Pressing the New Year’s Eve （压岁钱） is a Chinese New Year’s Day folk custom in which adults wrap money in red paper for children to express their blessings, which is Pressing the New Year’s Eve money also known as red envelopes. Did you know? Initially, New Year’s money did not refer to coins.
Ya sui (压岁，Pressing the New Year’s Eve)Pressing the New Year’s Eve is a Chinese New Year custom, also known as Ya sui (压祟driving away evil spirits), meaning to ward off evil spirits and bring peace.
Ya Sui Qian (压岁钱，Pressing the New Year’s Eve money) is one of the items in the New Year customs, representing the good wishes of Chinese working people for driving away evil, avoiding disasters, and praying for blessings.
In ancient times, there was a monster called “Sui (祟) ” that liked to touch children’s heads on New Year’s Eve, and the touched children would become fools.
An old couple used eight copper coins to protect their child. When “Sui” came, the coins emitted light and scared away the monster.
People believed that the copper coins were the incarnations of the Eight Immortals protecting the child. Because “Sui” and “Sui” are homophones, later people called “guarding against Sui” as “staying up late on New Year’s Eve”.
On New Year’s Eve, parents would give their children copper coins to pray for peace.
Initially, Ya Sui Qian was used to ward off evil spirits, not as currency in circulation, but as an ornament.
The earliest Ya Sui Qian appeared during the Han Dynasty, and later gradually evolved into the custom of elders giving Ya Sui Qian to children during the Spring Festival （春节）.