Chinese New Year is the biggest family moment on the calendar. For many people with parents, grandparents, and relatives back in China, it is also the moment when a hongbao (红包) matters most. Red envelopes carry more than money: they carry good wishes, family recognition, and a small piece of the tradition that connects generations across a distance.
When you are in South Africa and your family is in China, the hongbao is now digital, sent through a wallet on a phone. But the meaning behind it hasn't changed. This guide walks through how hongbao works, how much people typically give, and how to send it home to your family in good time so it lands before the festival begins.
Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, marks the start of the year on the traditional lunar calendar. The date shifts each year, usually falling somewhere between late January and mid-February. The next Lunar New Year is Friday, 6 February 2027, and it marks the start of the Year of the Fire Goat.
The festival isn't just one day. Celebrations run for about 15 days, from New Year's Eve through to the Lantern Festival that closes it. Family reunions, meals, visits to elderly relatives, and the exchange of hongbao are woven through the whole period.
Hongbao (红包) literally means "red envelope". The tradition has been part of Chinese culture for centuries: money is placed inside a red paper envelope and given to family members as a symbol of good luck, protection from evil, and wishes for prosperity in the year ahead. The red colour itself is considered lucky and celebratory in Chinese culture.
In Cantonese-speaking families, and among many South African families of Cantonese heritage, the same envelope is called lai see. The word is different, the meaning and the practice are the same.
The point of hongbao isn't the amount inside. It's the gesture. A hongbao given by an adult child to an elderly parent says "I am thinking of you and honouring you this year." A hongbao given to a child says "I wish you good fortune as you grow." The value carried by the envelope is far bigger than the money.
Hongbao is traditionally given from those in a position of seniority or means to those who are younger, unmarried, or being honoured. The exact pattern varies from family to family, but a common structure is:
Adult children to elderly parents
Filial respect
Grown children give hongbao to their parents and grandparents as an expression of care and respect. This is often the most meaningful hongbao of the season, and the one most South African senders are focused on.
Married adults to children and unmarried relatives
Passing on good luck
Married family members give hongbao to nieces, nephews, younger cousins, and unmarried relatives. It is a way of sharing prosperity across the family.
Hongbao is also given at weddings, births, milestone birthdays (particularly the 60th, 70th, 80th, and 90th which have special cultural weight), and by employers to employees around the festival. Chinese New Year is the biggest moment for it, but not the only one.
There is no rule about exactly how much a hongbao should contain. Amounts depend on your family, your relationship to the recipient, your circumstances, and the customs your family has passed down. What is more consistent than the amount is the pattern of the amount, and the numbers considered lucky or unlucky.
Common patterns you'll see in hongbao amounts (whether given in cash or digitally):
| Amount pattern | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Ending in 8 (like 88, 188, 888) | Doubles or amplifies the prosperity association |
| Ending in 6 (like 66, 666) | Smoothness and things going well |
| Round even numbers | Balance and completion |
| Anything containing 4 | Traditionally avoided |
A note on the actual money
There is no correct amount for a hongbao. Some families give the equivalent of a few hundred rand, others give much more. Follow the pattern your family has always used, or ask an older relative what feels right. The consistency of the tradition matters more than the size of the amount, and no one who receives a hongbao from someone they love ever counted it and felt disappointed.
The physical red envelope is still exchanged in person during Chinese New Year, particularly among family members who are together for the celebration. When family is apart, the digital hongbao has taken over. WeChat Pay in particular has a built-in hongbao feature that is now used across China during the festival, and the sending and receiving of digital red envelopes has become one of the defining moments of the modern Chinese New Year.
When you send money from South Africa through Mama Money to your family's wallet, the money lands as a regular Chinese Yuan balance. From there, your family can:
The sending itself is straightforward.
If you're new to sending, our complete guide to sending money to China walks through the setup.
Send to the wallet your family uses most (WeChat Pay or Alipay). Ask them if you're not sure which one they open more often around the festival.
If you're giving multiple hongbao to different relatives, you can send one larger amount to a parent who will redistribute, or you can set up several smaller sends to different people (as long as they each have a wallet you can send to). Use amounts ending in 8 or 6 if you can.
The app shows the rate, the fee, and the exact Yuan amount your family will receive. Both you and your recipient get an SMS reference number.
Most transfers through Mama Money to a Chinese wallet arrive within minutes. Around Chinese New Year, banking and payment systems handle much heavier traffic, and processing times can slow a little. Send early, and you avoid all of it.
Chinese New Year is the biggest hongbao moment, but not the only one. Other occasions when a red envelope is meaningful throughout the year:
Send your family's hongbao in good time this Chinese New Year. Straight to their wallet, at fair fees, with the rate shown upfront.