Tag Archives: Da Ju Da Li

Chinese New Year Rituals. Attune To Prosperity.

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“Rituals are the formulas by which harmony is restored.”
– Terry Tempest Williams

You know the feelings when you’ve spruced up the house. You feel refreshed, revitalized, rejuvenated and your home beams with cleanliness. Well it’s that time again when the Chinese New Year offers the opportunity to clear last year’s dust and opens the doors to radiance and good fortune. With that spirit of inviting positive Ch’i and abundance into our homes before the year gets underway, here is your comprehensive guide to 18 Chinese New Year rituals you can easily perform on Chinese New Year eve and day (February 1) to attune to prosperity and joy in 2022.

Sweep away the old. The Chinese have long held the belief that a fresh start is essential to a successful year. The 20th day of the 12th lunar month is set aside for the annual housecleaning. January 22, 2022 brooms will come out of the closet, every corner is thoroughly cleaned and misfortune is sent flying. As you sweep imagine illness, obstacles, bad luck, negative attitudes and emotions are swept away. The meditative rhythm of sweeping draws in possibilities of a auspicious new year.

Place something at your entry that is red. Red in Feng Shui symbolism means: happiness, courtesy, respect, power and strength. Two of the front door’s attributes are your career and reputation. With that in mind visualize the red object activating Fame Ch’i.

Display a bowl of oranges in your home and money will come easily. The word for orange (Chengzi) sounds like gold (Jin) in the Chinese language.

Place a platter of tangerines on your dining room table for the saying, “Da ju da li” translates as “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.” In Asian countries it’s auspicious to place two tangerine trees at the entrance of a home or business but adding the tangerines to your dining room table stimulates your income for the table is the secondary source of your income.

Surround yourself with colorful fruit so that you will have a fruitful year is one of the well known Chinese New Year rituals. Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits which mean “to have”. Pineapple sounds like wealth but its real strength is fame, promotion and excellent fortune. You can display the fruit at the front entry, the dining room, even the kitchen.

Brighten your home and your luck with narcissus (daffodils). The Chinese affirm that daffodil and Narcissus bulbs when in bloom during the New Year, bring good fortune and luck to a home. They enliven our Ch’i through the sense of smell. This adjustment calms the nervous system. With a clear mind we gain clear access to our decision making center (intuition).

Prepare a reunion dinner on Chinese Lunar New Year’s eve. This is one of the most joyful (besides setting off firecrackers) Chinese New Year rituals. The image of the circle is used in food dishes like fish balls. The circle is associated with family. This creates unity, support and continuity. This sense of family unity is called Yuan and underlies all festivals. Yuan means roundness and it suggests the attainment of the Five Fold Happiness (good luck, prosperity, happiness, wealth and longevity). Veggies embody the freshness of “evergreen” and store good fortune in their roots. Support your vitality in the Year of the Water Tiger when you include them in your first meal of the new year. Make a feast and have left overs because left overs symbolize that you’ll have money rolling into the next year. Add a little laughter! Shrimp in the Chinese language sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha and translates as merriment and well being. Joyfulness brings a future of limitless possibility. Cook a whole fish and leave some. Serve longevity noodles and eat them in one long strand (try not to break one or it will shorten your life). Add lettuce for it translates as “growing wealth”. Dumplings, jiao zi look like golden ingots. They promise wealth and prosperity. Serve nian giao, a sticky rice pudding cake which is symbolic of helping people “advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step”. Make the evening uplifting and happy; include music and play games with your children, tell jokes and laugh.

Serve an even number of dishes (eight) to bestow “double happiness” on the family.

“Avoid cutting the luck of the year” by putting your knives and scissors away February 1. Schedule a hair trim or mani/pedi before Chinese New Year’s Eve. This admonishment is one of the most often overlooked of the Chinese New Year rituals. 

Refrain from cursing on New Year’s Day because letting your tongue fly will affect your luck for the entire year. One day of restraint could mean you’ve mastered your impulses and that can bring more opportunities than you might realize. However if you do inadvertently curse say “Tong yen woo chi!” to reverse the affect.

Slumber not before midnight on Chinese Lunar New Year’s eve to ensure good luck will cross your threshold. The sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to trouble. Sleepless means no trouble in the coming year.

Keep the Goddess of Poverty away “Fu” means “good fortune” or “happiness” and is represented both as a Chinese ideograph and its homophone, a bat. Placing the image of a bat (Lan Su Garden in Portland, Oregon was constructed with five bats roof tiles) or the image of “Fu” at your front entry clearly sets the intention to invite good fortune into your life.

