In
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
n cultures, a red envelope, red packet or red pocket () is a monetary gift given during holidays or for special occasions such as a wedding, a graduation, or the birth of a baby. Although the red envelope was popularised by Chinese traditions, other cultures also share similar traditional customs. The red packet is also called "money warding off old age" () for
Chinese New Year.
These customs have also been adopted across parts of Southeast Asia, and other countries that have a sizable ethnic Chinese population as well. In the mid-2010's, a digital equivalent to the practice emerged within
messaging app
Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...
s with
mobile wallet
A digital wallet, also known as an e-wallet, is an electronic device, online service, or software program that allows one party to make electronic transactions with another party bartering digital currency units for goods and services. This ca ...
systems localised for Chinese New Year.
Usage
Red envelopes, more commonly known as Hong Bao (in
Mandarin) or Lai See (in
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
), are gifts presented at social and family gatherings such as
weddings
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marria ...
or holidays such as
Chinese New Year. The
red color
The Red Color ( he, צבע אדום, transl.: ''Tzeva Adom'') is an early-warning radar system installed by the Israel Defense Forces in several towns surrounding the Gaza Strip to warn civilians of imminent attack by rockets (usually Qassam r ...
of the
envelope
An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card.
Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a sh ...
symbolizes
good luck
Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...
and is a symbol to ward off evil spirits. It is also gifted when a person is visiting as a gesture of kindness for visiting. The act of requesting red packets is normally called ' () or ' (), and, in the south of China, ' (). Red envelopes are usually given out to the younger generation who are normally still in school or unmarried.
The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, in accordance with
Chinese beliefs; odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. An exception exists for the number nine, as the pronunciation of ''nine'' () is
homophonous
A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (pa ...
to the word ''long'' (), and is the largest single digit. Still in some regions of China and in
its diaspora community, odd numbers are favored for weddings because they are difficult to divide. There is also a widespread tradition that money should not be given in fours, or the number four should not appear in the amount, such as in 40, 400, and 444, as the pronunciation of the word ''four'' () is similar to the word ''death'' (). When giving money, new crispy bills are normally given instead of old dirty bills. It is common to see long queues outside of banks before Chinese New Year with people waiting to get new bills.
At wedding banquets, the amount offered is usually intended to cover the cost of the attendees as well as signify goodwill to the newlyweds. Amounts given are often recorded in ceremonial ledgers for the new couple to keep.
During the Chinese New Year, in Southern China, red envelopes are typically given by the married to the unmarried, most of whom are children. In northern and southern China, red envelopes are typically given by the elders to the younger under 25 (30 in most of the three northeastern provinces), regardless of marital status. The amount of money is usually notes to avoid heavy coins and to make it difficult to judge the amount inside before opening. In Malaysia it is common to add a coin to the notes, particularly in hong baos given to children, signifying even more luck.
It is traditional to put brand new notes inside red envelopes and also to avoid opening the envelopes in front of the relatives out of courtesy. However, to get the money, the younger generation needs to
kowtow
A kowtow is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. In Sinospheric culture, the kowtow is the highest sign of reverence. It was widely used to show reverenc ...
to thank their elders.
It is also given during the Chinese New Year in workplace from a person of authority (supervisors or owner of the business) out of his own fund to employees as a token of good fortune for the upcoming year.
In
Suzhou, the children kept the red envelope in their bedroom after they received. They believed that putting the red envelope under their bed can protect the children. The action how they holding down the red envelope refer to the Chinese meaning . Those ' would not be used until the end of Chinese New Year. They also received fruit or cake during the new year.
In acting, it is also conventional to give an actor a red packet when he or she is to play a dead character, or pose for a picture for an obituary or a grave stone.
Red packets are also used to deliver payment for favorable service to
lion dance F
Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...
performers, religious practitioners, teachers, and doctors.
Red packets as a form of bribery in China's film industry were revealed in 2014's
Sony hack
On November 24, 2014, a hacker group identifying itself as " Guardians of Peace" leaked a release of confidential data from the film studio Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). The data included personal information about Sony Pictures employe ...
.
Virtual red envelopes
A contemporary interpretation of the practice comes in the form of virtual red envelopes, implemented as part of
mobile payment
A mobile payment, also referred to as mobile money, mobile money transfer and mobile wallet, is any of various payment processing services operated under financial regulations and performed from or via a mobile device, as the cardinal class of ...
platforms. During the Chinese New Year holiday in 2014, the
messaging app
Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and trigge ...
