It has been said that Chinese culture is one of rites and giving out the angpow as a matter of custom is one of those rites. Every year, come the turn of the lunar new year, angpows or red envelopes filled with cash, would be given out and exchanged between families to bestow blessings of health and wealth upon each other and to protect the children in these families against evil.
Now you might ask ─ Protect children against evil? How does the angpow protect children against evil? There is a story behind this.
The Legend of the Angpow
History has it that sometime in the Qin Dynasty of 221BC ─206BC, the elders of villages would thread eight copper coins with a red string, put them in a small red bag and give these out to children and unmarried minors as charms of protection on Chinese New Year. They called these gifts Yasui Qian (压祟钱) or “suppressing Sui money”.
Who was Sui and Why did He need Suppressing?
History now goes back to folklore and it seems that even further back in ancient China, there was a black demon called Sui who used to terrorize children on every Chinese New Year’s Eve. He would come in the night, touch a sleeping child’s head three times and the child would go delirious, lose his mind and even die thereafter. Because parents were so afraid of Sui harming their children, they would keep vigil all night long to guard their children against this demon.
That is why, until today, the Chinese celebrate New Year’s Eve by staying up late. This vigil is called shousui (守岁) or “waiting for Sui.”
Now does it make sense why the Chinese follow certain rituals when celebrating their occassions?
Back to the story ─ One day, a young couple in Jiaxing, Jiangsu had a newborn son. They were very worried that Sui would harm their child so they prayed in earnest to their gods who sent down eight fairies to help this family. To trick the demon, the eight fairies turned themselves into eight coins which were then wrapped in red paper and placed under the infant’s pillow.
The night wore on and as much as the couple tried to stay awake, they succumbed to sleep. Just then, Sui appeared and approached the infant’s bed but when he tried to touch the baby’s head, beams of bright light burst from the red packet and scared Sui away.
The child was saved and from that day on, everyone began wrapping coins in red paper to protect their children from Sui, and very quickly, Yasui Qian or the angpow became the symbol of protection from evil for children.
This symbolic representation of protection to those we want to wish well has lived on till today and that is why we give out the angpow ─ primarily to children ─ on Chinese New Year. We also give out the angpow on weddings to bless the couple, on children’s birthdays and of course, during Full Moon Celebrations of a one-month old baby.
Most people think that it is the money inside the angpow that confers the protection but according to China Highlights.com, the protecting element of the angpow is not so much the money inside but the red colour of the envelope.
This brings us to another story. Why does the colour red give protection?
Why the Chinese like the Colour Red
The Chinese like the colour red because red symbolizes fire, and blood. It is the colour of the life liquid coursing through our bodies. And it is the colour of fervour. That is why it is associated with energy, strength, power, determination, passion, desire, love, happiness, beauty, vitality, good luck, success and good fortune. Red is a powerful colour indeed.
It is also the colour that saved the country from another monster called Nian.
Nian was a creature from the sea that had a long head and sharp horns. Every year, on Chinese New Year’s Eve, it would attack villages and eat people, especially children, and livestock. People were so afraid of Nian, they would flee to hide in the remote mountains until one fine day, an old travelling monk visited the village.
When he heard of Nian, he was not afraid. He did not run but instead, decided to stand up to the monster by pasting up red paper on his doors. He also wore red clothes, lit candles (the reason behind Chinese New Year lanterns) and burnt bamboo to make loud crackling sounds (the precursor to fireworks). Nian was scared away when he saw all this. And when the villagers came back to find their village unscathed, they deduced that Nian was afraid of the colour red and the loud sounds of firecrackers.
That is why, wearing red clothes, pasting up red paper, hanging up red lanterns and lighting firecrackers became the tradition for celebrating Chinese New Year.
But why is the Angpow called Angpow?
Angpow is actually the Hokkien word for the Mandarin “hongbou” which just means red packet.
Here is a cheeky Mandarin ditty that children would sing come every Chinese New Year.
“Gong Xi Fa Cai, Hongbou Na Lai” (Congratulations, may you prosper, bring me an angpow).
