Discerning Traditional Practices Chinese New Year
Pastor Leslie Chua
“Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.”
People of Chinese descent around the world celebrate the Chinese New Year. It is a time of festivities, reunions, and joy. Although the world has modernised, long-held traditions and customs are still practised, such as wearing red, exchanging mandarin oranges, and greeting one another with wishes for health, wealth, and success.
The Chinese civilisation is 5,000 years old and has a rich culture and heritage. I am proud to be Chinese, and I love Chinese culture and many of its practices. However, as in all traditions and customs, certain practices have their roots in false religious beliefs, the occult, and superstition. They are intricately bound to the culture.
The same applies to many Chinese New Year traditions. Given this, Christians ought to be discerning to remain faithful to biblical beliefs and not to cross the line into acts of invocation, divination, or full-blown idolatry.
I observe that many Christians, knowingly or unknowingly, have engaged in practices that Scripture classifies as off-limits and that God considers detestable. Ignorance does not absolve you of sin or excuse you from God’s displeasure. Yet some are genuinely confused: is it a harmless cultural practice or a spiritual compromise?
My aim in writing this reflection is to clarify this issue. Consider this article a pastoral guide to navigating certain Chinese New Year practices.
I want to highlight 3 practices that God explicitly forbids. Yet some Christians have no qualms about engaging in consulting the Chinese Zodiac, commissioning and participating in a lion dance, and welcoming the “God of Fortune” (迎財神). These activities are not harmless cultural practices; they are spiritual transactions with the forces of darkness.
The Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle, with an animal sign assigned to each year: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. 2026 is the Year of the Horse.
Alongside the 5 elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water), the zodiac signs are used to describe personality, compatibility, and destiny, and to guide relationships, business, and major decision-making.
Just like the Western zodiac, it is a form of astrology that uses the positions and patterns of the stars to predict individuals' futures by determining their fortune, potential calamities, and compatibility for the year.
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The Chinese zodiac is a system of divination. God forbids all forms of the occult, including divination and fortune-telling, which He detests.
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Many regard Chinese zodiac readings as entertainment. I often hear Christians say things like this: "This is a good year because it is the year of the dragon," and "God bless you in the year of the snake, horse, etc."
Such statements contradict Scripture and are ridiculous. When questioned, they often defend themselves by saying they don’t take it seriously. The question is why dabble in it.
The Chinese zodiac is a system of divination. God forbids all forms of the occult, including divination and fortune-telling, which He detests.
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Here is another problem: By trusting the zodiac to interpret your identity, relationship, and destiny, you deny God’s sovereignty. This suggests that your future is determined by the stars rather than by God, and that God’s providence is insufficient.
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In the Deuteronomy passage we read at the start of this reflection, God warned the Israelites to refrain from it; otherwise, He would dispossess them, just as He had dispossessed the nations before them. That is how seriously God views this matter.
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Christians must be awakened to the occult reality of dabbling in the Chinese zodiac. Not only does it incur God’s displeasure, but it also invites demons to operate in your life. Why risk this unnecessary exposure?
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Here is another problem: By trusting the zodiac to interpret your identity, relationship, and destiny, you deny God’s sovereignty. This suggests that your future is determined by the stars rather than by God, and that God’s providence is insufficient.
Christians must be awakened to the occult reality of dabbling in the Chinese zodiac. Not only does it incur God’s displeasure, but it also invites demons to operate in your life. Why risk this unnecessary exposure?
Have nothing to do with it. Don’t even respond to references to it or respond wisely. Whenever people ask me whether I was born in the year of one of the zodiac signs, I reply, “I was born in the year of the Lord.”
Lion Dance
Many people enjoy the lion dance, a common sight throughout the 15-day Chinese New Year. The loud, rhythmic drumbeats and energetic dance create colour, vibrancy, and a festive atmosphere.
In itself, it can be a cultural performance, a feat of acrobatics and martial arts. Yet in many contexts, it also carries spiritual connotations.
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The lion dance is commonly performed as a ritual for specific spiritual purposes, including warding off evil, bringing good luck, invoking blessings on a home or business, and appeasing or inviting spiritual forces.
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The lion puppet must be “anointed” before it can be used. During the “eye-dotting” ceremony, a ritual master or VIP dots the forehead, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth with red paint or cinnabar. According to Taoist belief, the lion is a lifeless shell until it is dotted. The dotting invites a spirit into the lion, awakening and empowering it.
The lion dance is commonly performed as a ritual for specific spiritualpurposes, including warding off evil, bringing good luck, invoking blessings on a home or business, and appeasing or inviting spiritual forces.
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Secondly, Christians should not seek alternative sources of spiritual cleansing and blessings, especially from demonic forces. This is dangerous. You might be blessed, but the demons will demand something from you in return. Understand that it is a spiritual transaction; there is no free lunch. You don’t want to be trapped. Ultimately, you will end up on the short end of the stick.
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Watching a lion dance as a cultural performance is fine. However, Christians cannot commission a lion dance ritual or participate in one. We must be awakened to its explicit occult reality.
Firstly, it is participation with demons. The apostle Paul said, “I do not want you to be participants with demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20). He said this in the context of eating food sacrificed to idols. How much more so in something that is overtly occult, such as a lion dance ritual?
Secondly, Christians should not seek alternative sources of spiritual cleansing and blessings, especially from demonic forces. This is dangerous. You might be blessed, but the demons will demand something from you in return. Understand that it is a spiritual transaction; there is no free lunch. You don’t want to be trapped. Ultimately, you will end up on the short end of the stick.
Instead, seek God for cleansing, protection, and blessings. He loves and cares for you. He is God Almighty, and no one and nothing can stand against Him. He can and will give His children the best. Why look elsewhere.
The God of Fortune
One of the most popular activities during the Chinese New Year is welcoming the God of Fortune.
This deity is always featured in live performances and on television talk shows, where hosts announce that the God of Fortune has arrived and actors dressed as the deity then enter to wish viewers a prosperous Lunar New Year.
Privately, people invite the God of Fortune by displaying images of it and by opening the doors and windows of their homes and workplaces at a specific, auspicious time. These small acts are rituals to usher in wealth and prosperity for the New Year.
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Any believer who participates in welcoming the God of Fortune will incur God's wrath. Instead of blessings, they will be cursed. It is a serious matter.
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Many people participate in welcoming this deity of fortune. Some Christians see little harm in doing so. They argue that it is part of Chinese culture and traditions.
It is surprising, as this is outright idolatry. It violates the first and second of the Ten Commandments – “You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make for yourself an image… You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Exodus 20:2-6).
Any believer who participates in welcoming the God of Fortune will incur God's wrath. Instead of blessings, they will be cursed. It is a serious matter.
Again, I question the wisdom of doing that. There is nothing wrong with desiring financial blessing and prosperity, but don’t go to the wrong source and become ensnared in a spiritual transaction that will leave you trapped. It is foolish and dangerous to do so.
Instead, seek God for financial blessing and security. He is Jehovah Jireh, God our Provider. He will provide, and only He can truly bless: The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).
Jesus also teaches: “No one can serve two masters… you cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24).
Who will you serve, Yahweh God or the God of Fortune?
Culture Without Compromise
We can celebrate Chinese New Year without abandoning our ethnicity, culture and traditions, but it requires discernment.
There are many practices we can participate in: enjoy your reunion dinner, dress in red, give and receive “ang pow,” exchange mandarin oranges, bless one another with auspicious greetings, show respect for your elders, visit your relatives, and have fun.
But some practices are out of bounds. Have nothing to do with the Chinese horoscope and don’t participate in the ritual of lion dance and welcoming the God of Fortune.