Every Chinese New Year, small red envelopes are presented to the young and unmarried with a little bit of money. The color red symbolizes luck and the practice of giving a red envelope (or "Lycee" in Cantonese) is a blessing for the new year and to ward off evil spirits.
The designs vary from traditional imagery (Chinese characters, old paintings, plants, dragons, various animals) to modern cartoons. Metallic gold ink is normally incorporated into the print as a sign of prosperity.
