First up: do not sweep the floor on New Year’s Day. According to tradition, sweeping literally chases away your good fortune. If you must tidy, sweep inward toward the center of the room, and hide the dust until day two.
Also, keep the scissors and nail clippers locked away. Cutting anything—hair, nails, fabric—is said to snip away your prosperity. Think of it as a mandatory day of zero self-improvement.
And whatever you do, don’t cry. Tears on the first day are believed to set a sorrowful tone for the next twelve months. So if you burn the dumplings or drop the lucky rice cake, just laugh it off.
