What do Chinese people do and not do during the Lunar New Year?

The Chinese have distinct traditions for each day of the Lunar New Year. These activities are widely practiced, but there are often some differences between various communities across the country, as well as between Chinese communities outside of China, according to the South China Morning Post .

New Year's Eve: Families typically gather for a lavish "farewell dinner" (also known as the "reunion dinner"). This activity emphasizes the bond between family members, especially for those with members working far away from home.

Chinese people often gather for a "reunion dinner" on New Year's Eve.

Day 1: The first day of the Lunar New Year is a day to visit and wish family members a Happy New Year, starting with the oldest members.

Many people also visit temples and shrines, hoping to be among the first to pay their respects to important gods and saints.

According to Chinese tradition, sweeping the house is taboo on this day because you might "sweep away" good luck. The Chinese also traditionally wear new clothes on the first day of the Lunar New Year, symbolizing a new beginning.

Day 2: To welcome the new year, many people hold a "New Year's feast." Families and business people gather together to pray for prosperity and good fortune in the new year.

Third day of the Lunar New Year: According to Chinese folklore, gathering for meals on the third day of the Lunar New Year often leads to trouble. Therefore, superstitious people choose to stay home all day to avoid such risks. For others, it's a good day to relax after many days of lavish feasting.

The 4th day of the lunar month: This is the day to welcome the Kitchen God and is considered an auspicious day, unlike the 3rd day. Traditionally, people stay at home, light incense, and prepare a large offering to welcome the deities and pray for a lucky year.

Fifth day: It is believed that the fifth day of the Lunar New Year marks the birthday of the God of Wealth. Shops and businesses reopen on this day, and cleaning the house is considered safe and free from bad omens.

People burn incense to worship the God of Wealth in Wuhan, China, on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

The 6th: This is the day to get rid of anything that symbolizes poverty. People often clean up trash around their homes to attract wealth and good fortune in the new lunar year.

The 7th: This day marks the birth of humankind in general, known as "human day" in Chinese. According to Chinese mythology, the 7th is the day humans appeared and marks the day everyone grew one year older together.

The eighth day of the lunar new year marks the birth of rice – the staple food of the Chinese people. This day is often used to pray for a bountiful harvest and emphasizes the importance of agriculture .

In the year of the Wood Dragon, fortune telling for those born in the year of the Dragon.

The 9th: This is the birthday of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven according to Chinese mythology. Many people flock to temples and shrines to pray to the Jade Emperor for health and prosperity.

January 10th and 11th-12th: The 10th to 12th of January don't hold as much significance as other days. This is considered a time for people to socialize more, gather happily with family and friends.

Day 13: Vegetarian dishes such as rice and green vegetables are popular on the 13th day of the first lunar month. This is a way to cleanse the body after many days of eating and consuming a lot of energy beforehand.

Day 14: To prepare for the Lantern Festival the following day, families usually make lanterns and glutinous rice balls (called "tangyuan" in Chinese), symbolizing family unity.

The 15th (full moon of the first lunar month) : The end of the "spring festival" is the Lantern Festival, usually associated with the activity of lighting lanterns. Families gather to enjoy glutinous rice balls in sweet syrup, the round balls resembling the moon on the first full moon of the lunar year.

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