Simple question,
What do Taiwanese wives expect from foreign husbands on Chinese New Year?
My wife will not give me a straight answer about whether I should give her a hong bao or go to dinner etc etc.
If you were going to give hong bao, how much would be appropriate?
Cheers.
L.
Limey, :no-no: ,
You KNOW that in such a situation as this one the correct answer is “all the above.”
How much money to stuff in the red envelope? Does your wife know how much you earn? The amount should compliment your wife and respect your agreements on your needs and spending habbits. Or maybe it coud be a gift certificate for something you know she’d like? Don’t know how traditional she is, but this might be a chance for a romantic gesture (I mean like a poem or love letter or such mushy stuff).
Good luck!
What? Chinese New Year’s eve’s a family get-together day.
Home-cooked dinner would be good. No need to give anyone money, except to kids. Or perhaps to her parents if you meet them.
Limey -
1st, Happy Chinese and Western New Years to You & Yours.
2nd, Give her hong bao?
That pre-supposes she hasn’t taken all of your money already.
But seriously…I think it may vary. From a small, but thoughtful gift, to a nice meal either that you buy, prepare and serve at home to going out to a new or favorite restaurant.
Try something this year and see how she reacts. There is always next year to “get it right.”
Many times its the thought and effort that mean the most.
But then again… :fume:
I suggest finding somewhere freezing cold. If you are on the Gold Coast then the meat freezer at the local supermarket would be a perfect local. Buy a small electronic bar heater and thin blanket. Dress her and yourself in stacks of garb starting with red undies and your pajamas then throw on what you like. Sit by the heater in the meat freezer for five hours drinking mijou.
She’ll love you for it, especially if you can create some kind of draft to add to your discomfort.
Thanks for the replies,
We’ve been together for seven years (married two in March) and she’s never told me about what she expects even though I ask her every year :fume:
Fox, it is nice and warm in Melbourne at the mo, maybe I’ll go dunk her in Port Philip bay, that’s always freezing. Haha.
Still haven’t decided about what to do. I did write an English lesson for her today (she’s doing IELTS soon). Maybe I can pass that off as a reasonable gift 
Have a great CNY all.
L.
The hongbaos are given in lines of descent when kids are young, so parents and/or grandparents give them to the kids. I’ve never seen someone give one to their wife, but if you’re not short on cash, and want to make her happy, why not? 
Oop, I made the mistake of asking Dragonbabe whether husbands give their wives hongbao. Now I’m screwed. 
I just asked my inlaws what the general custom is, and they said, if your wife doesn’t have income or if her salary is much lower than yours, or if she does something you appreciate like live with your family and help out with family life, then the husband will generally give a hongbao. How much is totally up to the husband, with consideration of his salary/financial position. They won’t give dinner or a gift, cash is always best and lucky.
My husband gives me hongbao each New Year, and if his company gives him things like shopping vouchers for other holidays he passes those onto me, too.
You also give hongbao to others who don’t have income, such as retired parents.
Have never given my wife a hong-bao for Chinese New Year. Why? Firstly, I would have to ask her to give me my money back, then go to the bank and exchange it for nice, new, clean, flat notes, then put them into a hong-bao, and give it to her. Too much trouble!
My wife once told me, “Honey, I don’t need a hong-bao for Chinese New Year. My money is my money and your money is my money! You give me year-round hong-baos!” :roflmao:
Happy Chinese New Year!
Have never given my wife a hong-bao for Chinese New Year. Why? Firstly, I would have to ask her to give me my money back, then go to the bank and exchange it for nice, new, clean, flat notes, then put them into a hong-bao, and give it to her. Too much trouble!
My wife once told me, “Honey, I don’t need a hong-bao for Chinese New Year. My money is my money and your money is my money! You give me year-round hong-baos!” :roflmao:
Happy Chinese New Year!
Ok, mate, lots of nice replies here already. However, I notice you’re in Melbourne, so why worry too much, or is CNY a big event in Melbourne?
I would expect…your country, your rule…meaning = You all had Christmas and New Years in Aussie, right? So there was a western Christmas lunch/dinner with presents etc… And surely there was a big to-do for New Year’s eve, right?
We don’t really have the same in Taiwan (as you surely know), so CNY becomes more important, added to the fact that in Taiwan we’re …well… in Taiwan.
In Rome (or Aus or Taiwan) do as the … well you know the rest…
But by all means, do something sweet for her, but I don’t think a hongbao is in anyway necessary. I think a romantic dinner would be much better.
Edit: We’re in Taiwan, so I generally give the parents-in-law a hongbao each, and one for the boy. My wife doesn’t get or expect one. We usually go somewhere together after the family dinner etc…