“Hongbao”(literally meaning “red packet”) refers to a gift of money packed in a red envelope, usually given during the Chinese New Year celebrations.

In Singapore and Malaysia, the Chinese New Year hongbao is traditionally given by the married to the unmarried who offer new year greetings in exchange. They are also given by bosses to their subordinates, and by grown-up children to their parents, to show their appreciation.

The giving and receiving of hongbao is supposed to symbolise good luck (the colour red being associated with luck). Another traditional belief is that the amount of money in the red packet should add up to an even number, for example, $2, $12, or $20 (odd numbers are associated with ill tidings). In addition, the money must be new, hence the long queues in banks during the run-up to the Chinese New Year.

When given with goodwill, and received in the right spirit, this is a wonderful tradition, giving the older and more well-to-do the opportunity to give back a little during the festive season. It is also a special treat for children to look forward to when visiting their relatives and friends.

Today, the process has become very commercialised, with banks and corporations printing packets complete with company logos. To stand out, some companies go to the additional expense of printing gold-coloured packets (gold is associated with prosperity). It is also possible to purchase packets in stores. These are available in a wide range of designs, both traditional and modern. There are even fusion-style packets, for example, at the beginning of The Year of the Rat, there were plenty of packets with Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse designs on sale. This is one aspect of Chinese New Year that I look forward to each year, the creativity of the designs on the packets.

Another less welcome development, however, in these more materialistic times, is that people are being judged by how much their hongbao contains. So hongbao givers worry about losing “face” (the Chinese term for status) with their family and friends if they put too little in their hongbao packets. This is particularly problematic for middle-income earners who neither earn so much that they can afford to give a large hongbao to everyone, nor earn so little that they have an excuse for giving small amounts.

It is rather sad to me to see this tradition being somewhat marred by such materialism, leading to a wonderful tradition becoming a source of stress for many. I believe that parents should teach their children to receive the hongbao for what they represent, a gift symbolising good luck, rather than be disappointed if the amount is small. And parents themselves should set a good example as wel by giving amounts they can afford with a glad heart, rather than worrying about what others will think of them.