Exact Amounts For CNY Ang Pows So You Don’t Look Cheap
But it’s not just about money: old-school rules teach what many young people don’t know anymore, like always using brand new crisp bills, never folding the money inside, and not ripping open your red packets right in front of whoever gave them to you.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, Malaysian Chinese are stressing about one thing: how much money to stuff into those red packets.
Here’s what you should give: your parents get RM200+, your own kids get RM100, your siblings’ kids get RM20, and that friend of a friend? Just RM2.
Every year, people ask the same thing.
How much should I give? Give too little, and you look cheap; give too much, and you’re broke.
The breakdown goes like this: employees get RM50, close relatives and good friends get RM10, regular relatives get RM5, and your spouse gets RM999 for “long-lasting love.”
But it’s not just about the cash.
There are old rules that young people don’t know anymore:
The Traditional Wisdom Behind the Money
Always use brand new crisp money – nobody wants wrinkled old bills that look like vegetables.
Don’t fold the cash – apparently, it blocks your luck. And don’t tear open your red packets right in front of whoever gave them to you – that’s just rude.
“My grandma used to tell me this stuff, but I never got why,” said one person online. “Now it finally makes sense.”
Here’s something that shocked people: don’t seal the red packets shut.
Chinese New Year packets should stay open so the good luck can flow.
Many people have forgotten how to do this properly, so just remember – give all the kids in one family the same amount so nobody feels left out.
With the festivities almost here, this might actually stop some family fights at the dinner table.
Comedian Ronny Chieng isn’t wrong when he jokes about Chinese people and money – and nowhere is this more obvious than during Chinese New Year red packet season.
