During Chinese New Year, hanging Spring Festival couplets, or Chunlian, is a special tradition. The couplets are 1
pairs
of poetic lines written on red paper, and they're put up on both sides of the door of the house. This 2
traditional
celebration since ancient China carries 3
people's
wishes for good luck, happiness, health, and success in the 4
coming
year. The couplets are usually put up on New Year's Eve, 5
following
a certain order (顺序): the top line (Shanglian), the bottom line (Xialian), and a horizontal line (Hengpi) above the door.
Besides putting up the couplets, people also like to put up red paper with the character Fu on the 6
windows
and the doors. The Chinese character Fu means good luck. The fun part is that people like hanging the character upside down. This is because in Chinese, the word for “upside-down” 7
sounds
similar to the word for “to arrive” in Chinese. 8
So
an upside-down “Fu” means that good luck is arriving soon or has already arrived at the house.
Nowadays, many people use printed couplets because they're easy 9
to find
. But the main idea behind them remains the same: to bring good luck and start the year in a positive way. Hanging Spring Festival couplets is a beautiful way 10
to celebrate
Chinese New Year.