Whether you're planning on celebrating the Lunar New Year next week, which falls on February 17 this year, or don't tend to mark it, there's one little-known practice that Feng Shui experts promise can bring you wealth and abundance regardless.
Known as 'rolling in the gold,' the simple act of rolling nine oranges through your doorway on the first day of the Lunar New Year is believed to encourage good fortune, prosperity, and success.
Here's why this unusual February practice is key to creating good Feng Shui in your home in the Year of the Horse.
Why Do People Roll Oranges Through Their Entryway on Chinese New Year's Day?
To find out more about 'rolling in the gold' as a way to use Feng Shui in the Year of the Horse at home, I spoke to Suzanne Roynon, a Feng Shui consultant and interiors therapist.
She explains, 'This is an enjoyable tradition to encourage good fortune, prosperity, and success into homes on the first day of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
'In some Chinese dialects, the word for orange sounds very much like the word for ‘gold’, while tangerine evokes the word for ‘luck’, and every homeowner wants to see the benefits of having extra wealth and good luck entering their property.
'Oranges, tangerines, mandarins, and even tiny kumquats are rolled over the threshold and into the home, sometimes accompanied by a handful of Chinese coins to amplify their effect.'
And, as Katie Brindle, Chinese Medicine practitioner and cosmologist, points out, 'The bright color and round shape of an orange also resemble gold ingots, which have historically been a powerful symbol of wealth in China.'
In particular, adds Suzanne Butler, a Feng Shui practitioner from Harmonizing Energies, this is all to do with entryway Feng Shui, and is a symbolic way of activating the home's main entry point, known in Feng Shui as the mouth of qi, where opportunity and prosperity enter.
'By rolling them inward, you are intentionally welcoming fresh energy into the home for the year ahead, encouraging prosperity to arrive smoothly and stay, rather than rush back out,' she says.
Once it has been rolled in, it is then eaten with family, friends, and community, to share the positive energy around.
For added luck and prosperity, Katie explains that she always uses oranges in her red envelope ritual, significant as red is one of the luckiest colors to decorate with in 2026.
'Traditionally, in China, red envelopes are filled with money and given as gifts to pass on good fortune and blessings,' she explains. 'I use them slightly differently.
'Every year, just before Chinese New Year, I go online and buy red envelopes. I share these envelopes with my children and close friends, and, instead of money, we place a written wish for the year ahead inside our own envelope. This year, the wishes are for 2026.'
Katie shares that, once written, she places the envelopes underneath a fruit bowl, filled with mandarins.
'I then place this in a special place in my home for the first three days of the New Year,' she continues. 'You can eat a mandarin a day if you like.
'Just before the next Chinese New Year, I find my envelopes, open them, and reflect. Did my wishes come true?'
What to Shop
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
This gorgeous fruit bowl is perfect for storing your oranges in before and after the Lunar New Year. It's handcrafted from 100% acacia wood.
These fresh oranges are juicy, affordable, and ideal for both rolling and eating. They can either be stored at room temperature or refrigerated for longevity.
In Feng Shui, a Maneki Neko, or beckoning cat, is thought to bring good luck when placed by your door. This one is traditionally made in Japan.
These Chinese fortune coins are thought to bring good fortune and ward off evil, and can either be carried or worn on a necklace or bracelet.
A wind chime is believed to bring good fortune when hung in your entryway, according to Feng Shui, by creating positive energy and inviting 'chi' into your home.
These red envelopes make the perfect companion to your rolling oranges ritual. With such a large pack, there's enough to share with family and friends, too.
Meet the Experts
Planning to redecorate? According to our experts, the best entryway color for Feng Shui depends on the direction your house faces.
