I was at a bank to withdraw some cash and saw a queue of a few meters at the bank. Initially, I thought they were all queuing to withdraw new notes from the bank for the Lunar New Year. Then I realized they were queuing for the ATMs outside the bank, and not queuing to go into the bank.
Usually, when there's such a long queue at bank ATMs, it means there is a machine not in operation. And since the queue is unusually long, I thought more than one machine was down as there are three at the one I was at.
Now, there are a few kinds of ATMs. One is for withdrawal of cash and other transactions, one for cash deposit and updating of bank book, one for coin deposit and one for check deposit.
Usually, there will be queue for each individual machine and you just need to queue at the line for whichever transaction you need.
Because of the long queue, I couldn't make out what is the queue for. Is it for cash withdrawal, deposit or others? instead of walking to the front to check out (being smart or excuse for being lazy), I asked a lady who just joined in the queue.
She said, "This is for cash deposit. If you want to withdraw money, you go in front."
Hmmm....
Why are there so many people queuing to deposit their money? It's the start of the month (where people get their salaries) but even then, the queue has never been that long.
Then I noticed that a lot of people in the queue were also wearing red.
It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps it got to do with the Lunar New Year.
As it turned out, yesterday was "Li Chun" which marks the beginning of spring according to the Chinese calendar. In the past, "Li Chun" was a significant day for farmers and was celebrated with special events and offerings to the gods to pray for a blissful and prosperous new year.
And what has "Li Chun" got to do with depositing money into one's bank account?
It was rumored that this practice was suggested by a geomancer or Feng Shui master as they are usually known in this part of the world. It started on a small scale and has now become so wide spread superstition to bank in money while wearing a red top on this day.
And it has developed to the stage where you need to deposit money not only on this day, but also at certain time according to your Chinese zodiac signs. There's even a table circulating on Facebook on the best time to deposit money based on your zodiac that will be most beneficial to you.
So is it a superstition? Do people really get rich after doing this act? Are there anyone who strike lottery after that?
So far there's no evidences or statistics to indicate that the act of doing this will ensure you of prosperity in the coming year.
Some say it comes true for them. Some say so far nothing has happened.
But that's what superstition is all about. And there's a whole list of dos and don'ts for the Lunar New Year.
You have to wear new clothes for the new year. You have to say only good things. You cannot say bad things. You cannot sweep the floor on the first day (and a few days for some) of the new year. Food eaten during the new year must have meanings of luck, prosperity, wealth, happiness. You'll be the luckiest if you managed to be the first to offer your incense at the temple at the strike of 12am (and that's the reason for the mad running once the door opens at the temple). You cannot get angry or frown. Your rice pail must be full so you will not be hungry. What other weird things have you heard before?
Of course, there are people who do not believe in such superstitions. And that's their beliefs.
What are your customers' beliefs?