Rituals to Preserve Luck and Prosperity This Lichun

Lìchūn (立春), the Start of Spring, is one of the most quietly powerful days in the traditional Chinese calendar. Falling in early February, it marks the moment when winter’s inward energy begins to turn outward—when growth, movement, and opportunity stir beneath the surface.

While Lunar New Year welcomes luck in with celebration, Lìchūn is about preserving and guiding that luck forward. It is a threshold day: what you nurture here is believed to influence the year’s momentum.

At Charmix, we see Lìchūn as a time for gentle alignment rather than forceful manifestation—rituals that protect what you’ve received and prepare the ground for prosperity to take root.

The Meaning of Lìchūn

Traditionally, Lìchūn signals the rise of yang energy, marks the beginning of agricultural and growth cycles, and is associated with circulation, vitality, and forward movement. Unlike days with strict taboos, Lìchūn emphasizes balance and intention. It is not about avoiding mistakes, but about supporting continuity—ensuring that luck, health, and opportunity do not stagnate or scatter.

Lìchūn Rituals to Preserve Luck & Prosperity

🌱 1. Clean to Protect, Not to Remove

Cleaning on Lìchūn is considered favourable, especially compared to Lunar New Year’s Day, when sweeping may symbolize loss.

Ritual approach:

• Tidy floors, surfaces, or entryways

• Sweep or wipe toward the center of the space

• Avoid aggressive purging—this is maintenance, not erasure

These practices symbolize keeping luck circulating rather than letting it settle or decay.

💚 2. Seal Your Intentions for the Year

Lìchūn is ideal for preservation magic, not reinvention.

Write 1–3 intentions focused on:

• stability

• steady growth

• sustained prosperity

• long-term health or creativity

You can write things like:

“May what I have begun continue to grow with ease.”
“I protect my energy and resources as they multiply.”

Fold the paper and keep it somewhere meaningful for the season.

🥬 3. Eat Fresh Foods — Including Radishes (咬春)

One of the most well-known Lìchūn customs is 咬春 (yǎo chūn), meaning “biting spring.”
This often includes eating radishes, which hold a specific symbolic meaning.

Radishes are believed to:

• Clear stagnation from the body

• Support digestion and circulation

• “Wake up” energy after winter heaviness

In folk tradition, eating radishes on Lìchūn helps:

• Dispel sluggishness

• Encourage smooth flow of qi

• Prepare the body to receive prosperity and opportunity

Radishes may be eaten raw, lightly pickled, or cooked—what matters is their fresh, crisp quality, symbolizing alertness and readiness for growth.

Other supportive foods to eat include:

• Leafy greens

• Sprouts

• Light broths

• Fresh fruit

These foods gently activate vitality without shocking the system.

🌿 4. Invite Green Energy

The colour green represents renewal, wealth, and continuity.

There are simple ways to work with it, including:

• Wear green clothing

• Water or tend to plants

• Hold jade, stone, or soil

• Place a living plant near your entryway

This ritual anchors prosperity in the physical environment.

🌬️ 5. Circulate the Body’s Energy

Luck is believed to stagnate when the body stagnates.

Choose gentle movement:

• Stretching

• Walking

• Light yoga

• Shaking out limbs

Avoid exhaustion—flow is more important than intensity.

🔥 6. Release What Weakens Prosperity

Instead of banishing bad luck, Lìchūn focuses on removing leaks.

Engage in active rituals such as:

• Writing down habits, thoughts, or patterns that drain energy or resources

• Tear the paper calmly

• Dispose of it without drama

This clears subtle blockages without disrupting stability.

🌱 7. Plant for the Year Ahead

Planting is one of the most symbolically aligned Lìchūn actions.

Options:

• Seeds or herbs

• Repotting a plant

• Beginning a slow, long-term project

What is planted now is meant to grow steadily, not suddenly.

🤲 7. Make a Donation to Keep Wealth in Circulation

In traditional thought, prosperity is preserved when resources move, not when they are hoarded.

Donating on Lìchūn—money, food, clothing, time, or mutual aid—is a powerful way to:

• Signal trust in abundance

• Prevent stagnation of wealth energy

• Align prosperity with generosity and ethics

This is not about giving beyond your means—even a small, intentional offering matters.

Before donating, pause and set a quiet intention:

“As I give, may what remains continue to grow.” For wealth that circulates returns renewed.

What Lìchūn Is Not

Lìchūn teaches that prosperity is preserved through care, not control. It is not a restriction or purity day, nor is it about fear-based rules and forcing outcomes. It gently invites the season through gentle ease.

Closing the Season Gently

Spring does not arrive loudly.
It arrives through consistency, patience, and quiet preparation. On Lìchūn, we do not chase luck—we keep it awake, nourished, and moving. May what you’ve welcomed into your life continue to grow. 🌱✨

Wishing you all luck and prosperity, Lia.