WeChat
WeChat () is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018, with over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has b ...
introduced the ability to distribute virtual red envelopes of money to contacts and groups via its WeChat Pay platform. The launch included an on-air promotion during the
CCTV New Year's Gala
The ''CCTV New Year's Gala'', also known as the ''Spring Festival Gala'', and commonly abbreviated in Chinese as ''Chunwan'', is a Chinese New Year special produced by China Media Group (CMG). It is broadcast annually on the eve of Chinese ...
—China's most-watched television special—where viewers could win red envelopes as prizes.
Adoption of WeChat Pay saw a major increase following the launch, and two years later, over 32 billion virtual envelopes were sent over the Chinese New Year holiday in 2016 (itself a tenfold increase over 2015). The popularity of the feature spawned imitations from other vendors; a "red envelope war" emerged between WeChat owner
Tencent
Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the wo ...
and its historic rival,
Alibaba Group, who added a similar function to its competing messaging service and has held similar giveaway promotions.
Analysts estimated that over 100 billion digital red envelopes would be sent over the New Year holiday in 2017.
A research study shows that this popularization of virtual red packets comes from their contagious feature—users who receive red packets feel obligated to follow suit to send another one.
Origin
Some say that the history of the red packet dates back to
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
(202 BC – 220 AD). People created a type of coin to ward off evil spirits, (), and it was inscribed with auspicious words on the front, such as "May you live a long and successful life". It is not real money, but a real blessing item. It was believed to protect people from sickness and death.
In the
Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
, the Chinese New Year was considered to be the beginning of spring, and in addition to congratulations, elders gave money to children to ward off evil spirits.
After the
Song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...
and
Yuan Dynasties, the custom of giving money in the Spring Festival evolved into the custom of giving children lucky money. The elderly would thread coins with a red string.
In the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
and
Qing Dynasties, there were two kinds of lucky money. One was made of red string and coins, sometimes placed at the foot of the bed in the shape of a dragon. The other is a colourful pouch filled with coins.
In Qing dynasty, the name () came up. The book () recorded that "elders give children coins threaded together by a red string, the money is called ."
From the
Republic of China (1912–1949)
The Republic of China (ROC), between 1912 and 1949, was a sovereign state recognised as the official designation of China when it was based on Mainland China, prior to the relocation of its central government to Taiwan as a result of the C ...
era, it evolved into a hundred coins wrapped in red paper, meaning "May you live a hundred years!". Due to the lack of holes in modern-day coins, the use of red envelopes became more prevalent—because one could no longer thread the coins with string. Later on, people adopted banknotes instead of coins in red envelopes.
After the founding of
the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
in 1949, the custom of the elders giving the younger generation money continued.
Other customs
Other similar traditions also exist in other countries in Asia.
Ethnic Chinese
In
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
(Burma), and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, the Chinese diaspora and immigrants have introduced the culture of red envelopes.
Cambodia
In Cambodia, red envelopes are called ''ang pav'' or ''tae ea'' ("give ''ang pav''"). ''Ang pav'' are delivered with best wishes from elder to younger generations. The money amount in ''ang pav'' makes young children happy and is a most important gift which traditionally reflects the best wishes as a symbol of good luck for the elders. ''Ang pav'' can be presented on the day of Chinese New Year or ''Saen Chen'', when relatives gather together. The gift is kept as a worship item in or under the pillowcase, or somewhere else, especially near the bed of young while they are sleeping in New Year time. Gift in ''ang pav'' can be either money or a cheque, and more or less according to the charity of the donors.
The tradition of the delivery of ''ang pav'' traditionally descended from one generation to another a long time ago. ''Ang pav'' will not be given to some one in family who has got a career, but this person has to, in return, deliver it to their parents and/or their younger children or siblings.
At weddings, the amount offered is usually intended to cover the cost of the attendees as well as help the newly married couple.
Vietnam
![Tết Greetings](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/T%E1%BA%BFt_Greetings.png)
In
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, red envelopes are a traditional part of Vietnamese culture considered to be lucky money and are typically given to children during
Vietnamese Lunar New Year. They are generally given by the elders and adults, where a greeting or offering health and longevity is exchanged by the younger generation. Common greetings include ''""'' (), ''""'' (), ''""'' () and ''""'' (), which all relate back to the idea of wishing health and prosperity as age besets everyone in Vietnam on the Lunar New Year. The typical name for lucky money is ''lì xì'' () or, less commonly, ' ().
