Chinese Lunar New Year or Chinese Spring Festival holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays. Its date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls sometime from late January to early February and varies from year to year.
::Do::
A Reunion Dinner
A reunion dinner is
held on New Year's Eve where members of the
family gather for the celebration. The dinner is very large and sumptuous and
traditionally includes dishes of meat and fish. Most reunion dinners also feature a communal hot pot as
it is believed to signify the coming together of the family members for the
meal.
Red
packets
Red packets are passed out
during the Chinese New Year's celebrations, from married couples or the elderly
to unmarried juniors. It is also common for adults or young couples to give red
packets to children. These packets often contain money in certain numbers that
reflect good luck and honorability.
Fireworks
The firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions
that are thought to scare away evil spirits. The burning of firecrackers also
signifies a joyful time of year and has become an integral aspect of Chinese New
Year celebrations.
Red Clothing
Clothing mainly featuring the color red or bright colors
is commonly worn throughout the Chinese New Year because it was once believed
that red could scare away evil spirits and bad fortune. In addition, people
typically wear new clothes from head to toe to symbolize a new beginning in the
New Year.
::Don’t::Put Odd Numbers of Money in the Red Packets
Red packets almost always contain money, usually varying
from a couple of dollars to several hundred. Per custom, the amount of money in
the red packets should be of even numbers,
as odd numbers are associated with cash given during funerals.
Fires, Knives and Broom
Some consider lighting fires and using knives to be bad
luck on New Year's Day, so all food to be consumed is cooked the days before. It
is also considered bad luck to use the broom on this
day.
Visiting People on
the Third Day of Chinese New Year Festival
The third day is known as Chìkǒu, directly
translated as "red mouth". Rural villagers continue the tradition of burning
paper offerings over trash fires. It is considered an unlucky day to have guests
or go visiting. Hakka villagers in rural Hong Kong in the 1960s called it the
Day of the Poor Devil and believed everyone should stay at
home.
Sour Orange
On the last day of the Chinese New Year festival, in Malaysia and Singapore, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.
On the last day of the Chinese New Year festival, in Malaysia and Singapore, single women would write their contact number on mandarin oranges and throw it in a river or a lake while single men would collect them and eat the oranges. The taste is an indication of their possible love: sweet represents a good fate while sour represents a bad fate.
