Around the Chinese New Year holidays, we are sure you have seen queues forming at banks recently. However, have you seen the snaking queues suddenly appear on 4 February? For those of you who might dismiss it as being common – after all, people must be withdrawing cash for red packets, right? Wrong! That they are actually queueing… to put money into their accounts! It’s because the day is called Li Chun.
Li Chun, where spring means money
The 4th of February, which is known as Li Chun in Chinese, is the boundary to mark the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. As such, it is said that this timing is the most auspicious to ensure an abundance of wealth. There are even specific timings for the different zodiacs to deposit their money so as to get the best of this ‘luck’!
Here’s a table indicating the best times for you to deposit your money:
With no base or tradition tied to it, it has created a peculiar scene that even overseas press have picked up on, terming it as “uniquely Singapore”. We sure love a bit of ritual, because Chinese New Year tradition we practice is Chap Goh Mei (but you don’t hear anyone outside Asia talk about it).
Of course, whether or not your money would be kept in abundance for the entire year, we do not know. However, here are some of the ways people celebrate Li Chun worldwide:
China
Offerings to the gods and ceremonies are staged by farmers in certain villages, all in the bid to ensure a bountiful harvest and prosperous new year. This may be days long and will start on Li Chun. People may also eat special food on this day too, such as Chun Bing (spring pancakes).
Japan
Rather than celebrate on the day of Li Chun itself, Japan celebrates it one day earlier, which is known as Setsubun – the divide between the seasons. The custom of throwing roasted soybeans, be it out the door, at a member of the family wearing a demon mask, or at the temple, the significance of it is to symbolically purify the home and drive away evil spirits of misfortune and ill health.
There’s also the tradition of eating Makizushi, which is essentially a whole rolled, uncut sushi roll while facing a pre-determined direction – all the while without speaking. If one can do this, then it is said that their luck for the year would be good.
Egg balancing during Li Chun
“Egg balancing” is a practice traditionally associated with Li Chun, when fresh eggs are balanced on their broad ends. This is because it’s said to be one of the days where the gravitational pull is the strongest. In fact, some people have managed to get a whole entire tray of eggs standing – without any support!
While linked to Li Chun in mainland China, it is sometimes tied to the Dragon Boat Festival in Taiwan. A 1945 Life article on an egg-balancing craze in Chongqing popularised the practice in the United States, where it became associated with the vernal equinox on March 20 or 21. This gave rise to the urban legend that eggs are easier to balance on the equinox.
Li Chun may just be a day to mark the change in seasons, but it’s definitely a day to try your luck with money… or eggs.
