Do you know what should we follow and the meaning of traditional customs and cultures for Chinese New Year celebration? Let’s us look at following tips, they help your celebration easier and have a Happy Chinese New Year.
1. Spring Cleaning: All family members will clean-up the house together on the 28th day (of the last month) of the (old) year. Spring Cleaning symbolizes that sweeping all misfortune or bad luck away from the house.
2. House Decoration: Red lanterns and red banners will be hung beside the door to keep in good luck and longevity.
3. Reunion Dinner: In New Year Eve, the whole family members will gather together and have a sumptuous dinner. If a family member could not come for the dinner, his or her presence is usually symbolized by placing an empty seat at the banquet.
4. Symbolic dishes: In the reunion dinner, some dishes are mostly being served as they hold a symbolic good meaning. For instance, prawn featuring smile always and fish featuring prosperity.
5. Shou Sui (守岁): People stay awake all night for increase longevity of the elderly family members.
6. Angpau: Angpau with lucky money or sweet inside were distributed to the young by elders. The red color of the angpau symbolizes good luck and also ward off evil spirits.
Ancestors will be served fruits, sweets, flowers, tea as well as their favorite dishes
7. Ancestor Worshiping: Chinese believe that deceased family members have a continued existence and they will look after the family.
Cheongsam and Samfu are the traditional costume for Chinese. It is easy to find out new designs and fashionable for this traditional costume
8. New Cloth: New cloth especially in red colour will be worn during Chinese New Year as it symbolize a new start and monster Nian scared about this colour. Black and white is avoided during Chinese New Year because they represent mourning.
9. New Year Visits (Bai Nian): Chinese travels back to their home town to meet their family and also to visit relatives and friends.
10. Firecrackers: To scare away any traces of monster Nian, because it is afraid of noise.
11. Lion Dances: The loud beats of the drum and cymbals together with the face of the lion dancing can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dance are popular for visiting houses and shops to perform the traditional custom of "Cai Ching" (采青) as people believed it can brings prosperity to people.
12. Sticky Cake (Nian Gao): To appeasing the appetite of the Kitchen God and also sticking his mouth to prevent him from speaking ill about the family.
13. Yu Sheng (鱼生): To achieve prosperity and vigor, normally having Yu Sheng on renri (day 7).
Nowadays, not only Hokkiens but also others take part in Jade Emperor Ritual
14. Jade Emperor Ritual (Bai Tian Gong): The Hokkiens will have another family reunion dinner, and they pray to the Jade Emperor at midnight (day8).
15. Lantern Festival: Children will go out at night carrying lanterns which symbolic of hope and good luck. People will eat Tang Yuan (汤圆) as it considered to family reunion.
related:
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Traditional culture is more important than Angpau money
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A Word A Blessing
Video: Chinese New Year Traditional Custom
Huat Kueh（发糕）- A kind of steamed bun which the Chinese usually use for praying, while ‘Huat’ means wealth in Hokkien