Bring one new item such as furniture, décor or art into your home and business to stimulate prosperity Ch’i and to compound your sheng Ch’i (beneficial energy). In addition give away one item or more. This leaves both physical and symbolic space for good fortune.

Throw away china, crockery or glassware that are broken, chipped or have hairline cracks, these augur bad luck.

Break a cup or plate (or anything) during New Year say “Fall to the floor and burst into bloom!”

Dress in “up-beat” clothing or new clothes. Wearing red underwear creates a favorable beginning.

Make amends with anyone with whom you’ve had a row or falling-out.

Carry the Water Tiger’s secret friend (talisman) the Pig. “When the Tiger and Pig come together, the joy of this encounter is enough to offset any evil that the moment may harbor.” (This is one of the most important of the Chinese New Year rituals.) –HH Grandmaster Lin Yun
The exception is if your Chinese animal protector is a Snake then carry Horse and Dog as a pair.

After you have played games and eaten foods that attract fame and fortune, perform BSTB ceremonies to invite bountiful blessings. How to receive these ceremonies of the “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is below.

After you have played games and eaten foods that attract fame and fortune, perform BSTB ceremonies to invite bountiful blessings. How to receive these ceremonies of the “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is below.

Enjoy A Year of Good Fortune!
The “Three Lucky Feng Shui Secret Traditions Packet” is back! $27 + nine red envelopes. Email me at bette@shenmenfengshui.com for payment options. Nine red envelopes must be received by mail on or before January 23, 2022 to ensure your mailing will arrive in time. Revel in “Welcoming the Wealth Gods” into your home. Delight in peeling away bad luck during “the Golden Cicada” ceremony and jump up for joy when you throw the orange peel as the clock strikes 12:00 during “Changing the Ch’i….

Allow me to help you arrange your home where you feel fully supported. I am available for a full consultation Service or for an hour telephone conversation. Details are at this link Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

My apologies, due to a proliferation of spam posts, comments cannot be made.

Inhabit Paradise. Year of the Metal Ox.

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“To live in a peaceful home is to experience paradise on earth.”
–Shri Radhe Maa

Coming off of the hard, tumultuous rapids of change into the gentle yoke of strength, stability and nourishment will feel like a breath of fresh air. February 12, 2021, the trustworthy Ox with its “Buddha” energy is ready to plow a path of good fortune for us this year.

The Year of the Metal Ox portends that good luck will unfurl when we apply Ox’s synergy of patience, determination, diligence and wisdom. Integrating these qualities into our actions will have a flourishing effect on our inner reality and we may expect to thrive in our relationships and goals in 2021.

What did the troubled waters of the Rat year teach us? To unite our efforts. To live in the present moment. To show compassion. To notice suffering and say a kind word. To lend a hand. This is the source of your wealth and peace of mind. Ox’s altruistic nature, service to mankind and ability to grant wishes (according to Feng Shui tradition) make it the perfect animal to shoulder our personal endeavors. We will prosper when we stay focused and organized while keeping our emotions on even keel.

In Japan the ox is rooted in Buddhist lore. Zen Buddhism specialist, Martine Batchelor says a parable depicts “a young ox herder whose quest leads him to tame, train and transform his heart and mind, a process that is represented by subduing the ox.” (Japan Times).

Relationships will be highlighted in 2021. Uniting our efforts under the calm presence of the Ox we will see improvements among groups, families, friends and tribes.

How To Inhabit Paradise In The Year of the Metal Ox
The fanfare, the food and family celebrations of the Chinese Lunar New Year create a tsunami of positive energy while chasing away negative Ch’i. Every year, the centuries-old traditions of displaying red lanterns, gold coins, mounting spring couplets on the doors of homes and setting off firecrackers are believed to guarantee financial success and family harmony. In the west we focus on individual achievement but in Asian cultures success happens because of the people who are in our lives. Success is based on Yuan–family unity. Yuan means roundness. The image of the circle, seen in many of the food dishes like fish balls and oranges, are associated with family unity, support and continuity. This suggests the attainment of the Five Fold Happiness – luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness and wealth. These symbols and motifs ensure the timeless wishes for harmony and goodwill among all.

Invite Success
Accessorizing with Ox’s lucky colors (besides white, the color for Metal), yellow and green, will magnetize luck, prosperity and success.

Meet Your Zodiac Year
In the Year of the Metal Ox, for the Ox it is your “Benming Nian”. You will need to take a few precautions to ensure the year is not a bad one. Traditionally it is believed that wearing red will bring supreme good luck. Red is one of the luckiest colors in Chinese traditions, standing for loyalty, success and happiness. You’ll see red all everywhere during traditional Chinese festivals and particularly Chinese New Year: red lanterns, red envelopes, red paper hangings. When it comes to decorations, just about everyone is red and ornamented in gold.

