A red envelope, red packet, red pocket, lai see (Chinese: 利是; Cantonese Yale: laih sih), hongbao or ang pau (traditional Chinese: 紅包; simplified Chinese: 红包; pinyin: hóngbāo; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: âng-pau) is a gift of money given during holidays or for special occasions such as weddings, graduations, and birthdays. It originated in China before spreading across parts of Southeast Asia and other countries with sizable ethnic Chinese populations. In the mid-2010s, a digital equivalent to the practice emerged within messaging apps with mobile wallet systems localized for the Chinese New Year, particularly WeChat.
Usage Red envelopes containing cash, known as hongbao in Mandarin and laisee in Cantonese, are gifts presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or holidays such as Chinese New Year; they are also gifted to guests as a gesture of hospitality. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and wards off evil spirits. In Chinese, the red packet is also called "money warding off old age" (壓歲錢; yāsuì qián) for Chinese New Year. The act of requesting red packets is normally called tao hongbao (Chinese: 討紅包; pinyin: tǎo hóngbāo) or yao lishi (Chinese: 要利是; pinyin: yào lìshì), and, in the south of China, dou lishi (Chinese: 逗利是; pinyin: dòu lìshì; Cantonese Yale: dauh laih sih). Red envelopes are usually given out to the younger generation who are normally in school or unmarried. The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, following Chinese beliefs; odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. An exception exists for the number nine, as the pronunciation of nine (Chinese: 九; pinyin: jiǔ) is homophonous to the word long (久; jiǔ), and is the largest single digit. In some regions of China and among the Chinese diaspora, odd numbers are favored for weddings because they are difficult to divide. One widespread tradition is that money should not be given in fours, or the number four should not appear in the amount, such as in 40, 400, and 444, as the pronunciation of the word four (四; sì) is similar to the word death (死; sǐ). When giving money, new bills are favored over old bills. It is common to see long bank queues before Chinese New Year holding people waiting to acquire new bills. At wedding banquets, the amount offered is usually intended to cover the cost of the attendees as well as signify goodwill to the newlyweds. The amounts given are often recorded in ceremonial ledgers for the new couple to keep. In southern China, red envelopes are typically given by the married to the unmarried during Chinese New Year, mostly to children. In northern and southern China, red envelopes are typically given by the elders to those under 25 (30 in most of the three northeastern provinces), regardless of marital status. The money is usually in the form of notes to make it difficult to judge the amount before opening. In Malaysia it is common to add a coin to the notes, particularly in hongbao given to children, signifying even more luck. It is traditional to avoid opening the envelopes in front of the relatives out of courtesy. However, to receive an envelope, the youth kowtow to thank their elders. In Hong Kong, red envelopes are traditionally opened on or after the 7th day of the Lunar New Year. During Chinese New Year supervisors or business owners give envelopes to employees. In Suzhou, children keep the red envelope in their bedroom after receiving it. They believe that putting the red envelope under their bed can protect the children. This action relates to the Chinese "壓 yā". Those yasui qian would not be used until the end of Chinese New Year. They also receive fruit or cake during the celebration. It is traditional to give an actor a red packet when he or she is to play a dead character, or pose for a picture for an obituary or a grave stone. Red packets are also used to deliver payment for favorable service to lion dance performers, religious practitioners, teachers, and doctors. Red packets as a form of bribery in China's film industry, were revealed in 2014's Sony hack. In the Chinese communities of Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macao, it is also customary for red packets to be given to service staff, such as security guards, cleaners, domestic helpers and doormen during the first few days of the Lunar New Year.
Virtual red envelopes Chinese instant messaging and social networking platforms have offered a virtual version of red envelopes, also referred to as e-hongbao, via their mobile payment features, allowing users to similarly distribute gifts of money to contacts and groups. The practice was popularized by WeChat, which first introduced its red envelope feature via WeChat Pay during the Chinese New Year holiday in 2014. The launch included an on-air promotion during the CCTV New Year's Gala—China's most-watched television special—where viewers could win red envelopes as prizes. WeChat Pay adoption increased following the launch, and over 32 billion virtual envelopes were sent over the Chinese New Year holiday in 2016—a tenfold increase over 2015. The feature's popularity spawned imitations from other vendors; a "red envelope war" emerged between WeChat owner Tencent and its historic rival, Alibaba Group, who added a similar function to its payment service, and outbid Tencent to hold a similar promotion during the CCTV Gala in 2016. Analysts estimated that over 100 billion digital red envelopes would be sent over the New Year holiday in 2017. In 2019, WeChat added the ability for the virtual packets to be customized with covers created by brands, which can also link to and integrate with their respective WeChat presences (such as Mini Programs). This feature would be utilized as a form of seasonal marketing and viral engagement. One study reported that this popularization of virtual red packets comes from their contagious feature, as users who receive red packets feel obligated to follow. In January 2022, the American mobile payments service Venmo introduced a similar feature called "gift-wrapping", which similarly allows sent money to be concealed and decorated with a themed animation (which, at launch, included several Chinese New Year-themed animations). Venmo parent company PayPal cited increases in use of the red envelope emoji (🧧) by users around the Chinese New Year.
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