Chinese New Year Gifts: Customs, Ideas and What to Avoid

Chinese New Year gifts are given in the days around the Lunar New Year, when families visit each other and wish one another a smooth year ahead. In 2027, the Lunar New Year falls on 6 February.^{(HKO 2027)} It opens the Year of the Goat, the eighth animal of the zodiac.^(Comstock)

So the best Chinese New Year gifts carry a warm wish rather than a big price. Food, tea, red envelopes and small keepsakes are all classic. Also, the way you give matters: people offer gifts with both hands, and often in pairs.

According to the Hong Kong Observatory calendar, 6 February 2027 is a Saturday, so family visits start that weekend. First, order gifts at least 3 weeks earlier. Then wrap them in red. Finally, give Chinese New Year gifts in pairs and with both hands, as most families expect.

Red is the colour of celebration at the Lunar New Year, so red wrapping is the safest default for any gift. For example, two boxes of tea in red paper follow two customs at once. The zodiac animal also changes every year, according to Britannica, because the cycle runs for 12 years.^(Comstock)

Red envelopes of money are the best-known Chinese New Year gifts. A red envelope is a small red packet of money, usually from elders to children and to younger, unmarried relatives. Then there is food: mandarin oranges, sweets and cakes, carried to every visit. Tea, fruit baskets and good wine are also common for parents and elders.

Next come keepsakes. For example, a small piece of jewellery in red or jade makes a lasting gift. Additionally, many people wear a red cord in their own zodiac year as a wish for a smooth year. A zodiac year comes round once every 12 years, according to Britannica, and 2027 is a Goat year.^(Comstock) So people born in 2003 or 2015 meet their own year at the 2027 New Year. Our guide to the red string bracelet meaning explains the custom.

A keepsake is the kind of Chinese New Year gift that lasts beyond the holiday. Food disappears in a day, while a keepsake stays. So if you want Chinese New Year gifts that last, choose something the person can wear or use all year. For example, a red string bracelet, a small jade piece or a wooden bead bracelet all fit.

Also, plan ahead. The 2027 Lunar New Year falls on Saturday 6 February, according to Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables.^{(HKO 2027)} Shipping slows down sharply around the New Year, so order at least three weeks before the date, ideally by mid-January. Then wrap the gift in red or gold, and give the gift in person if you can. Finally, a short handwritten wish means more than an expensive box.

Food is the classic gift for family visits, while a keepsake is the gift for the people closest to you. In practice, many families bring both: oranges and tea for the elders, and one small piece of jewellery for a partner. A pair of matching bracelets also suits the custom of giving in twos. A keepsake needs more planning, because the Lunar New Year falls on 6 February 2027, according to Hong Kong Observatory conversion tables.^{(HKO 2027)}

Ordering Chinese New Year gifts from us is a four-step exchange, and nothing ships until you approve the video. In practice, step 1 matters most, because couriers slow down in the weeks before the holiday. Red string bracelets are also the simplest gift to order, since a sliding knot means no wrist size is needed.

The best Chinese New Year gifts are simple, red and given with a warm wish. First, pick food and tea for family visits. Second, choose a keepsake for those closest to you, such as a red cord for anyone born in a Goat year like 2015. Finally, order early for the Year of the Goat, which begins on 6 February 2027.^{(HKO 2027)}

Our agarwood is plantation-grown, and every piece ships under the CITES rules for Aquilaria. All Aquilaria species sit in Appendix II, according to CITES, so cross-border trade needs the right paperwork.^(CITES) Browse red string bracelets and agarwood gifts.