Add red accessories to every outfit. Or play it simple, wear a cute bracelet made of red interwoven Chinese knots around your wrist off bad luck. But maybe you’re not a big fan of red in your outer wardrobe. Red underwear is, of course, the answer. It’s an easy way to protect yourself against the hazards of benming nian. You can stock or ask your sweetheart to gift you with some new sets on Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Those persons born with the Chinese zodiac sign of the “Ox” are the Yuan Chen Tai Sui or they are situated atop the Tai Sui (hot seat). The Horse is the most confrontational with the Ox. From the Yun Lin Temple, When the white Horse meets the Green Ox, it will get overwhelmed and intimidated by situations. The Ram sits directly opposite the Year God (Ox) and will suffer direct conflict relationship. The Dragon and the Dog are  seated at right angle to the Year God and considered to be the offending situation. Take extra precaution dear friends if your Zodiac animal is one of these signs. Be sure to carry a three dimensional rat made of jade, bone or boxwood. If you have the following BTSB ceremonies: “Welcoming the Wealth Gods” into your home; “the Golden Cicada” ceremony and  “Changing the Ch’i of the House and Transforming The Fortunes for Individual and Residences” you will improve your luck exponentially.

Carry The Golden Ox’s Secret Friend
“When the Rat and the Ox come together, the joy of this encounter is enough to offset any evil that the moment may harbor.” –HH Grandmaster Lin Yun
No matter what your Chinese Zodiac animal is (except for the Horse, carry the Rooster and Snake together), when you carry a three dimensional rat made of jade, bone or boxwood, it will supply you with auspicious opportunities. Feng Shui Shopper on Etsy has a nice selection.

Display Prosperity Fruit
Da Ju, Da Li
“May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.”
Tangerine or ju in the Chinese language is close to the word for auspicious or lucky. Ju also sounds similar to zhu fu, which means a wish for good fortune. Da ju, da li expresses, “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.” It is customary to see two tangerine trees at the entrance of a home or business in many Asian countries, not just China. This represents an abundance of auspiciousness.

Bloom Good Luck
Displaying daffodils and narcissus during the New Year bring good fortune and luck into your home.

Enjoy A Fruitful Year
Add to your tangerine display other members of the citrus family. The word for orange (Chengzi) sounds like gold (Jin) in the Chinese language. Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits which mean “to have”. Pineapple sounds like wealth but its real strength is symbolizes fame, promotion and excellent fortune. You can display the fruit at the front entry, the dining room, even the kitchen.

Show Up In Style
Dress in “up-beat” clothing or new clothes. Purchase a new red pocketbook. Professor Lin suggests a black wallet because black, the color associated with Water, is the representative of money.

Ward Off Evil
If anything breaks, like a cup or plate during New Year say “Fall to the floor and burst into bloom!”

Refrain From Cursing,
This will affect your luck for the year. If you should curse inadvertently say “Tong yen woo chi!” to reverse the affect.

Sleepless In the New Year
Stay out of trouble by staying awake!  The Chinese stay up for 12:01 a.m. for the sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to trouble. Sleepless means no trouble for the coming year.

Avoid Cutting the Luck of the Year
On the last day of the old year food is prepared for the next two days so that all sharp instruments, such as knives and scissors, are placed in the drawer to avoid cutting the “luck” of the New Year. The kitchen is not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year. Getting poked by pins, or getting cut can be a harbinger of surgery to come. Don’t even schedule your hair to be trimmed.

Eat Foods of Good Fortune
At Chinese New Year’s Eve families come together for the Reunion Dinner. They serve eight foods of good fortune (eight ”ba” because it rhymes with the word fa, ”to prosper” or ”to attain wealth”) to ensure good luck for the coming year.

– Shrimp in the Chinese language sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha and translates as merriment and well being. Joyfulness brings good will and a future of limitless possibility. 

– Dumplings, jiao zi, look like the golden ingots. Serving them promises wealth and prosperity. 

– Lettuce wraps are dished up because lettuce means rising fortune. 

– Serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family togetherness. 

– Fish, “Yu,” sounds like the words both for wish and abundance. It is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.

– Sticky Rice Cake symbolizes a rich, sweet life. Longevity noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it’s bad luck to cut them) so keep them intact while you eat. 

– Both clams and spring rolls symbolize wealth; clams because of their resemblance to bouillon and spring rolls because their shape is similar to gold bars.

– Veggies embody the freshness of “evergreen” and store good fortune in their roots.

