Red pockets bring Chinese New Year cheer

Posted on January 22, 2015

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The giving of red envelopes containing money, also known as ‘red pockets’  on special occasions, festivals and particularly Chinese New Year, is an ancient and much-loved tradition. Red is considered a very lucky colour and is also thought to ward off evil spirits, so the giving of a red pocket brings both luck and fortune.

Typically given by married people to unmarried, grandparents and parents to the younger generations and by employers to their staff, at Hutong we give red pockets in two ways. The first is conventionally, by giving a red pocket containing a crisp new banknote as is traditional to all our team members on the morning of Chinese New Year.

The other is in our own special way, by giving each table dining with us on the night of Chinese New Year – Thursday 19th February – a red pocket containing a voucher for one of a number of prizes, from a drink on your next visit to, in one lucky table’s case, their entire bill being waived.

If you are joining us for dinner on Chinese New Year, be sure to look in your red pocket to see what your gift is!