# Lunar New Year Gifts for Clients (Feb 6, 2027): Etiquette, Taboos, and Why We Don't Suggest Our Box

Lunar New Year 2027 falls on Saturday, February 6; Korea's Seollal is Sunday, February 7. Chinese etiquette guides say to avoid gifts in fours and anything largely black or white; red, gold and eight read as lucky. That's why we don't suggest our box: 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and a white mug in a black box.

> **Lunar New Year: Saturday, February 6, 2027**
>
> Seollal (Korea): Sunday, February 7, 2027.
>
> We don't suggest our box for this date. Here's why, and what fits instead.

*We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.*

**Key facts** (each checked at its source on October 29–31, 2026):

- **Saturday, February 6, 2027** is Lunar New Year's Day on the Hong Kong government's 2027 holiday list, and Vietnam's 2027 Tết notice puts the first day of the new year on the same Saturday.
- **Sunday, February 7, 2027** is Seollal, "the first day of the first lunar month", in the Korea Aerospace Administration's 2027 calendar guidelines ([Herald Corp](https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10791105), reporting them).
- **Fours are out.** "Do not give gifts that add up to four in number. The pronunciation of the word 'four' sounds similar to the Chinese word for 'death'" ([Cultural Atlas](https://theculturalatlas.org/chinese-culture/chinese-culture-etiquette)).
- **Black and white are out.** "Black and white are traditional colors for funerals" ([China Highlights](https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/things-not-give-chinese-new-year.htm)).
- **Red, gold and eight are in.** "The luckiest number in China is eight" ([China Highlights](https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/chinese-new-year-gift-giving-etiquette.htm)).
- **2027 is the Year of the Goat.** The Hong Kong Observatory's 2027 lunar calendar is headed "Ding-wei - year of the Goat" and starts the first lunar month on Saturday, February 6 ([Hong Kong Observatory](https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/time/calendar/text/files/T2027e.txt)).

This page is part of our [2027 gifting calendar](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar).

## When Is Lunar New Year 2027?

Lunar New Year is the first day of the first lunar month, so its date on the everyday calendar moves every year, and in 2027 it isn't even the same day everywhere. Hong Kong and Vietnam start the year on Saturday, February 6. Korea starts it on Sunday, February 7.

| Celebration | 2027 date | Holiday days around it | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year, Spring Festival) | Sat Feb 6 | Hong Kong: Sat Feb 6, Mon Feb 8, Tue Feb 9 | [Government of Hong Kong](https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm) |
| Tết Nguyên Đán (Vietnam) | Sat Feb 6 | Public employees: Thu Feb 4 to Wed Feb 10 | Vietnam Ministry of Home Affairs, Notice 11483/TB-BNV ([Hà Tĩnh province](https://hatinh.gov.vn/vi/bai-viet/tet-nguyen-dan-2027-cong-chuc-vien-chuc-duoc-nghi-7-ngay-lien-tuc)) |
| Seollal (Korea) | Sun Feb 7 | Sat Feb 6 to Tue Feb 9, with a substitute holiday | Korea Aerospace Administration, via [Herald Corp](https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10791105) |

In the US, February 6, 2027 is a Saturday, so the last business day before it is Friday, February 5. Hong Kong's list has no separate entry for Sunday, February 7, because the second day falls on a Sunday; the government made the fourth day, Tuesday, February 9, the holiday "in substitution." Vietnam's break runs seven days for public employees, from the 28th day of the old year's last month to the 5th day of the new year.

If you'll greet clients from more than one of these traditions, "Lunar New Year" covers all three. "Chinese New Year" names only one (our suggestion).

## What Should You Not Give for Chinese New Year?

Both guides name the same core taboos: fours, black and white, clocks, sharp objects, umbrellas, mirrors and handkerchiefs. Neither names mugs or cups. China Highlights, a China tour company, lists 15 gifts to avoid and ranks clocks first: "Giving a clock or watch as a gift is the biggest no-no in Chinese culture." Cultural Atlas, an Australian guide to migrant cultures researched and edited by Mosaica, gives a shorter list.

| Avoid | Why, as the guides explain it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Anything in fours | "In Chinese, the number four (四 sì /srr/) sounds similar to the word for death (死 sǐ)." | China Highlights |
| Largely black or white gifts or wrapping | "avoid presents that are largely black or largely white, or wrapping paper or envelopes in these colors" | China Highlights |
| Clocks and watches | Saying "giving a clock" sounds like the words for attending a funeral ritual | China Highlights |
| Sharp objects | "it's thought to sever the relationship" | China Highlights |
| Umbrellas | The word sounds like the word for "breaking up" | China Highlights |
| Pears | "pears are taboo"; the word sounds like "parting" | China Highlights |
| White or yellow flowers | Listed with sharp objects, clocks, handkerchiefs, umbrellas, green hats and mirrors as taboo gifts | Cultural Atlas |
| A gift too expensive to reciprocate | "Do not give expensive gifts that are difficult to reciprocate or match." | Cultural Atlas |

Both guides describe Chinese custom. How strictly any one client keeps it is that client's to say.

