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For those who celebrate Chinese New Year, are you done with your preparations? For those who do not celebrate Chinese New Year, here is a list of traditional activities that are done right before welcoming the Chinese New Year.

 

Late Dinners

Even though it is not a commonly practiced tradition, some families have reunion dinners during the late hours of Chinese New Year's Eve. The tradition lies in where the entire family eats till midnight comes, welcoming the Chinese New Year as an entire family. The Chinese believe that eating as a family till the day arrives brings harmony and prosperity. Even if some families do not come together for a late dinner, most would still stay up till the late nights, awaiting for the new year to come.   

Important and Essential Dishes to Have on the Table

During the Chinese New Year's Eve dinners, there are some dishes that you will definitely see on the table. One of the many, a chicken dish Chicken is read as ‘ji’ in Chinese which has a similar pronunciation to "plan" in Chinese. Some believe that chicken symbolizes having a smooth plan for the new year ahead of them. Another popular dish would be fish. Fish is read as ‘yu’ in Chinese which is commonly paired with the Chinese Idiom ‘nian nian you yu’ which translates to having prosperity in the new year or having a surplus year after year.  

Cleaning Up the House

It is really important to clean up the house before Chinese New Year, such as sweeping and mopping. Most believe that as this will be the last time that they will clean the house before the new year; cleaning will chase all sorts of bad luck away. Cleaning before the New Year approaches does not simply comprise of common sweep and mop. Some even go to the extent where they clean every single corner of their house, even to their roof if they have one. Some may ask why do we not clean during the New Years instead. Well, many believe that cleaning during the first few days of Chinese New Year does the opposite; sweeping off good luck and fortune.  

Lighting Up Firecrackers

Legend has it that as the clock strikes twelve midnight, ‘Nian’ comes out from hiding and attacks any villager that comes its way. The villagers found out that ‘Nian’ was scared of 3 things: the colour red, bright lights and loud noises. These 3 characteristics perfectly describe the qualities of a Firecracker. This is why many families used to light up firecrackers during midnight as a way to shoo away ‘nian’ and welcome the New Year! However, this tradition is rarely observed nowadays as firecrackers are prohibited in most places due to safety concerns.   For most who celebrate Chinese New Year, these Chinese New Year's Eve traditions should be familiar. Are there any other popular traditions that you practice?