It has been a long Chinese tradition for married couples to give hongbao (or ang pow in Hokkien) meaning red packet to children, singles, staff and elders, as a gesture of gratitude for the past year of good fortunes.
On the morning of the Chinese New Year, the younger generation will kneel in front of the elders to serve Chinese tea in small tea cups. After sipping the tea, the elders will then give them each an ang pow as a token of good luck and blessings for the coming year. Do notice that it is considered rude to stare at relatives or be too eager to receive ang pow, that's why one has to lower one’s glance as a sign of respect and humility.
However, some kids especially toddlers are nonchalant about receiving the red packets, they are often distracted by the festivity, lion dance or candies displayed; often the parents are the one who keeps track of the ang pow money!
For the older ones, the naughtiest action would be peeping into the packet to find out what colour the money notes are. Wisened from last year’s collection - the red, dark green and purple are the best! A naughty child even once called out innocently to his mother in the crowded open house gathering, that uncle so-and-so gave RM1 blue note to the utter dismay of the giver! That child was later chastised for being rude and disrespectful.
Often, we get caught up with the festive activities, rather than appreciating the rationale behind the actions, as it’s not about the competition of how much one collects, nor who to impress to give to, but the intention behind the giving and receiving ang pow. The former is about demonstrating generosity, whilst the latter is about humility to receive. Money then becomes a commodity of exchange of positive values and well wishes.
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