In Chinese tradition and superstition, there's a number of things that you should not be doing during Chinese New Year, especially on the first day (初一, Chor 1) to avoid inviting bad luck and bad omen into your life throughout the year. The list of actions include not washing your hair, not sweeping the floor, no crying, and many more acts which are deemed as negative actions which represent the invitation of negative significance into your life, such as washing or sweeping away good luck.
While it's not hard to remember what can we do and not do during Chinese New Year, sometimes it really slips our mind - washing our hair is something that we usually do on most days, and it becomes a force of habit as we enter the shower, we immediately wet our head and begin mixing in shampoo. Initially we feel relief, only to suddenly realise in horror that today was the ONE DAY in the year that we should in fact, NOT be washing our hair. Same goes with the sweeping of floors - sometimes it really, really just slips our mind.
Don't worry, it wasn't me - just a theoretical situation for someone out there in the world. After the initial horror, you start to Google and ask around if this innocent mistake means you're doomed with poverty and bad luck throughout the year.
Well, I did the Googling and asking for you - there's no article that immediately pops up to tell you what actually happens when you accidentally do the taboo, ABSOLUTELY ABSTAIN FROM DOING actions during Chinese New Year, and all I did get were some laughs and jokes from the elders about how that poor soul will literally be poor this year. Sure, there are lists to remind you of what not to do, but no one really knows for sure what will exactly happen if you do them, by accident or not.
With that, I'd like to believe that these taboos are strictly superstition from practices that originated many many years ago, created with the best intention for our lineages to have a great and prosperous year, every year. It's always better to have a clear list of ‘rules’ with good things to do and bad things not to do to serve as a guide, but one should not be absolutely punished for failing to follow them.
There are many factors that contribute to one's prosperity and wealth, such as feng shui, hard work and luck in general without the influence of taboo, race or religion. Perhaps it is my belief that accidentally washing your hair or sweeping the floor will not entirely cause you to have bad luck throughout the year. Perhaps there might be an incidence of bad luck here and there over the year, but nothing is ultimate and there will most definitely be good occasions as well.
So don't fret, and enjoy the rest of your Chinese New Year in jolly good spirits!
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