Keep your rice containers and water jars filled to the brim
Chinese custom prescribes some actions that you should undertake, as well as others that you should refrain from, to ensure a healthy and prosperous life in the new year.
Dos
Displaying fu prominently
People use the Chinese character fu (福), which represents happiness or fortune, to convey their good wishes and aspirations for the future. Displaying it on the walls or door before or during Chinese New Year is common. In addition to denoting the arrival of happiness or good fortune, pasting the fu upside down also signifies fudao (福到).
As a customary practice, Chinese people write auspicious poems on red paper known as chunlian (春联, spring couplets) and hang them on their front doors as a hopeful gesture for a prosperous Lunar New Year.
Family dinner on New Year's Eve
Chinese people spend Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with their family, known as nianyefan (年夜饭). Being the most significant Spring Festival custom, it also means that it is the most extravagant feast of the year. The sumptuous home-cooked dinner also has auspicious meaning. In northern China, eating dumplings, or jiaozi (饺子), on New Year's Eve is a tradition for good luck and prosperity. Most people stay up until midnight.
New Year greetings
One of the common practices is New Year's greetings, or bainian (拜年). In olden times, youngsters would greet seniors by bowing their heads and receive hongbao (红包), or a red envelope filled with cash, from them. Friends visit and greet each other. Now there are multiple ways to wish someone a happy new year. The generosity that goes into your greetings counts more than the method by which you give them.
The God of Wealth
The fifth day of the Lunar New Year is dedicated to the God of Wealth. Most people continue to observe this custom. Shops typically close during the Spring Festival but on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, they open. Before opening their stores, they worship the God of Wealth and light firecrackers. At midnight, more fireworks and firecrackers are set off. Since 2016, Shanghai has banned firecrackers and fireworks around the Outer-Ring Road.
Lantern Festival
The Spring Festival concludes with the Lantern Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. It falls on February 24 this year. People enjoy tangyuan (汤圆, glutinous dumplings with sweet or salty fillings) and decipher lantern riddles at night. The annual lantern fair in Yuyuan Garden has grown in popularity, and visiting on this auspicious day adds to its significance.
Don'ts
No empty rice jars or barrels
On Chinese New Year's Eve, empty rice jars and barrels are considered a bad omen. Utensils filled with rice represent a family's determination to flourish. So water jars and barrels should be filled. Before worshipping the Well God and Goddess, residents in rural China cover wells with a dustpan.
No scissors or needlework
Scissors and needlework should be avoided during the Chinese New Year celebrations since their sharp points are believed to lead to bitter confrontations with others. The new year would unlikely start well if we mend items with scissors and needles during the first few days.
No laundry on the second day
Wedded daughters typically visit their mothers on the second day of the Lunar New Year. However, the presents she and her husband bring for her mother should be in even numbers. Gifts in odd numbers bring misfortune. The day also marks the birth of the Water Goddess, therefore, laundry should be delayed.
No debt collection
It is not advisable to collect debts during the first five days of the Chinese New Year to avoid disrupting the family reunion and causing financial damage.
No squabbles
The Spring Festival is an auspicious day, and we should endeavor to use good and auspicious words in our talks. Avoid using vulgar and unlucky words, cursing others, and staying away from disputes. It is especially crucial not to reprimand youngsters loudly, as this can bring ill luck. Traditional beliefs hold that scolding children around the New Year foreshadows scolding them throughout the year.