## Is a Mug OK? We Checked Our Own Box

A mug isn't on either list. Neither China Highlights' 15 gifts to avoid nor Cultural Atlas's taboo list names mugs or cups, and Cultural Atlas lists chocolates among the gifts friends "often bring" when visiting. So the problem isn't the mug or the chocolate. It's the count and the colors, and our box gets both wrong.

| Part of our box | The custom | Fit for Lunar New Year |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles | "A set of four gifts should be avoided; whereas a set of eight is considered to bring luck" (China Highlights) | No: there are four |
| An 11 oz white ceramic mug | "avoid presents that are largely black or largely white" (China Highlights) | No: the mug is white, with a small logo |
| The box itself (matte-black magnetic box) | "white, blue or black wrapping has sour connotations" (Cultural Atlas) | No |
| Black tissue, closed with a gold "Happy Holidays" seal | "avoid … wrapping paper or envelopes in these colors" (China Highlights); "Gifts wrapped in red and gold paper denote luck" (Cultural Atlas) | No: the tissue is black; the seal is gold, but its words aren't a New Year greeting |
| A 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa | Neither guide names it | Not named |
| Your printed card, in an envelope closed with a gold wax-seal sticker | The card carries your own New Year wish; "avoid … envelopes in these colors" (China Highlights) | Mixed: the words are yours; the card and its envelope are white |

Four of the six parts go against the customs the guides describe, including both this page opened with: the four, and the black and white. The card and its envelope are white as well. That's why our own [2027 gifting calendar](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar) says we don't suggest our box for this date.

## What to Give Instead: Red, Gold and Even Numbers

What the guides suggest, by custom:

| Gift | Why it fits | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Anything in a set of eight | "a set of eight is considered to bring luck" | [China Highlights](https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/chinese-new-year-gift-giving-etiquette.htm) |
| Red, yellow or gold packaging | "The best choices are red, yellow and gold as they all symbolize wealth and prosperity." | China Highlights |
| Sweets or fruit (not pears, in the Chinese guides) | "Sweets, fruits, flowers (excluding white ones) or spirits make for good gifts." | [Cultural Atlas](https://theculturalatlas.org/chinese-culture/chinese-culture-etiquette) |
| A food gift set, for Seollal | In survey results Korea.net reports, food "is the top gift for the holiday" | [Korea.net](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=246748&koreanId=246668) |

Red envelopes of money (hongbao in Mandarin, lì xì in Vietnamese) are the season's best-known gift, and the sources describe them inside families: China Highlights' etiquette rules say to "start by presenting a gift to the oldest (or most senior) member if giving money to a large group or whole family," and add: "Never give a monetary amount that includes a four."

On flowers the guides differ: Cultural Atlas lists "flowers (excluding white ones)" as good gifts, and yellow or white flowers as taboo, while China Highlights says "Cut flowers are generally presents for funerals, so do not give them on Chinese New Year!"

Two handing customs from Cultural Atlas, if you deliver in person: "Pass a gift to the recipient with both hands," and "Gifts are not opened immediately or in the presence of the gift-giver."

## Tết and Seollal: Same Season, Their Own Customs

The guides above describe Chinese custom. Vietnamese and Korean clients celebrate the same season with traditions of their own, and Korea's official site and Vietnam's state news agency describe them this way:

- **Tết (Vietnam).** "Giving away lucky money is a traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) custom through which Vietnamese people exchange the best wishes with one another, hoping for a year of peace and good luck." The money goes "in a red envelope, which is meant to pray for good luck and drive away evil spirits." The practice, it adds, is "intended to wish small children good growth and learning success and the elderly, longevity and good health" ([VietnamPlus](https://en.vietnamplus.vn/lucky-money-giveaway-an-exchange-for-best-new-year-wishes-post309060.vnp), the Vietnam News Agency, January 29, 2025).
- **Seollal (Korea).** Korea.net says the holiday's presents "are still used to wish for abundance and health and express gratitude," and, citing survey results, that "food is the top gift for the holiday, with boxes of canned ham and tuna being the most popular." Gift sets, Korea.net adds, "are now a Seollal essential" ([Korea.net](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=246748&koreanId=246668), February 9, 2024). Its fruit examples include sets of "apples and pears," so the pear taboo above comes from the Chinese guides.

