New Year’s Eve is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. On this day, Chinese people usually spend it in the following ways: Morning – Thorough cleaning: People will thoroughly clean the house, sweep away the dust and dirt, and welcome the New Year with a brand-new look, meaning to sweep away the bad luck of the old year and welcome the good luck of the new year.- Posting New Year red items: This includes pasting Spring Festival couplets, the character “Fu”, and window grilles. Spring Festival couplets are neatly antithetical, concise and exquisite, expressing good wishes; the character “Fu” has the custom of being pasted upright or upside down, and being pasted upside down implies “Good fortune has arrived”; window grilles feature various auspicious patterns as the theme, adding a festive atmosphere to the festival. Afternoon – Preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner: The whole family is busy together, preparing a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. The dishes of the New Year’s Eve dinner are rich and diverse. There must be fish, symbolizing “Surplus every year”; there are also dumplings, which are shaped like ingots, meaning attracting wealth and treasure. Some will even wrap coins in the dumplings, and the person who eats them is believed to have good luck.- Worshiping ancestors: Some families will go to the ancestral hall or set up offerings at home, light incense and candles, and worship their ancestors to express their remembrance and gratitude to the predecessors, and pray for the ancestors to bless the family’s safety and happiness. Evening – Having the New Year’s Eve dinner: The whole family sits around and enjoys the rich New Year’s Eve dinner, chatting while eating, full of laughter and joy, reflecting the beauty of family reunion.- Staying up late: After having the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family will sit around the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala and wait for the New Year’s bell to ring together. Elders will give red envelopes to juniors, wrapped in red envelopes, meaning to bless juniors to be safe, healthy and thrive. In addition, on New Year’s Eve, people will set off firecrackers and fireworks. However, in many places, there are certain restrictions on setting them off for environmental protection and safety. Amid the sound of firecrackers, the old year passes and the new year arrives. People pay New Year calls to each other and express their blessings.
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