Still in the season of welcoming the Chinese New Year. Today I shall share the activity during Chinese New Year from Day 1 to Day 15.
For Chinese, celebrating New Year has their own traditions and breaking it may means bad omen or rejecting good luck.
Day 1:
The first day is the most special day as people are very happy in welcoming the New Year. “Gong Xi Fa Chai” (Mandarin) or “Kiong Hee Fat Choy” (Cantonese) are said to one another as greetings. The words literally mean Happy Prosper. In ancient China, it is spoken Happy to prosper because it is the time to start planting corps and you will be prosper by the time of harvest. It is commonly translated as “Happy Chinese New Year”.
In the morning, children should greet their parents “Gong Xi Fa Chai” and usually their parents will give “Hong Bao” which means “red pocket” to them. The red pocket usually contains money. That’s why children are very happy dyring Chinese New Year.
Not all people can give hongbao. Only one who has married can give hongbao. Giving hongbao to unmarried relatives is compulsory of those who have married.
The first day of celebrating Chinese New Year is always by visiting the elder relatives’ houses and saying “Gong Xi Fa Chai”.
At the first day, there are several taboo which makes elderly extremely angry if done:
1. No housework activity including sweeping the floor, washing dishes, clothes and hairs. It will wash away all the luck of the house and family.
2. No use of cutting utensils such as scissors, knives, nail-cutter, or other objects. This includes no killing of animals.
3. No breaking objects like plates, cups, glasses and others. This would mean bad omen for the year. Some families are using plastic cooking utensils to avoid breaking them.
4. No harsh and rude words and No sour faces. Chinese New Year is a happy event and it should be welcome with joy, happy and cheer. Harsh words and sour faces may make lucks away.
Day 2:
This day is especially for married daughter to visit her maiden home (her birth parent’s house). She should take her husband and children to visit. Why shouldn’t it on the first day? Because ancient Chinese culture believes that married daughter has the obligations to visit her husband’s elderly relatives.
For big families, one day is not enough to visit relatives. Second day is used to visit relatives who are not really close to the family. For those who own business, they should choose either to open the business on this day or after the 3rd day.
Day3:
It is not suitable to open business on this day because according to superstitions, opening business on this day will have bad lucks for the entire year.
Day 4:
Opening business on this day is not bad either. You can invite lion dance to the house for clearing the bad wards, bad spirits away. We usually hang red pocket inside a head of lettuce to feed the Lion as it eats lettuce and the red pocket is the fee for the dance.
Day 5:
This is the best day since this is the birthday of “God of Prosperity” or “Chai Shen”. People go to temples to wish for prosperity from the God.
Day6-8:
This is free day. We visits friends and opening stores.
Day 9:
This is the birthday of Jade emperor and Fujian people celebrate this as the first day of Chinese New Year. It is an old story that Fujian province are attacked sometime before the Chinese New Year and due to that reason, they cannot celebrate the new year. They hid themselves in the forest of sugar-cane trees. At the ninth day, they are freed and celebrate the Chinese New Year. They use sugar-cane as the offering to the Jade emperor since Fujian people believe that they are saved because of Him.
Day10-14:
Still in the nature of Chinese New Year but people are slowing down. They are preparing to celebrate the 15th day of Chinese New Year.
Day 15:
Every Chinese people are waiting for this day as it is the first Full Moon in the year. In the evening, people will take lanterns, eat dumplings and see the moon. Families are eating together on this day as well. They are also celebrating the last day of Chinese New year celebration.
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