South Korea
In
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, a monetary gift is given to children by their relatives during the New Year period. However, lucky bags("''Bokjumeoni'' 복주머니" in Korean) are used.
Japan
A monetary gift ''
otoshidama'' () is given to children by their relatives during the
New Year period.
White or decorated envelopes (''
otoshidama-bukuro'' ()) are used instead of red, with the name of the receiver usually written on the front side.
A similar practice, ''
shūgi-bukuro'', is observed for Japanese weddings, but the envelope is folded rather than sealed, and decorated with an elaborate bow, called ''
mizuhiki''.
Philippines
In the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Chinese Filipino
Chinese Filipinos; tl, Tsinoy, / Tsinong Pilipino, ; Hokkien in the Philippines, Philippine Hokkien , Mandarin Chinese in the Philippines, Mandarin (also known as Filipino Chinese in the Philippines) are Filipinos of Chinese descent, mo ...
s exchange red envelopes (termed ''ang pao'') during the Lunar New Year, which is an easily recognisable symbol. The red envelope has gained wider acceptance among non-Chinese Filipinos, who have appropriated the custom for other occasions such as birthdays, and in giving monetary ''
aguinaldo'' during
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
.
Green envelope
Malay Muslims in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, and
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
have adopted the Chinese custom of handing out monetary gifts in envelopes as part of their
Eid al-Fitr (
Malay: ''
Hari Raya Aidilfitri
, nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast
, observedby = Muslims
, type = Islamic
, longtype = Islamic
, significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan
, date ...
'') celebrations, but instead of red packets, green envelopes are used. Customarily a family will have (usually small) amounts of money in green envelopes ready for visitors, and may send them to friends and family unable to visit.
Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combi ...
is used for its traditional association with
Islam, and the adaptation of the red envelope is based on the Muslim custom of ''
sadaqah'', or voluntary charity. This is not necessarily true as envelopes of any or multi colors are available with contemporary designs incorporated. While present in the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
, ''sadaqah'' is much less formally established than the sometimes similar practice of ''
zakat
Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ...
'', and in many cultures this takes a form closer to gift-giving and generosity among friends than charity in the strict sense, i.e. no attempt is made to give more to guests "in need", nor is it as a religious obligation as Islamic charity is often viewed. Among the Sundanese people, a boy who had been recently circumcised is given monetary gifts known as ''panyecep'' or ''uang sunatan'' in the national language of Indonesia.
Purple envelope
The tradition of ''ang pao'' has also been adopted by the local Indian Hindu populations of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
for
Deepavali
Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali (IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is on ...
. They are known as ''Deepavali ang pow'' (in Malaysia), ''purple ang pow'' or simply ''ang pow'' (in Singapore). Yellow coloured envelopes for Deepavali have also been available at times in the past.
See also
*
Chinese marriage
Traditional Chinese marriage () is a ceremonial ritual within Chinese societies that involves not only a union between spouses, but also a union between the two families of a man and a woman, sometimes established by pre-arrangement between fam ...
*
Chinese social relations
Chinese social relations are typified by a reciprocal social network. Often social obligations within the network are characterized in familial terms. The individual link within the social network is known by ''guanxi'' (关系/關係) and the fe ...
*
Color in Chinese culture
*
Eidi, Islamic
*
Hell money
Hell banknotes in Thailand resembling United States Dollar, and Thai Baht banknotes">Thai_Baht.html" ;"title="United States Dollar, and Thai Baht">United States Dollar, and Thai Baht banknotes
Hell money () is a modernized form of joss paper p ...
References
Sources
* Chengan Sun,
Les enveloppes rouges : évolution et permanence des thèmes d'une image populaire chinoise ed envelopes : evolution and permanence of the themes of a Chinese popular image PhD, Paris, 2011.
* Chengan Sun, ''Les enveloppes rouges'' (Le Moulin de l'Etoile, 2011) .
* Helen Wang,
Cultural Revolution Style Red Packets, Chinese Money Matters, 15 May 2018.
External links
Red Packet: Sign of ProsperityGallery: Chinese New Year Red EnvelopesWill The Paper Red Packet Be Replaced By An Electronic Red Envelope?A red envelope with a collection of value-Lai SeeMoney envelopes in the British Museum Collection
{{Portal bar, Society, China
Chinese culture
Chinese inventions
Chinese-Malaysian culture
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Giving
Indian-Malaysian culture
Indonesian culture
Japanese culture
Korean culture
Luck
Malay culture
Malaysian culture
Paper products
Singaporean culture
Vietnamese culture
Wedding gifts