For a Korean client, the day itself is Sunday, February 7, in 2027. Whatever you send, time it for the week before the holiday weekend, when offices are open (our suggestion).

## What to Write in a Lunar New Year Card to a Client

Wish the year well, name the client, and keep it short. Each line below is under 300 characters, with no sign-off, and works on any card. Replace [Name] and [Company].

> Wishing you and your family health, happiness and a prosperous year ahead, [Name]. Happy Lunar New Year.

> Thank you for a wonderful year of working together, [Name]. Wishing you good fortune and good health in the new year.

> Happy Lunar New Year from all of us at [Company]. May the year ahead bring you and your family every success.

The traditional greeting, in each language, as these sources give it:

| Language | Greeting | Meaning, per the source | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) | "Happy Chinese New Year (formal way)" | [China Highlights](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-greetings.htm) |
| Cantonese | Gong hei fat choy | "Best wishes, wishing you happiness and prosperity." | China Highlights |
| Korean | Saehae bok mani badeuseyo | "May you receive lots of luck in the new year" | [Korea.net](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=181817) |
| Vietnamese | Chúc Mừng Năm Mới | "Happy New Year" | [Vietnam National Authority of Tourism](https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/tet-vietnam-lunar-new-year/) |

Each greeting belongs to one language; the English lines above work for all three traditions.

Wishes for health, good luck and abundance are the ones Korea.net and VietnamPlus describe above; a line about your work together turns a greeting into a client thank-you (our suggestion). More wording for the year's other dates: [holiday card messages for clients](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/holiday-messages-for-clients).

## What Sending Gift Boxes Yourself Takes

If you put together a red-and-gold box for your Lunar New Year list yourself, the steps are the ones any shipped client gift box takes. By our estimate, 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work (finding and ordering the parts, cleaning up the address list, labels, cards, packing at about 8 minutes a box, drop-off and tracking), plus a week or more waiting for supplies. For the logo mug cocoa box we sell, a do-it-yourself version costs about $38 a box with USPS counter postage and about $34 with commercial postage, with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the retail supply packs and 25 postage labels ([DIY vs ordering](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering), as of Oct 29, 2026). Per box, that comes out about even with our $35, before your time.

What one small mistake costs: a mug packed without a collar can break at the handle and must be bought, packed and shipped again, and a wrong address sends a box away and back.

## What to Know Before You Order

- **The box doesn't change.** Every box holds 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and a white mug in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid; we don't make a red-and-gold version or a set of eight.
- **The seal sticker.** The order page names the gold seal sticker that closes the tissue before you pay. While "Happy Holidays" is the only sticker in stock, a February box carries that one; your card carries your own words for the day.
- **The treats.** LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels.
- **One message per order.** Every card in an order carries the same message and sign-off, and each greets its person by first name.
- **Where we ship.** We ship from Texas to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas addresses for now.

## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered Fits Around Lunar New Year

Not on February 6. Four truffles in a black box goes against two customs the guides above describe, and we'd rather tell you that here than have a client open it.

Nothing in it is hidden. The order page shows the mug, every person's card and the seal before you pay, and this page lists every part of the box, the four truffles included, so you can decide which clients and which dates it suits.

Where we do fit is the rest of your calendar: a [New Year thank-you](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/new-year-client-gifts) after the December rush, [National Hot Chocolate Day](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/national-hot-chocolate-day) on January 31 (order by Wednesday, January 20, 2027), [Employee Appreciation Day](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-calendar/employee-appreciation-day-2027) on March 5. For those dates, Personalized Gifts Delivered prints your logo small on an 11 oz white ceramic mug, packs a 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles inside it, and ships it in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid with your printed card on the lid: a [custom logo mug gift box, shipped to each client, no minimum](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box), $35 per box, delivered, to each address on your list.