Remove Traces of Bad Luck
Throw away china, crockery or glassware that are broken, chipped or have hairline cracks, these augur bad luck.

Forgive And Forget
Make amends with anyone with whom you’ve had a row or falling-out.

Keep Money Rolling In
Prepare enough food to have left overs because left overs symbolize that you’ll have money rolling into the next year.

Ward Off Danger
On the morning of the first day of Spring Festival, families first set off firecrackers before going out in order to drive away evil spirits.

Hand Out Lucky Red Envelopes
The custom arose that children were easily susceptible to harm during the changing of the year and that money would protect them from evil spirits. This lucky money also served to bring good fortune for the coming year. During New Year, coins or notes, are placed in red envelopes, hong bao. Children and unmarried adults receive the red packets from elders or married friends. The red envelopes are a wish for good health, good fortune, peace and safety for the coming year.

Share a Circle of Sweetness
The first New Year Day everyone dines on a vegetarian meal to honor one’s ancestors. Then the family dresses in their finest clothes and visits older family members, paying respect, taking along gifts of Mandarin oranges and sweets of all kinds generally offered in a “tray of togetherness”. It is also customary to hand out hong bao (red envelopes with new bills or coins) to family members and friends of any age, who are single and unmarried.

Exchange The Old For The New
Bring one new item such as furniture, décor or art into your home and business to stimulate prosperity Ch’i and to expand your sheng chi (bright, uplifting energy  that is beneficial to your health and well being). In addition give away one item or more. You create space for new blessings. Taoist monks in their temples make this a practice in their temples.

Perform Good Deeds
Feeling a bit stuck? If you want your life to move forward performing nine good deeds a day brings good fortune. You will also stimulate success in your Feng Shui cures and improve your karma. Helping to change the world never was so easy than bringing a smile to a stranger’s face.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!
May your joy be overflowing in the Year of the Metal Ox. May peace and prosperity abound throughout the year.

A well designed space allows you to access positive energy at all times. Please feel free to call upon me to help you arrange your home where you feel supported. I am available for a “Your House Is Talking” full consultation service or for an hour telephone conversation, Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.

Savvy Custom. Kickstart Chinese New Year.

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“May the new year bring joys that never fade, hopes that never die and strengths that never weaken. May you be blessed with wealth, longevity and happiness. Wishing you a happy Year of the Earth Pig.”

If your January launch to the year was underwhelming here’s another chance to create an auspicious kickstart to the year. The Chinese New Year is the most important time of the year in Asian culture. Families come together to celebrate unity, continuity, prosperity and good luck with Feng Shui traditions. Nearly all of the Chinese customs from Chinese New Year’s eve to Lantern Festival have a symbolic meaning that sounds like a Chinese character for fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity.

Go Big With Red
The Chinese zodiac is part of the Heavenly cycle that tells time and it plays a large part in Chinese customs to celebrate the New Year. Every year one of twelve animals is honored and its characteristics influence the energy of the year. In folkloric tradition the sequence was determined by a race with the lucky rat coming in first followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. When the Year God is your zodiac animal it is called your “ben ming nian”. You might assume it is your lucky year however traditional Chinese belief states that when you meet your zodiac year, it can be full of inauspicious events and not so good luck. CNY begins February 5, 2019 and the Year of the Earth Pig will be, for some of you, your ben ming nian so take precautions to minimize the bad luck and emphasize the good.

To stave off threat in your ben ming nian, it is traditionally believed to wear the color red everyday. Red is the luckiest color in Feng Shui. It stands for power, protection, good luck, success, reason and happiness. Add red accessories to every outfit or simply wear a red bracelet made of red interwoven Chinese knots to repel bad luck. But if red is not a favorite color, protect yourself with red underwear. Stock up or ask your sweetheart to give you some sets. In your career, Feng Shui red will improve your Fame and Reputation so if you are going for an important interview, wear red.

Make A Clean Sweep
The home is thoroughly swept on the 20th day of the 12th month to make a clean sweep of any old energy and release misfortune. Broken or “unlucky” items are removed. Calligraphy and fresh flowers (yellow chrysanthemums) are displayed in the house. Plants are pruned or replaced. Room is made in drawers for new things that are sure to come.

Clear The Books
Keep your finances on track. One of the Chinese New Year customs is if you owe money to family or friends  is to pay them back before the start of the New Year. Outstanding loans bring misfortune. When you leave work on the last day of the old year, close the books with red paper so when they are reopened the red signify an auspicious start. If you have unresolved arguments or you are holding a grudge, kiss and make up.

Make Yourself Over
Hair and fingernails are trimmed before the festival begins. Wear upbeat clothing. Purchase and wear a new outfits (yes, choose red) for CNY.

