SINGAPORE — With Chinese New Year almost upon us, a woman took to social media, seemingly annoyed at the practice of giving one’s spouse a red packet containing money .
She added that she never expected her partner to give her any ang bao to her: “It never occurred to me that he should give me or I should give him angbao… it’s like left pocket put in right pocket then right give it back to left”. According to some research The Independent Singapore did, husbands can opt to give their wives ang baos and vice versa, but this isn’t common practice in modern households.
Netizens were divided on the topic. Some felt that ang baos should be given to one’s partner as it was about showing appreciation. Others agreed with the woman and said that it was hardly a necessary practice between people in a relationship.Similarly, the age-old question of how much angbao to give has sprung up again.