## Frequently asked questions

### When is Lunar New Year 2027?

Lunar New Year 2027 is Saturday, February 6: Hong Kong's government lists it as Lunar New Year's Day, and Vietnam's 2027 Tết break puts the first day of the lunar year on the same Saturday. Korea's Seollal falls a day later, on Sunday, February 7, in the Korea Aerospace Administration's 2027 calendar.

### What should you not give for Chinese New Year?

Etiquette guides list clocks and watches, sharp objects, umbrellas, pears, gifts in fours, and gifts that are mostly black or white. China Highlights, a China tour company, says "Do not give gifts in sets or multiples of four" and to "avoid presents that are largely black or largely white".

### Is a mug an OK Lunar New Year gift?

Neither China Highlights' list of 15 gifts to avoid nor Cultural Atlas's list of taboo gifts names mugs or cups. What matters more is the count and the color: four of anything, or a gift that is largely black or largely white, goes against the customs both guides describe.

### What colors and numbers are lucky for a Lunar New Year gift?

In Chinese custom, red, yellow and gold, and even numbers other than four. China Highlights' etiquette guide says "The best choices are red, yellow and gold", that "most other even numbers are a safe choice" besides four, and that "a set of eight is considered to bring luck."

### Is the Personalized Gifts Delivered gift box a good Lunar New Year gift?

We don't suggest the Personalized Gifts Delivered box for Lunar New Year: it holds 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and a white mug in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid, which goes against two customs Chinese New Year gift guides describe, avoiding fours and avoiding gifts that are largely black or white. For a New Year thank-you in early January, or for National Hot Chocolate Day (January 31) or Employee Appreciation Day (March 5), Personalized Gifts Delivered ships the box at $35 delivered, no minimum, to each address on your list.

### What do Vietnamese and Korean families give at Lunar New Year?

At Tết, Vietnam's state news agency describes lucky money for small children and the elderly, given in a red envelope "meant to pray for good luck and drive away evil spirits." At Seollal, Korea's official website reports survey results naming food the top gift, often as boxed gift sets, and that the gifts "are still used to wish for abundance and health and express gratitude."

## Sources

1. Government of the Hong Kong SAR, [General holidays for 2027](https://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/holiday/2027.htm). Read October 29, 2026.
2. Vietnam Ministry of Home Affairs, Notice 11483/TB-BNV (October 9, 2026), as published by the [Hà Tĩnh provincial government portal](https://hatinh.gov.vn/vi/bai-viet/tet-nguyen-dan-2027-cong-chuc-vien-chuc-duoc-nghi-7-ngay-lien-tuc). Read October 29, 2026.
3. Herald Corp, ["Workers rejoice: Next year brings 10 long weekends and 119 days off"](https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10791105) (June 29, 2026), reporting the Korea Aerospace Administration's 2027 calendar guidelines. Read October 29, 2026.
4. China Highlights, [15 Gifts You Should Never Give as Chinese New Year Gifts](https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/things-not-give-chinese-new-year.htm). Read October 29, 2026.
5. China Highlights, [6 Unspoken Chinese New Year Gift Giving Etiquette Rules](https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/chinese-new-year-gift-giving-etiquette.htm). Read October 29, 2026.
6. Cultural Atlas (Mosaica), [Chinese Culture: Etiquette](https://theculturalatlas.org/chinese-culture/chinese-culture-etiquette), Chara Scroope and Nina Evason (2017). Read October 31, 2026.
7. Korea.net, [Lunar New Year culture uses gifts to express gratitude](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=246748&koreanId=246668) (February 9, 2024). Read October 29, 2026.
8. VietnamPlus (Vietnam News Agency), [Lucky money giveaway: an exchange for best New Year wishes](https://en.vietnamplus.vn/lucky-money-giveaway-an-exchange-for-best-new-year-wishes-post309060.vnp) (January 29, 2025). Read October 29, 2026.
9. Personalized Gifts Delivered, [DIY mug gift box vs ordering one](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering) (supply and postage prices as of Oct 29, 2026).
10. Hong Kong Observatory, [Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2027](https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/time/calendar/text/files/T2027e.txt). Read October 31, 2026.
11. China Highlights, [Chinese New Year Greetings and Wishes 2027 for Clients, Friends, Family, Boss](https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-greetings.htm). Read October 31, 2026.
12. Korea.net, [Differences in how both Koreas celebrate Lunar New Year](https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Society/view?articleId=181817) (January 25, 2020). Read October 31, 2026.
13. Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, [A traveller's guide to Tet holiday](https://vietnam.travel/things-to-do/tet-vietnam-lunar-new-year/). Read October 31, 2026.