1. Pre - Festival Preparations
Cleaning the House: A few days before the Spring Festival, families thoroughly clean their homes. This is called "dust - sweeping" (扫尘,sǎo chén). It is believed to sweep away bad luck and make way for good fortune in the coming year. For example, people clean every corner of the house, including ceilings, floors, and behind furniture.
Pasting Spring Festival Couplets: Red Spring Festival couplets (春联,chūn lián) are pasted on both sides of doors and above the door frame. These couplets usually contain auspicious words and wishes for the new year, such as phrases that express hopes for prosperity, good health, and family harmony. The content often reflects traditional values and positive outlooks.
Putting up New Year Pictures: People also put up colorful New Year pictures (年画,nián huà). These pictures usually depict traditional Chinese deities, historical stories, or scenes symbolizing good fortune and happiness. For example, pictures of the Door Gods (门神,mén shén) are put on the front doors to ward off evil spirits.
2. New Year's Eve
Family Reunion Dinner: On New Year's Eve, the whole family gets together to have a sumptuous reunion dinner. This dinner usually includes a variety of traditional dishes. For example, in northern China, dumplings (饺子,jiǎo zi) are a must - have. Dumplings are shaped like ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots, symbolizing wealth. In southern China, there may be dishes like whole fish, representing an abundance of wealth and a surplus every year (年年有余,nián nián yǒu yú).
Staying - up Late on New Year's Eve: After the reunion dinner, family members usually stay up late together. This custom is called "Shousui" (守岁). It is said that the longer people stay up on New Year's Eve, the longer their parents will live. During this time, people may chat, play games, or watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV. The Spring Festival Gala is a large - scale variety show that has been broadcast every year since 1983 and is an important part of the New Year's Eve celebration for many families.
3. New Year's Day and the Following Days
Giving Red Envelopes: Elders give red envelopes (红包,hóng bāo) containing money to children. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and happiness. The money in the red envelopes is a kind of blessing and is also a way for children to have some pocket money during the festival.
Paying New Year's Calls: People visit relatives and friends to pay New Year's calls. They greet each other with auspicious words such as "Happy New Year" (新年快乐,xīn nián kuài lè) and "Wish you prosperity" (恭喜发财,gōng xǐ fā cái). This is a way to strengthen family and social relations and share the joy of the festival.
Setting off Firecrackers: In the past, setting off firecrackers was a very important custom during the Spring Festival. The loud noise of firecrackers was thought to drive away evil spirits. However, due to concerns about environmental pollution and safety, in many cities, there are now restrictions on setting off firecrackers, and people may choose other more environmentally - friendly celebration methods such as using electronic firecrackers.
These customs have been passed down through generations and play an important role in maintaining Chinese cultural traditions and strengthening family and social bonds.
