5 min read
Lunar New Year is a family-centred festival with visits, food and photographs, and dress tends to be neat, new and a little bright. Red and gold carry meaning across many of the traditions that mark it.
Customs vary across regions and families, from China to Vietnam, Korea and beyond. Take this as guidance, and follow your own family's habits first.
Red, gold and what they mean
Red is widely associated with luck and prosperity, and gold with wealth, so both are common in the new year wardrobe. A red top, a gold detail or a small accessory can carry the nod without a full outfit.
If red is not your colour, deep green, blue, burgundy and cream still read well for the season. Wear a tone you actually like rather than one you feel you must.
Fresh, neat, visit ready
Many families like something new or freshly laundered for the first day, since the festival is about a clean start. Press what you own well and it reads new enough.
Visits often involve sitting on floors, kneeling and long meals. Choose a comfortable silhouette with some give, and keep the length and neckline in a register you would wear around grandparents.
Practical for a day of visits
If the day includes travel between relatives, choose layers you can remove and a shoe you can slip on and off at the door. Clean, easy pieces are worth more than a complicated one.
Keep hands free for gifts and food, and avoid anything that needs constant adjustment while you are greeting people.
The takeaway · For Lunar New Year, dress fresh and neat, lean to red or gold if you like, and follow your family's customs.