Avoid Cutting Your Luck
Place any knives or scissors away during the first day of the New Year. Prepare all your foods in advance. The kitchen is not to be disturbed on the first day of the Year. Getting poked by pins or getting cut can be a harbinger of surgery to come. If anything breaks, like a cup or plate during New Year say “Fall to the floor and burst into bloom!”

Pack Pig’s Secret Friend
On the first day of the Chinese New Year, carry a three dimensional representation of the lucky animal for the year. For the Year of the Earth Pig, the Tiger is Pig’s good friend, for when Tiger and Pig come together they bring good fortune and prosperity.

Make Money Grow On Trees
Make a “Money Tree” made of a kumquat tree, bushy pine or spring branches nestled inside porcelain pot filled with five grains sprinkled with red melon seeds. Decorate the with red lanterns, coins hung on red ribbon, lucky red envelopes, gold and silver garlands, topped with God of Wealth.

Good Fortune For Your Home
Da Ju, Da Li “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.”
Displaying fruit in your home during the Chinese New Year invites good fortune for the entire year. Tangerine or ju in the Chinese language is close to the auspicious or lucky. Ju also sounds similar to zhu fu which means a wish or good fortune. Da ju, da li expresses, “May you enjoy an abundance of fortune and profits.” It is customary to see two tangerine trees at the entrance of a home or business in many Asian countries, not just in China. This represents abundance of auspiciousness.

Have A Fruitful Year
Surround yourself with colorful fruit so that you will have a fruitful year. Pomelos are large pear-shaped grapefruits which mean “to have”. Pineapple sounds like wealth but its real strength is fame, promotion and excellent fortune. You can display the fruit at the front entry, the dining room, even the kitchen. Oranges sound like gold in Chinese. Display nine oranges in your foyer or on your dining room table.

Sleeplessness is Success
Stay out of trouble by staying awake! Chinese customs promote success besides good fortune. To stay up at least until 12:01 a.m. for the sound of sleepiness in Chinese is similar to trouble. Sleepless means no trouble for the coming year.

Hold Your Tongue
Refrain from cursing, this will affect your luck for the year. If you should curse inadvertently say “Tong yen woo chi!” to reverse the affect.

Bring Your Nearest and Dearest Together
At Chinese New Year’s Eve families come together for the Reunion Dinner. They serve eight foods of good fortune (eight “ba” because it rhymes with the word fa, “to prosper” or “to attain wealth”) to ensure good luck for the coming year.
• Shrimp in the Chinese language sounds like Ha, Ha, Ha and translates as merriment and well being. Joyfulness brings good will and a future of limitless possibility.
• Dumplings, jiao zi, look like the golden ingots. Serving them promises wealth and prosperity.
• Lettuce wraps are dished up because lettuce means rising fortune.
• Serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family togetherness.
• Fish, “Yu,” sounds like the words both for wish and abundance. It is customary to serve a fish at the end of the evening meal, symbolizing a wish for abundance in the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
• Sticky Rice Cake symbolizes a rich, sweet life. Longevity noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it’s bad luck to cut them) so keep them intact while you eat.
• Both clams and Spring Rolls symbolize wealth; clams because of their resemblance to bouillon and Spring Rolls because their shape is similar to gold bars.
• Veggies embody the freshness of “evergreen” and store good fortune in their roots.

Leave Some For Prosperity
Make enough food to have left overs because left overs symbolize that you’ll have money rolling into the next year.

Share a Circle of Sweetness
The first New Year Day everyone dines on a vegetarian meal to honor one’s ancestors. Then the family dresses in their finest clothes and visits older family members, paying respect, taking along gifts of Mandarin oranges and sweets of all kinds generally offered in a “tray of togetherness”. Among the Chinese customs it is customary to hand out hong bao (Red Envelopes with new bills or coins) to family members and friends of any age, who are single and unmarried. Before going to bed that night children who received Red Envelopes, place them under their pillow. It is said they will sleep well without bad dreams and become richer next year. 

“With each passing moment let us embrace the New Year with a brighter, more colorful and more joyous future.”

Have you decided this will be your year? “Boldness has genius”… start with one hour of Feng Shui A La Carte. Think of it as a fairy godmother for your house.

What I have discovered about our homes is that creating a heart healthy space leads to peace and contentment. The bedroom is where it begins. Start with my complimentary pdf: 27 Bedroom Concepts To Maximize Your Health, Happiness and Peace of Mind. Design your space to your best advantage. Subscribe to my blog and special offers. You’ll receive this valuable Feng Shui Guide as a thank you gift.