There is an excitement over the start of a New Year. Aside from being a holiday, the first day of the year symbolizes new beginnings. It gives us the mental chance to start fresh. Because of this, people place great importance on how January 1 is spent.
Filipinos, who have a tendency to be superstitious “just in case” the belief holds true, have a list of practices to be observed before
Bagong Taon. That, coupled with influence from the Chinese, who are pretty superstitious themselves, equals a whole lot of beliefs on how to spend January 1 so that the rest of the year is blessed and fruitful, which are, of course, different ways of saying prosperous. Here are 12 traditions that Filipinos practice during the New Year. Most of these practices apply to the household, and by extension, their businesses as well.
Making New Year's Resolutions
Many cultures around the world take part in the grand tradition of making a list of things they promise to change about themselves the following year, and then proceed to practice the even grander tradition of breaking each of those promises. While the idea of creating a list of New Year's resolutions is a good idea, it will only work if you actually follow through with them. To up your chances of sticking to your promises, start small and make sure that they are concrete and manageable so that you aren't overwhelmed. Instead of saying “I will lower business spending,” for example, say “I will cut down on the electric bill by requesting that customers turn off bathroom lights after use.”
Firecrackers
Firecrackers make a pretty sight on a dark night. According to local belief, the bright lights and loud explosions also keep away ghosts and spirits that would otherwise wreak havoc on your life—and business. You don’t have to buy yourself a whole light show, not unless you want to. The wonderful thing about New Year is that everyone will have a neighbor or relative who’s going to bust out the bright stuff, so all you have to do is watch and let the lights drive bad juju away.
Making Loud Noises
The New Year is commonly welcomed by loud noises, be it party favors to blaring car horns. Aside from welcoming the first day of the New Year, loud noises are also said to drive away the spirits of misfortune. If you do decide to practice this, remember to be considerate to your neighbors, who may not like the noise. Also avoid turning celebration into noise pollution by not going over the traditional 5-15 minutes of noisemaking.
Keeping All Lights On and Windows Open
Some folks believe that keeping all lights and windows open when the New Year begins invites blessings and prosperity inside, as these are attracted to brightness, and will need to enter your house through the windows (keeping the doors open for this reason isn’t inviting prosperity, it’s a security risk). If you plan to practice this, you shouldn’t keep the lights on and windows open all day, as it’s a waste of electricity. Just for about 10 minutes before the clock strikes 12 and ten minutes after should be more than enough.
Round Fruits on the Table
This practice is directly borrowed from the Chinese New Year tradition of having fruit on the table on New Year’s Day to symbolize, and thus, invite prosperity. There are two schools of thought to this belief. One is that nothing but round fruits should be displayed. The other belief is that 12 fruits should be displayed, round or not. People who want to pay it safe take great pains to find 12 round fruits to put on their New Year’s table. But as we all know, it can be quite hard to assemble 12 round fruits without racking up an exorbitant bill (cherries and plums can be expensive, for example), unless coconuts count.
Food on the Table
There is a belief that how one spends the first of January sets the tone for the rest of the year. This is why it is important to start the year on a prosperous note. Aside from the 12 fruits, there must also be an abundance of food on the table to symbolize never going hungry. Some folks go one step further and make sure that they are eating when the New Year arrives, to symbolize being satisfied all year round.
Eat “Lucky” Food
Great care is taken in deciding what food goes on the New Year’s Eve table. Since the first day of the year heralds a new beginning, people make sure that the food they lay out to greet the new year are all symbolic of prosperity and happiness. Traditional ones include lechon, because it denotes celebration, and is the kind of dish only the well-off can afford and kakanin, especially biko, because they are sweet and made of rice, whose uncountable grains symbolize uncountable stacks of money. The Chinese also like to include whole fish, as it denotes prosperity, but are careful not to turn it over when eating it, as this symbolizes a travel accident (the flipping of the fish is seen to herald the flipping over of a car, plane or boat).
Food in the Pantry
Aside from having food on the table, people make sure that their pantry is filled as well. This symbolizes having more than enough resources the whole year round. One doesn’t have to be too picky with what one stocks. Whatever you’d have in your pantry on a daily basis is enough. The main thing is to keep it full, as it symbolizes full coffers.
Wearing Polka Dotted Clothes
This practice fell out of style in the 90s, but with print having come back in a big way, it’s worth taking up again. It was believed that the polka dots symbolized coins and prosperity. The Chinese had an even more specific rule about this: the polka dots had to be red, to symbolize luck (red is the Chinese lucky color), and a lot of cash.
Pay All Debts
Not only is this practical advice, since paying off a debt frees you from extra obligation, the practice of making sure all debts are paid before the New Year begins also symbolizes not incurring debt the next year. It’s all part of starting the year fresh, wiping the slate clean to welcome prosperity.
Not Spending Money
In keeping with the belief that what you do on January 1 dictates what the rest of the year will be like, a lot of people opt to stay home and relax to avoid spending money, as well as the stress of being in a mall. This way, the belief goes, one won’t have to shell out money in the year to come, and will be relaxed, to boot.
Keeping Money in Your Wallet
Though spending money is discouraged, people believe that it is important to have money in one’s wallet on New Year’s Day. Again, this symbolizes prosperity for the next year, as well as never running out of cash. Some folks go so far as to pin an envelope of money on their pajamas when they go to sleep, so that that they are never far from cash.
Smile and Be Happy
People talk about starting one’s day on a positive note. Well, January 1 gives us the chance to start the year the right way—with a smile on our lips and happiness in our hearts. Don’t fret if you aren’t able to do all or most of what’s listed above.
Remember that these are beliefs and practices, and that doing them won’t equal having a prosperous business in the year to come. More important than following tradition, building and continuing a business means hard work and smart decisions.
If you are to follow only one thing on this list (okay, two, because paying off debts is always a good thing), make it this one, because business is easier to conduct when not stressed out, and customers are more likely to do business with a cheerful proprietor.
