Cutting one's hair is considered bad luck if done during the Spring Festival itself, so it must be done before the new year ends. For one foreigner living in China, this is what she did seven days before the end of the year.
This expat is Britney Caraway who has been living in Beijing for a month.
Caraway said, "I saw a hair cutting event flyer in a WeChat group, which said it's bad luck to cut your hair during Spring Festival. I don't want that, so I decided to cut my hair now because I want good luck."
Caraway determined to follow Chinese tradition for the Spring Festival. She said she will also get red envelopes to give to uncles and try to get money.
She joked, "I have a few uncles. I guess I should talk to them and tell them I did a really good thing for them and ask for some red packets."
Caraway was excited to be in China for the Lunar New Year.
"I don't really believe in superstition, but it's fun to go along with because we don't have this kind of thing in the U.S," Caraway said, "It's fun, new and something Chinese."
Aside from cutting hair, it is also a tradition for people to clean their houses before the new year. Other customs include getting knives sharpened and washing the kitchen floor.
These traditions are for removing bad luck and driving away bad elements before the start of the year.
It is customary among Chinese to settle debts and close all encumbrances at the end of the year. The Chinese believe that the new year should not begin with bad debts, or else the coming year will be full of financial troubles.