HONG KONG, Jan. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gifting red envelopes is a long-standing tradition that is engrained within the Chinese culture, and with Chinese New Year right around the corner, Gift Something conducted a quick online survey to find out how well this tradition is preserved in our culture today.
The custom of gifting red envelopes during Chinese New Year remains strong throughout Asia. During this festive season, 98% of respondents participate in gifting red envelopes to others, most notably to children, immediate family members and close friends. The remaining 2% still keep up the festive tradition of extending blessings and well wishes to others as well as receiving red envelopes; however, they do not gift red envelopes to others as it is not customary for them to do so before marriage.
Hong Kong is an international city that is home to a large number of expatriate families and professionals. Our survey found that expatriates throughout the world still keep up the traditions of gifting red envelopes, and as this is an important festive tradition within the Chinese community, our survey revealed that expatriates of non-Chinese heritage living in Asia also participate in gifting red envelopes during Chinese New Year.
It is of no surprise that children of Chinese heritage fare better than those of non-Chinese heritage. Our survey found that individuals of Chinese heritage gift red envelopes with higher denominations than those of non-Chinese heritage, and the younger generation within this group receives almost five times more red envelopes from their elders. Parents in Hong Kong gift red envelopes with an average value of $100 - $200 to their own children and grandchildren. Red envelope denominations vary depending on the status of the recipients as close and immediate family and friends are most likely to receive up to $50 in their red envelopes, however the most common value to gift is $20. A majority of our respondents gift small denomination red envelopes to relatives, family friends, young adults and children. Whilst it is customary to gift red envelopes to the younger generation, our survey found that only 10% of our respondents gift red envelopes to their elders.
The custom of gifting red envelopes has evolved throughout the years with this gesture being extended to security personnel. 92% of our respondents gift red envelopes to the security personnel of their building, a quarter of which gift a generous amount of $100 or more to each of the security staff. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for those employed outside of this field. Our survey found that despite being in full time employment, almost a quarter of respondents have never received a red envelope from their peers or superiors during Chinese New Year. However, a majority of the remaining 75% of respondents who receive a lucky red envelope during the festive season are gifted on average $100 from their superiors.
Find further detailed results from our red envelope survey at https://giftsomething.com/hk-en/blog/2017-chinese-new-year-red-pocket/.
For further media enquiries and copyright use, please contact Simona Mok on +852 2730 0885.
