Traditional Chinese New Year outfits
IN the Chinese culture, welcoming the New Year also has its special tradition of clothes for people to wear.
This Chinese tradition goes all the way back to the Northern and Southern dynasties. Chinesenewyear.net, reports that in the Republican period (1912–1949), beautiful new clothes were needed as the youths paid their respects to the elders.
It is part of Spring Festival celebrations, just like the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.
The Spring Festival is a time of change and new beginnings. Practically every activity during the Spring Festival has the purpose of removing the old and welcoming the new. Forget about the misfortunes and be ready for good luck. In addition, new clothes are auspicious and can protect you from evil spirits.
Like the New Year couplets and other decorations, new clothes also add to the festivity.
There actually aren’t any special requirements as to what kind of new clothing. In ancient China, people would follow the fashion trends of that time. Below are some of the traditional outfit one must wear during New Year.
Tang Sui
A Tang suit used to refer to dress from the Tang dynasty. But the “new” Tang suit is a jacket that combines the Man riding jacket (Qing dynasty) and the Western suit.
If you’re a fan of Chinese martial arts, you might have seen this type of clothing in movies. Jackie Chan especially seems to like wearing them.
Qipao
The qipao entered mainstream Chinese culture during the Qing dynasty.
But the modern styles we know today are very different from how it was originally.
It began as a conservative dress with straight and loose cuts. Intricate designs were embroidered into the fabric.
Through colonisation, the qipao became westernised.
Cheongsam
The term cheongsam is usually used by westerners to refer to women’s qipao. However, it literally means “long shirt/dress.”
It is loose-fitting and usually worn by men now. It is a modified version of Qing dynasty clothing and was formal wear during the 1900s.
Hanfu
Hanfu translates literally to “clothing of the Han ethnicity.” It encompasses traditional clothing up until the Qing dynasty.
This means too many types and variations to count. Generally, a hanfu outfit includes a shirt and a skirt.
Something to bear in mind when buying clothes for Chinese New Year, is to always go for red.
This is the best colour for the occasion.
Avoid buying black and white as they are considered an unlucky and negative colour.