As you are in the midst of spring cleaning your home and getting ready for Chinese New Year, don’t forget to get your car CNY-ready too. Here are 5 ways to get your car CNY-ready for smoother trips over the CNY weekend and good fortune throughout the festivities.
1. Keep Oranges
Oranges are synonymous with Chinese New Year. You receive and give them when you go visiting and they’re a good source of nutrition. Traditionally, oranges are symbols of prosperity and good luck. The association between oranges and good luck stem from the similarity between the Chinese words for orange and good luck. The bright and vibrant colours also aid in the association of good fortune with oranges.
Many families use oranges as decorations at home. So, you shouldn’t forget about decorating your car too. Having a pair of oranges on your dashboard adds a little bit of colour to your car and its also supposed to bring you and your car good luck. It’s definitely an essential item that will get your car CNY-ready and maximize your huat.
Plus, if you’re out visiting and forget your oranges, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll always have a spare pair in your car. Double the benefits!
2. Ang Baos on Your Dashboard
Just like oranges, Ang Baos have similar significance in Chinese culture. They symbolize good luck and are a form of blessing. If you didn’t know, the significance of an Ang Bao is actually the red paper and not the money inside.
Red is the symbol of energy, happiness and good luck. So, you can look at it as a way to send good wishes and luck during the festive period. Luckily (or unluckily), only married couples are required to give them out!
So, having a pair of Ang Baos under your oranges will work the same way. It will bless your car with good luck throughout the festivities. We’ve even seen some cars that have kept these Ang Baos on their dashboard throughout the year!
3. No Sharp Objects
In traditional customs, sharp objects are seen to cut the good stuff away. As a common Chinese saying goes “one slash and it’s in two parts”.
For example, giving somebody a sharp object insinuates that you want to cut off your relationship with them. Similarly, sharp objects will cut your stream of good luck and fortune.
So, having a sharp object in your car during Chinese New Year is something you should avoid. Even more so because you’re doing all you can to maximize your huat during this period!
You might have a pair of scissors or screwdrivers stored in your car, make sure you store them away during the Chinese New Year festivities.
4. Service Your Car
Imagine driving down the PIE, heading to your relatives’ place for Chinese New Year and your car suddenly breaks down. Such a hassle… and it’s something you just can’t predict!
But there’s one thing you can do. You can always make the necessary preparations that will put you in the best position to ensure that this scenario doesn’t happen.
You can do this by servicing your car! Even though you are only required to service your car every 10,000km or every 3 months, we think that it’s a good idea to get your servicing done about a month before Chinese New Year. This ensures that your car is running in tip-top condition so that you won’t drive into any unexpected breakdowns or car problems.
Also, because many car workshops won’t be open on the first few days of Chinese New Year, getting your car checked at a workshop earlier is just the smarter thing to do!
5. Wash Away the Bad Luck
One of the many things we do before Chinese New Year is spring cleaning our homes. The significance of spring cleaning is to get rid of any bad luck or bad fortune before the New Year. Doing this would then make way for good luck and fortune to come rolling in.
But many of us tend to forget to do the same to our cars. You should give your car’s interior a thorough cleaning and at the same time check if there are any sharp objects present. A couple of days before, or preferably the day before CNY, send your car for a car wash and wash away all the bad luck before CNY!
And that’s it. Simply follow these 5 tips and you’ll be on your way to maximizing your HUAT and enjoying a smoother journey with a CNY-ready car this year!
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