How to prepare for the Year of the Wood Snake
Here’s how you can get ready to welcome the Year of the Wood Snake, according to geomancer Patrick Lim Fernandez of the Yin & Yang Shop of Harmony.
Before the Lunar New Year
Cleanse and clean.
Get a haircut before Jan. 29.
Declutter.
Try to pay off loans. “It doesn’t mean you have to pay off your home loan right away. This is more about personal loans … If you borrowed money from someone, try to pay it off before the end of the year and try not to make any new loans between now and Jan. 29.”
Make amends. “Try to let go of grudges.”
New Year’s Eve (Jan. 28)
Put fresh flowers in your home.
Fill rice bins with rice. “If you are low-carb, put quinoa or some other grain of choice.”
Have new clothes or new accessories. “This could be a new bag or new hair accessories. If you’ve been wanting to buy a new purse, this is a good excuse to do that.”
Don’t buy shoes. If you need (or want) new footwear, Fernandez says, “Buy new shoes before Jan. 28 or one week after. Try not to buy them around the New Year. The reason is in Cantonese, “shoes” means you’re sighing, it’s a heavy feeling, and you don’t want to associate it with that.”
Food to prepare: “Fish because the word in Chinese is a homonym for the word “surplus”; noodles for long life; roasted—something that’s celebratory; shrimp because it sounds like the Chinese word for laughter and it looks like a smile; dumplings because they look like gold; spring rolls because they look like gold bars; tikoy; five kinds of fruits—pomelo, orange, pineapple, apple, and dragonfruit. If you can’t find dragonfruit, anything that’s round or spherical should work. Make sure it’s even in number, whatever fits your table.” Here’s a tip: Order your fruits from JAC Produce (tel. 0917-8157758; “JAC Produce & etc” on Facebook). They also carry decor and other Chinese New Year offerings.
New Year’s Day (Jan. 29)
Bring out those red envelopes. “Give ang pao. Traditionally, this is for unmarried children in the family, but now you can give it to anyone. If you want to give GCash, that would also work. Anything that ends with the number 8. P168 … whatever is comfortable for you.”
Spend time with loved ones.
Some things to avoid: “Avoid sweeping especially if it’s outside the home—you’re sweeping away your luck. Avoid using scissors, this cuts your luck in half. Avoid scolding your kids. Avoid greeting in bed. The belief is if you greet someone ‘Happy New Year’ and they’re still in bed, they’ll be lazy for the rest of the year.”
