui: Principles for Auspicious Layout
Garden feng shui covers location, the five elements, plants, pathways and energy balancing for a harmonious, tidy and airy space.
Moles on Lips and Chin: Meanings in Folk Physiognomy
Moles on the lips and chin carry distinct meanings in folk physiognomy, where location, color, and size shape readings of charm, eloquence, and love.
Feng Shui for Indoor Plants: Basic Principles
Basic feng shui principles for indoor plants: choosing species, placement by bagua, the five elements, and keeping plants healthy to sustain positive energy.
Challenge Number 8 in numerology: meaning and lessons to overcome
Discover the meaning of Challenge Number 8 in numerology: obstacles related to money, power, control, and lessons to overcome for lasting balance and success.
Traditional Tet Taboos and Customs for Good Luck
Explore traditional Vietnamese Tet taboos: avoiding sweeping, giving fire, breaking things... and the spiritual meanings behind these customs.
How Much Is a Pretty License Plate Worth: Plate Auctions and the Value of Belief in Numbers
Hồng Kông license plate auction data shows number 8 sells higher and number 4 lower. That price gap measures belief and status signaling, not luck.
Sun and Moon in Numerology: Why Number 1 Is the Sun and Number 2 the Moon
Number 1 as the Sun and number 2 as the Moon is a convention of modern numerology, spread by Cheiro's 1926 book. We read his text and the test results.
How Did Wang Chong Criticize Day Selection Arts in the Lunheng?
Wang Chong of the Eastern Han refuted day taboos, Tai Sui avoidance and fear of spirit harm in the Lunheng chapters Jiri, Biansui and Nansui, with quotes.
Thiên Khôi Star: One of the Six Auspicious Stars in Zi Wei Dou Shu
Thiên Khôi is one of Zi Wei Dou Shu's Six Auspicious Stars, governing scholarly honor, fame and intelligence. Its traits and combinations are explored.
Feng Shui for Retail Stores: Basic Principles
Feng shui for retail stores: choosing location and entrance direction, arranging furniture and airflow, and placing the cashier.
First-day Tet travel for the 2027 Lunar New Year: how to choose the hour and direction, and where sources disagree
First-day Tet travel for 2027: how to choose the hour and direction, prepare offerings, and follow the route, plus why sources disagree on the calculations.
How Does Lunar New Year for the Ethnic Chinese in Chợ Lớn Differ from Vietnamese Tet?
How Lunar New Year among the Hoa of Chợ Lớn differs from Vietnamese Tết: Kitchen God send-off, offerings, bánh tổ, assembly halls, visiting order.
Worship of Bà Chúa Kho and the Year-Opening Custom of Borrowing Luck
Bà Chúa Kho of the Ly Dynasty, her legends, the year-opening custom of borrowing luck and the rituals at her temple in Bắc Ninh.
Going to the Pagoda at the Start of the Year: What Offerings to Prepare and Which Altar to Worship First?
What to bring to a Vietnamese pagoda at New Year: incense, flowers, fruit and other vegetarian offerings, and which altar to pay respects at first.
Living Room Feng Shui: Principles for Harmonious Arrangement
Living room feng shui: sofa against a solid wall, clear pathways, layered lighting, and five-element colors and plants. Avoid mirrors facing the door.
Left or Right Eye Twitching: What Does Folk Belief Say It Signals?
What folk belief says a twitching left or right eye signals: Phan Kế Bính's "máy mắt, có sự", and an old Chinese table of left and right by the hour.
What does 'First day Tet for father, second day Tet for mother, third day Tet for teacher' mean?
The Vietnamese saying about the first three days of Tet: day one for the father's side, day two for the mother's side, day three for one's teachers.
The custom of asking for divination sticks, drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the beginning of the year: A guide to the ritual and its cultural significance
Drawing fortune sticks at the temple at the start of the year: offerings, ritual steps, cultural meaning, and notes for a respectful visit.
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chôl Chnăm Thmay of the Khmer, and Ethnic Groups Celebrating New Year by Their Own Calendars
Comparing Lunar New Year of the Kinh, Chôl Chnăm Thmay of the Khmer, and ethnic groups with their own calendars: timing, offerings, rituals, and names.
Choosing a First-Foot Visitor by Age Compatibility: Folk Practice, Common Taboos, and the Limits of That Approach
Choosing a first-foot visitor by age compatibility: folk criteria, offerings, step-by-step practice, common taboos, and the limits to keep in mind.
How to Perform the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Building a House Properly
A guide to the Vietnamese groundbreaking ceremony: choosing an auspicious date, preparing offerings, and the ritual steps.
How to perform a proper opening ceremony offering for shops and companies
A step-by-step guide to shop and company opening ceremony offerings, from preparing the tray to the ritual sequence, with safety notes.
How to Prepare the New Year's Eve Offering Tray (Tet) According to Customs
A guide to preparing New Year's Eve offerings, arranging the outdoor and indoor trays by Vietnamese custom, with safety notes and regional differences.
Home Feng Shui: Basic Arrangement Principles
Basic home feng shui covers the eight mansions, five elements, sofa placement and lighting. Small changes can support a harmonious living space.
Home Office Feng Shui: Principles for an Auspicious Layout
Explore home office feng shui principles: desk placement, sitting direction, colors, lighting, and remedies to boost focus, creativity, and work performance.
Quan Dai Star in the Trường Sinh Cycle: Meaning at Each Stage of the Destiny Chart
The Quan Dai star in the Trường Sinh cycle marks maturity, fame and authority, with its meaning at each stage of a Tử Vi chart.
Daily Horoscope: How Is It Read and Should You Trust It?
Daily horoscope forecasts by con giáp or lá số Tử Vi: this piece analyses origins, reading methods, limits and sensible use.
How to Prepare and Perform the Kitchen Gods' Offering on the 23rd of the Twelfth Lunar Month According to Customs of Three Regions
How to prepare the offering tray and perform the Kitchen Gods' ritual on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, following regional customs.
What Northern Vietnamese Tet Celebrations Include: Offering Trays, Peach Blossoms and Three Days of Family Reunion
Tết in northern Vietnam: the feast tray, Nhật Tân peach blossom, the Hàng Lược flower market and three days of family reunion, with origins and meaning.