New Year’s Eve is coming! It is not only an important
holiday, but also a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Enjoying the joyful
atmosphere, everyone is excited at this moment. To celebrate Chinese New Year, there
are many customs, superstitions and activities include:
J House
cleaning:
Before
New Year’s Day, the entire house should be cleaned in order to remove ill
fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. In addition, there is a
superstition that if you sweep the dirt out over the threshold, you will sweep
one of the family away.
J Spring
Festival couplets:
Doors
and windows will be decorated with red color couplets or paper-cuts. These
decorations convey a New Year greeting, and the characters on the couplets
usually symbolize “blessings”, “wealthy”, “longevity” or “happiness.”
J Letting
off firecrackers:
The
origin of it is to scare away evil spirits with the loud noise let out by the
firecrackers. Launching firecrackers is also a way to bring in the New Year and
send out the old year. Besides, firecrackers with red papers are the most
popular as red is auspicious. Also, it is believed that the more fireworks and
noise there are, the more luck there will be in the New Year.
J Red
envelopes:
After
the New Year’s Eve dinner, children will ask for red envelopes.
Usually,
the old generation will not turn down such a request as it means that they will
be out of luck by giving money in red envelopes to the unmarried children.
Moreover, it is believed that if red envelopes are kept under the pillow and
slept on for seven nights before opening will bring in good luck and fortune.
J Shou
Cui(守歲):
On
New Year’s Eve, families will stay up late and get together through the whole
night. It is also called “Longevity Night” because this custom represents the
hope that parents will live longer.
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