Lucky Money (压岁钱, Ya Sui Qian)Ⅱ

Then why was it renamed Ya Sui Qian ? It was because the character “岁”, which means “year”, pronounces the same with the character “祟”, which means “evil spirit”. The ancient Chinese believed children were generally weaker than adults and as a result easier to get hurt by the evil spirits. Ya Sui Qian symbolized an amulet that could hold down the evil spirits. People gave Lucky Money to children in Spring Festival, the beginning of a Chinese New Year, hoping that the kids could pass the year and grew up safely. However, nowadays, the superstitious meaning of Lucky Money weakens and it is merely a gift to delight the youngsters.