Six superstitions to avoid over Chinese New Year that could bring bad luck

Chinese New Year arrived on February 17, 2026, marking the Year of the Fire Horse. Traditional superstitions warn against six common actions on the first day that could bring misfortune during the 15-day Spring Festival celebration.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year, commences with the second new moon following December’s winter solstice, typically falling somewhere between late January and late February annually. The exact date shifts according to the natural rhythm of each lunar cycle — and in 2026, the year of the Fire Horse started on February 17.

This fresh Lunar New Year ushers in a 15-day Spring Festival, marking the period from new moon to full moon, though this stretch also carries its own set of taboos connected to fortune and misfortune.

Numerous superstitions surround Chinese New Year, including things you “shouldn’t do” on the day it begins for fear of “bringing misfortune”. Amongst these are wearing particular colours and consuming certain foods, with even a simple bowl of morning porridge deemed “unlucky”.

The year of the Fire Horse is regarded as a particularly potent one, meaning anyone with even a hint of superstition will want to kick off this moon-linked celebration in the most “luckiest” way possible.

Your Chinese zodiac sign is determined by your birth year, so anybody born on February 17 through to the following Chinese New Year in 2027 will be a Fire Horse. Numerous other animals feature in the zodiac cycle, amongst them the rabbit, pig and dog, reports the Express.

Every annual lunar cycle is also associated with one of five elements: fire, earth, metal, wood or water. These are numerologically connected to the final digits of a year — and as the Fire Horse year dawns, “wearing red” is regarded as a “lucky” colour.

To steer clear of bad luck and misfortune, however, there are six things you should avoid doing on the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to travel website, China Highlights.

Six things to avoid on Chinese New Year’s day:.

1 Don’t sweep or take out rubbish.

“The act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away”, China Highlights warned online.

Whilst taking your rubbish out on Chinese New Year’s day “symbolizes dumping out the good luck or good fortune from the house”.

2 Avoid “unlucky” words.

China Highlights explained this on their website: “Nobody wants to hear words with negative meanings during the Lunar New Year period.

“Avoid saying words related to death, sickness, poverty, ghosts. People replace them with euphemisms if they need to talk about such topics, for example saying ‘somebody is gone’ instead of ‘somebody died’.”

3 No breakfast porridge.

Chinese traditions and superstitions suggest you shouldn’t “eat porridge and meat for breakfast” on the first day of the lunar year.

The association of humble porridge oats with “poverty” means consuming a bowl for breakfast on Chinese New Year’s first day may be a “bad omen” and could manifest a “poor year ahead”.

4 Avoid washing or cutting hair.

The China Highlights website explained: “Hair must not be washed on Chinese New Year’s Day, it is seen as not a good thing to ‘wash one’s fortune away’ at the beginning of the New Year.

“Avoid cutting hair on this day, as it is believed that it might bring misfortune to uncles.”

5 Don’t wash clothes.

People “do not wash clothes on the first and second day of the new year”, because these two days are “celebrated as the birthday of the water god”.

Washing your clothes on these two days is considered “disrespect to the god of water” in Chinese superstitions along with a “pouring away of wealth” belief.

6 Do not wear black or white clothing.

As previously mentioned, “red is a lucky colour” during Chinese New Year, however there are other shades that should be avoided.

According to China Highlights, “Do not wear white or black clothes as these two colours are associated with mourning”.