Through the years, things have changed for the Yasui Qian too. No longer made of cloth because of the rise of printing machinery and no longer inserted with coins but notes, some of the Chinese characters for Yasui Qian were changed too, and rewritten to mean “suppressor of old age” instead of evil spirits. This means giving an angpow nowadays would bestow the receiver with longevity or in the case of children ─ yet another year of safety, health and wealth.
Regardless of the meaning, an angpow generally confers blessings of all kinds to the one who receives it.
The Age of the e-Angpow
Further changes to the angpow include the e-angpows of today! Technology and digital banking have given rise to e-wallets that are able to send electronic red packets. What’s more, quite a number of these e-angpow services are here in Malaysia. Using the DuitNow facility, they are offered by local banks that include RHB, Maybank, Hong Leong Bank, Public Bank and so on. Best of all, you can use your phone app to request from the giver to give you the amount you want!
“Don’t be shy,” as the child in the ‘Request an Angpow’ ad urges. “Just click the button here and request for what you want!”
Wow. Talk about easy money!
Still, nothing beats the giving and getting of angpows the old-fashioned way: Cold hard cash wrapped inside beautiful red and gold paper and given and received one-to-one with eye-to-eye and heart-to-heart contact.
Who Should Give Out Angpows?
But who should give out the angpows? Or more pertinently, since we’re in the age of e-angpows and can request for the money by a click of the smartphone, who can children request their e-angpows from?
Angpows should only be given out by the elders and those who are married to all children that you know (including your own) and to those who are not married (including your relatives). Angpows are also given by the employer to employees.
Therefore, children can request for e-angpows from all of their married relatives (including their grandparents, uncles and such) and also those who are not their kith and kin. If you’re married and they know your number and you have registered for DuitNow, then it’s likely you might get an e-angpow request!
Alright, now that we’ve heard the story of the evolution of the angpow, let’s get down to the heart of the matter, or the heart of the angpow: the money. How much should you put inside that angpow?
How Much Money Should You Put Inside that Angpow?
Angpow-giving has become so commercialized that there is now a “market rate” in Malaysia. Motherhood did a small survey for the market rate in 2020, and although the rate differs according to opinion, here is the rough guideline.
Angpow Market Rate 2020
- To your elders (especially to your parents and grandparents): RM100 and above
- To your unmarried siblings: RM20 to RM50
- To your own children: RM20 to any amount you wish to give depending on their age. If they are too young to know what money is, you can always bank it into their savings account for them.
- To children (those 18 and above): RM20 to RM50
- To relatives (younger than you and single): RM10 to RM20
- To relatives’ children (nieces and nephews): RM5 to RM10
- To your friends and colleagues (single): RM10
- To friend’s children: RM5 to RM10
- To your children’s friends: RM5
- To others (janitors, petrol station assistant, cashier, waiter, waitress): RM2
For the Best Angpow Rates, Follow Your Heart Rate
The above may be the general market rate but perhaps the best answer to how much to put inside an angpow comes from a regular Mum who posted her very profound opinion at a Facebook parenting site recently.
She said ─ do not compete or compare with who gives how much and do not follow the so-called “market rate”. Instead, she suggests: “Follow Your Heart Rate” or “Follow your own bank account balance Rate.”
If you have money, give more, she says. Give to those who need the money and to those whom you appreciate the most, like:
- Parents and Grandparents
- Old folks ( the poorer ones)
- Children (especially from average families)
- Security Guards who take care of your home and belongings
- Rubbish collectors who work hard to remove your refuse everyday
- Babysitter who cares for your children
- Neighbour who always cooks for you or looks after your family’s welfare in one way or another
And if you have time, go to the Old Folks Home, or the Orphanage but do call first to ask what they need and not what you assume they would want like rice, cookies etc.
Or you could do some street charity.
[dropcap letter=”A”]nd that, in a nutshell, is the essence of the angpow ─ which is all about the spirit of reciprocation.
It’s Chinese New Year’s Eve today. Happy getting all your angpows ready and may you bestow all your blessings through your angpows to whom those blessings are intended.
For more stories that tell you the full story, do visit Motherhood.com.my