8 Chinese New Year , Superstitions.br According to chinatravel.com, there are some dos and don'ts during the New Year festival.br Here are some common br Chinese New Year superstitions.br 1. Don't sweep, Otherwise, the wealth brought by the gods br for the New Year may be swept away.br 2. Don't wash clothes for the first two days, You could wash away good fortune, as the first day of br the celebration is the birthday of the water god.br 3. Don't break anything, Breaking things, especially dishes, is considered a bad omen since br you are severing your connection to prosperity and good luck.br 4. Don't use unlucky words, Negative words such as "death" or "poverty" br should be avoided at all costs.br 5. No medicine or hospital visits, Unless there is a serious emergency, doing so br could bring illness for the coming year.br 5. No medicine or hospital visits, Unless there is a serious emergency, doing so br could bring illness for the coming year.br 6. No lending or borrowing, Doing so will result in lending or br borrowing for the rest of the year.br 7. Don't use scissors or knives, Cutting hair is also considered taboo until the festival is over.br 8. Don't eat porridge or meat, Porridge is considered peasant food, so eating it will keep you from prosperity. Refraining from eating meat in the morning shows br respect to the gods who arrive to welcome the new year.br 8. Don't eat porridge or meat, Porridge is considered peasant food, so eating it will keep you from prosperity. Refraining from eating meat in the morning shows br respect to the gods who arrive to welcome the new year.