Upon entering the Hong Kong Supermarket, Sam Lin read his wife’s text messages instructing him on how many red envelopes to buy.
Three dozen, she wrote – and make them big, to fit on checks instead of folded wads of money.
Lin’s nephews, nieces and in-laws they won’t have the thrill of taking brand-new notes out of their good luck red envelopes for the Lunar New Year when the Year of the Ox begins on Friday.
Usually, Lin goes to his credit union weeks before the holiday to pre-order new accounts – a total of $ 900 to $ 1,000 for his family’s children and the elderly. But with the possibility that the coronavirus is hidden in $ 20 or $ 100 bills, Lin is one of many Asian Americans who have given up traditional money to participate in the festivities.
The pandemic, which claimed the lives of more than 44,000 people in California alone, changed old customs, as well as many other things. Many families will not get together to spread generosity that may include dumplings, sticky rice cakes, whole fish, spring rolls or longevity pasta.
As the Chinese New Year approaches, business slows in downtown Chinatown.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
This year, red envelopes, often stamped with good wishes in Chinese characters or random symbols like peaches and fish, may contain checks or candy instead of money. Some people send money through online services to avoid touching anything.
Others are opting for virtual envelopes – a wedding of e-cards and Venmo – that explode in a profusion of colors and New Year greetings, allowing the recipient to redeem money.
Family members who receive red envelopes are usually those who need to be cared for or thanked, including children, parents and grandparents. Some Asian Americans also give red envelopes to hairdressers, neighbors, postmen and mechanics.
“I think we all have to think about ideas this season,” said Lin, a Monterey Park businessman in his 50s who was born in Taiwan.
Kat Nguyen-De Angelis with her son Dominic, 4, at the photo exhibition of the pagoda under a sea of red lanterns at Union Market in Tustin.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In Irvine, Kat Nguyen-De Angelis is being extremely careful with the coronavirus. Apart from her husband and 4-year-old son, no one else has set foot in her condo since the pandemic began.
She gets her purchases delivered. Standing in a long line to ask a bank teller for a large sum of money, even when disguised, is not a risk she wants to take.
But distributing money to family members over the generations is not optional. The turn of the calendar is a time of generosity, renewal and starting off on the right foot, avoiding discussions.
“Of course, children prefer to see – and count – real money. This is the highlight, ”said Nguyen-De Angelis, 42, a Vietnamese-American public relations consultant. “But what about all the germs?”
Her solution: stuff caramels with fish sauce that she discovered on the Internet in shiny red and gold envelopes, along with adult lottery scratch cards. Young people will still receive some notes, to have the thrill of withdrawing real money. She will leave some envelopes in person and send others.
Mary Lu gets lucky bamboo for sale on Wednesday at her Broadway store in Chinatown, Los Angeles. She says business is very light.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Virtual red envelopes were already a trend before the pandemic. Like working from home, they are a convenience driven by technology accelerated by the needs of the past year.
“They are fast, they are convenient and you can turn them into a game,” said Bill Imada, president of the IW Group, a global advertising and communications agency with experience in the Asian and Asian-American markets.
Billions of dollars have been exchanged for Christmas gifts online since the trend spread around 2015 through the WeChat app, Imada said, with features like competitions between friends encouraging participation.
“People send love notes. They make their own designs, or direct them to members of a group, and whoever opens first in the group earns more money, ”he said.
Imada’s colleague Flora Zhao sent digital red envelopes to more than 20 people in her circle in California, China, Massachusetts and New York, avoiding the waiting time for physical mail.
“Since they get paid right away, you never worry about being late,” said Zhao, vice president of partner clients, who is Chinese-American.
Wearing ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese outfit, Jimmy Huynh, in the center, greets people while Stephanie Vu, on the right, helps a customer choose flowers.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The Lunar New Year is a great marketing opportunity for companies oriented to Asia. While watching the New Year’s extravaganza from Chinese channel CCTV, which attracts more than a billion viewers, Zhao puts red envelopes in his WeChat Moments, with friends competing to be the first to open them and receive the money.
Stevie Dai, a high school student from the Alhambra, expects to receive at least $ 250 in total of relatives in Singapore, who said they would forward the envelopes – Hongbao in mandarin, li xi in Vietnamese – via the Internet.
“It is safer, yes, because it is true that you can take COVID with any new or old money, just as you can take any family member,” said Dai, 17. “The goal is to avoid contact.”
Banks around the world adjusted their cash practices, with less customer traffic and a slowdown in the number of accounts in circulation.
At United Business Bank in Garden Grove, which has many Asian-American customers, the usual cash holiday rush has dropped to “two or three calls,” said first vice president Ngoc Tinh Nguyen.
In a normal year, if the phone rang before Tet – the Vietnamese term for the Lunar New Year – it was probably someone asking for the newest possible bills. If an order for $ 2,000 or $ 5,000 is not fulfilled, the customer will be very upset, added Nguyen.
In November or December, the bank usually receives remittances of extra money, including $ 2 bills, which are popular for red envelopes.
“It is so sad that we cannot celebrate in person,” said Nguyen. “But first, let’s be safe.”
Midori Nguyen, 5, of Westminster, performs the lion dance during a shopping trip with Grandma at the Asian Garden Mall in Little Saigon.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
The District, an open-air shopping mall in Tustin, typically offers dollar bills in neatly decorated envelopes for the New Year. The mall’s usual celebrations, with lion dancing, were canceled to avoid attracting crowds. This year, instead of cash, consumers who spend $ 100 or more receive red envelopes with gift cards in mall stores.
“We try to think of ways to keep traditions alive while still distancing ourselves socially,” said Shannon Campbell, director of marketing for The District.
Janet Li, 59, a San Gabriel saleswoman who was born in Taiwan, usually gives her parents and in-laws $ 100 each in the new year. She has a number of nieces and nephews who also receive red envelopes.
Opening an envelope to find a check doesn’t appeal to a 7-year-old child, Li said – and so the check still needs to be deposited by the parents. She is asking her college-age son to research the envelopes online and may include gas cards – still a pandemic need – as well.
Staying apart during this important holiday, in addition to minimizing the touch on money and even on the colored envelopes themselves, will ensure that family and friends can celebrate together next year.
“You can stop this super spreader,” said Li.