2008
Chinese Traditions & Customs
Chinese New Year is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon according to the lunar calendar. This is the most important Chinese holiday for families to be together. That’s why the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is considered the most important family occasion of the year. The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations are focused on just the family.
Some of the Chinese New Year customs are:
Sweeping of the Grounds
Every corner of the house must be swept and cleaned by the end of the year. No sweeping or turning garbage out and avoid breaking plates or glasses during the first three days of the New Year.
Spring Couplets
These couplets are short poems with popular theme of "happiness", "wealth", "longevity" and "satisfactory marriage with more children", written in black ink on large vertical scrolls of red paper, express good wishes for the family in the coming year. They are usually put on the sides of the door or gates.
The Kitchen God Farewell
In traditional China, the Kitchen God is the guardian of the family hearth. Every year Kitchen God left the house on the 23rd of the last month to report on the behavior of the family to heaven. On the evening of the 23rd, the family would give the Kitchen God a ritualistic farewell dinner with sweet foods and honey. Some said this was a bribe, others said it sealed his mouth from saying bad things.
Decorating Your Home
There are specific items used for good fortune:
Plum Blossoms: Very much like the Christmas tree, homes would be decorated by Plum blossoms, which stands for courage and hope, because the blossoms bloom in winter on a seemingly lifeless branch and its color is auspicious.
Orange or Tangerine Trees: Like Plum blossoms, they are placed in the homes and businesses during this period, they are symbolic of good luck and wealth.
Water Narcissus: If the white flowers blossom exactly on the day of the New Year, it is believed to indicate good fortune for the ensuing twelve months. Avoid four stems of blossom.
Fire Crackers
Fireworks are the sign of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.
New Clothes and New Shoes
Children always wear new clothes and shoes on New Year’s Day. New shoes also symbolize getting rid of the predicaments of the old year, and starting with a fortunate, new year.
Lai-See Envelopes (Hong-Bao)
Red packets are typically handed out to the younger generation by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and close neighbors and friends. The oldest members of the family place money in the envelopes and give to children and young adults at New Year’s time, much in the spirit as Christmas presents. Children usually pay their greetings and respect before they can receive the Hong-Bao, such as clasping their hands and bowing their hands and saying “Kung Hei Fat Choi,” which is a saying that means "Congratulations and be prosperous."
