Chinese New Year In Hong Kong: Lai See Etiquette

During Chinese New Year, and stretching into the following week, you may notice a flurry of red envelopes being exchanged almost everywhere you go. These fancy little envelopes are “lai see,” packets containing good luck money.

Giving lai see to people means that you are wishing them good fortune and prosperity in the year to come.

But giving lai see is not like handing out candy to children on Halloween (unless you’re one of those grumps who don’t like giving treats to the kids without costumes). There’s a set of rules and faux pas involved with lai see.

The locals give out lai see like it’s second nature to them, but in fact, there are different amounts distinguished for different people and people with different marital statuses and also people with different job positions. Starting to feel a little wary about this whole business? You’ll get the hang of it once you understand proper lai see etiquette.

Lai see is bestowed from “big to small,” “old to young”, and “senior to junior.” For example, if you are the boss or manager, you should give to your employees. Or if you live in an apartment, you should give to your security guard or doorman. Married couples also give to their single friends and younger relatives, and may give 2 lai see packets to a person (one from each spouse). If you are unmarried, you will usually only give to service people and kids.

You don’t have to give lai see to everyone you know, but keep in mind that there’s a chance you may forget somebody. People usually bring a bunch of red envelopes with them whenever they go out, just in case they might bump into someone accidentally (since this is Hong Kong, you probably will). Keep a mixture of 20, 50, and 100 dollar envelopes on you to be ready at all times during this week.

The amount you put in the lai see is up to you, but there are ballpark figures for each set of people. For services you frequently use or go to, such as your waiter, dry cleaner, or doorman, $100 will do. For kids and young adults, you can give $50 or $100. Depending on how close you are to the person, you can choose to give more. Bosses, married couples, and older relatives tend to give higher amounts.

Remember to never use coins and try to use a single, crisp bank note if you can. It should be a single bill with an even amount. So don’t put 2 twenties into a lai see (especially because it equals forty and “four” sounds similar to “die” in Cantonese). This shows that you gave your lai see recipient some consideration. During this time, hordes of people will be lined up at the banks to get the new notes that are printed especially for Chinese New Year. You can call the banks ahead of time to find out when they’re releasing them, and they should also give you some new lai see for you to use.

For the lai see packets themselves, they should have them at most of the street markets in Wanchai or Mongkok. Buy a couple stacks - a few extra packets can always come in handy. Once you have gotten all the fresh bills and inserted them into the lai see, you are now ready to hand them out and participate in this unique tradition.

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