In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope or red packet is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions.
It is known as hóngbāo in Mandarin, angbao in Taiwanese, angpau in Min Nan, lei see (利市/利是) in Cantonese, lì xì in Vietnamese and sae bae don (세뱃돈/歲拜돈) in Korean.
Read more about Red Envelope: Usage, Origin, Other Customs
Famous quotes containing the words red and/or envelope:
“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
—Bible: Hebrew Isaiah, 1:18.
“... all my letters are read. I like that. I usually put something in there that I would like the staff to see. If some of the staff are lazy and choose not to read the mail, I usually write on the envelope “Legal Mail.” This way it will surely be read. It’s important that we educate everybody as we go along.”
—Jean Gump, U.S. pacifist. As quoted in The Great Divide, book 2, section 10, by Studs Terkel (1988)