During the Chinese New Year, hundreds of thousands people who work outside go back to their hometown to meet families and friends. Most business also closed to celebrate the festival.
In China, the new year holiday lasts 7 days in 2021, but the traditional celebrations are much longer. The preparation starts one week before and the celebrations last till 2 weeks after the new year.
There are many traditions and celebrations. Some of them are disappearing with the changes of the life styles, but many are still celebrated in many places. Please check below to see the celebrations in each day.
- 12th Lunar Month (preparation): 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30
- 1st Lunar Month (celebration): 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08
- 1st Lunar Month (celebration): 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
- 23rd Day of 12th lunar month (February 4, 2021)
According to the legend, Jade Emperor let Kitchen God watch each family' behaviors. On this day, Kitchen God will leave the house to report to Jade Emperor, who then decide to reward or punish the family. People will sacrifice good food to pleasant Kitchen God and therefore to receive a good report blessing the whole family. Kitchen God will return the house during the New Year Eve.
- 24th Day of 12th lunar month (February 5, 2021)
It is the tradition that people will clean the house on this day. People will clean everywhere of the house including the floor, the celling, the doors, the windows, the pots and pans etc.. According to the tradition, cleaning the house can get rid of the diseases and bad luck, and therefore to have a happy and healthy new year.
- 25th Day of 12th lunar month (February 6, 2021)
According to the legend, Jade Emperor will come to the houses to verify whether the reports from Kitchen God is true or not. On this day, people are cautious in their words and behaviors to pleasant Jade Emperor and bless a good new year.
In some places, people will make Tofu (豆腐) on this day. In old times, most people in China are poor, and use Tofu (豆腐) as the substitute of meat.
Making Tofu in complicated and not many people nowadays make Tofu by themselves nowadays, but they may buy from markets to keep the tradition.
- 26th Day of 12th lunar month (February 7, 2021)
Traditionally, people will prepare meat for the festival on this day. Ordinary people in old time were poor and cannot afford having meat everyday. On this day, people kill pigs they raised for meat or buy meat if they do not have pigs. It is on this day people have meat during the year.
- 27th Day of 12th lunar month (February 8, 2021)
People shop all kinds of goods and prepare for the new year such as the firecrackers, spring couplets, vegetables, candy, gifts etc. People also wash clothes and have a bath meaning to get rid of the diseases or bad lucky.
- 28th Day of 12th lunar month (February 9, 2021)
People started to prepare dough for steamed bread. There were no baking powder in old time, and people use the traditional way to produce steamed bread which takes longer time.
- 29th Day of 12th lunar month (February 10, 2021)
People started to produce the steamed bread using the dough prepared yesterday. They will prepare a lot as the main food in the coming days because it is not good to produce steamed bread from the 1st day to 5th day in the first lunar month according to the tradition.
Worshiping ancestors at their tombs is the most important activity on this day.
- 30th Day of 12th lunar month (February 11, 2021)
Chinese New Year Eve is on December 30 in the Chinese calendar, and it is the last day of the year.
In the morning, people paste Spring Couplets on doors and windows and wish the best luck in the coming year. This is still popular in rural areas, but people living in cities may only paste on the entrance because of the tall buildings.
Another significant activity is the New Year's Eve Dinner. Like Christmas Dinner in western countries, families gather together and enjoy the New Year Eve Dinner. Many dishes are prepared, but dumpling (饺子) or Tang Yuan (汤圆) is the most important food. People living in the northern areas eat dumplings but people living in the southern areas eat Tang Yuan (汤圆).
In the middle night, people light firecrackers and fireworks. Some of these activities are cancelled in some areas by the government because of the pollution, but it is still popular in many areas. Most families will light firecrackers right after the middle night, while others might be later a bit. The whole activity can last till the early morning in the new year.
- 1st Day of 1st lunar month (February 12, 2021)
New Year's greeting is the tradition. One this day, everyone will say greeting words to each other such as "Happy New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai means".
Young people will visit and send blessings to seniors of the families, and in turn, they may receive "red envelopes". However, the "red envelopes" is voluntary, not everyone will receive them.
Nowadays, with the new technology, many people use messages to send greetings or red envelopes to families or friends.
- 2nd Day of 1st lunar month (February 13, 2021)
On this day, married daughters go back to their own family with husband and children to visit parents and relatives. They will carry gifts to share with family members.
In ancient China, married daughters did not have many chances to visit their parents. There is no such restriction nowadays, but the custom remains.
- 3rd Day of 1st lunar month (February 14, 2021)
According to legend, Day 3 is the "rat marriage day". On this day, rats will have their weddings, so people go to bed earlier to avoid bothering them. It is said that if they were bothered, they will bring troubles to the family.
People will visit relatives and friends on this day.
- 4th Day of 1st lunar month (February 15, 2021)
According to legend, Kitchen God will check the house members, and therefore people will stay home.
People will visit relatives and friends on this day.
- 5th Day of 1st lunar month (February 16, 2021)
This is the day to welcome the God of Wealth, and it is also the day to start the business. Many business including stock markets will start today. Traditionally, it is called "Po Wu", and many new year taboos can be broken on this day.
People eat dumplings, and light firecrackers in the morning.
- 6th Day of 1st lunar month (February 17, 2021)
This is the day to send away the Ghost of Poverty. People clean the house and throw the old clothes, wishing to stay away from the poverty.
- 7th Day of 1st lunar month (February 18, 2021)
According to the legend, Mother God Nüwa created human on this day, and this day is the "day of human".
- 8th Day of 1st lunar month (February 19, 2021)
According to the legend, today is the birthday of the millet. It is said that people will have a good harvest if the weather is sunny, and people will not have a good harvest if the weather is not good.
- 9th Day of 1st lunar month (February 20, 2021)
According to the legend, today is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, and celebrations are held in Taoist temples. People will also prepare food to wordship.
- 10th Day of 1st lunar month (February 21, 2021)
According to the legend, today is the birthday of the God of Stone. Many traditional tools such as rollers and grinders were made of stones, and stones played an important role in agriculture in ancient China. On this day, people should not move any stones.
- 11th Day of 1st lunar month (February 22, 2021)
According to the legend, today is the day that father-in-law treats the sons-in-law with the leftovers from Day 9 when people wordship the Jade Emperor.
- 12th Day of 1st lunar month (February 23, 2021)
On this day, people start to prepare the Lantern Festival, buy lanterns, and setup the shed for lanterns.
- 13th Day of 1st lunar month (February 24, 2021)
On this day, people light the lanterns, and the lanterns will keep light till 18th.
- 14th Day of 1st lunar month (February 25, 2021)
People prepare the Lantern Festival on the next day. People practice the performances like dragon dance and lion dance on the street.
- 15th Day of 1st lunar month (February 26, 2021)
Today is the Lantern Festival, which is another important festival in China. Many traditional activities are celebrated on this day such as lion dance, dragon dance, lantern riddles, walking on stilts, and dry boating etc.
People eat Tang Yuan (汤圆), a Chinese dessert that the name of the dish is a homophone for union.